Best golf courses near Lexington, KY

Perhaps the most exclusive club in Kentucky has found its way onto our ranking of Kentucky’s Best Golf Courses for the first time—thanks to finally obtaining enough ballots to be considered. For those fortunate to receive an invitation, you’ll encounter a Donald Ross gem built in the 1920s—with undulating and typically elevated greens that usually run as some of the fastest in the state. Architect Ron Prichard performed a renovation in recent years to restore a number of bunkers, and over time the routing has been flipped—so the closing stretch on the front nine provide some of the course’s most challenging holes. Walking is encouraged at Idle Hour, with subtle land movement in the fairways, water and well-placed bunkers presenting a stout driving test.

This classic 1901 Tom Bendelow design recently underwent a full renovation project by Kentucky resident Kevin Hargrave, who has worked for designer Keith Foster. Hargrave completed a full bunker renovation, expanded fairway width and reclaimed green sizes. Irrigation work will continue into the winter on this old-school, parkland course widely regarded as one of Kentucky's great gems.

The Champion Trace course at Keene Trace has ranked inside the top five in Kentucky in most of our rankings since the Arthur Hills course opened in the late 1980s. Routed on the rolling hills you'd expect on the site of a former horse farm, Champion Trace hosted the 1993 NCAA Championship and the 1994 U.S. Senior Amateur—and after new ownership took over the property in 2015, the course underwent some significant improvements ahead of hosting the PGA Tour's Barbasol Championship for the first time in 2018.

For a great stay-and-play option right in Lexington, the Marriott Griffin Gate Golf Resort and Spa is a great hub to set up your trip. The resort recently completed a $30-million renovation, and a few years ago Rees Jones returned to oversee a major bunker renovation project. The course has hosted a senior tour event in the past when Arnold Palmer competed here. Though a round here is probably among the most expensive in the state, the convenience of being right next to downtown is tough to beat.

This is a favorite among our Golf Digest panelists, who say Houston Oaks is perhaps the best public option in the state, when considering the value (tee times are $60 with a cart on the weekend), the always-solid conditioning and the beautiful scenery. Built on an old horse farm in beautiful Paris, Ky., Houston Oaks was designed by a lesser-known architect, Jack Ridge, but you should put it on your radar.