The hardest golf courses in Lexington, Kentucky
The hardest 18-hole golf courses within about 25 miles of Lexington, Kentucky, ranked by USGA slope rating from each course's longest men's tees, with course rating as the tiebreaker. 16 courses have complete, verified tee data.
Also covers Nicholasville, Richmond, Georgetown, Paris and Lancaster.
Houston Oaks Golf Course
Paris, KY, USASlope rating 141, 74.0 course rating, Blue tees, 6,854 yds
PublicJack Ridge
- 3.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 5.0Value
- 4.0Scenery
- 3.2Facilities
Layout is super fun and conditions are better than most in town. Great variation of wide open holes and hazard/OB. Plenty of risk/reward. Favorite holes are 4-11-12-15.
Written by
@coachkodo
Big Blue
University Club of Kentucky
Lexington, KY, USASlope rating 139, 74.6 course rating, Five tees, 7,013 yds
PublicArthur Hills & Daniel McQueen
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.5Layout
- 3.0Value
- 3.5Scenery
- 3.0Facilities
Fun track, but conditions are always a shot in the dark. Definitely prefer the back nine, especially holes 14-16.
Written by
@coachkodo
- Hidden gem
Wildcat
University Club of Kentucky
Lexington, KY, USASlope rating 139, 72.7 course rating, Four tees, 6,638 yds
PublicArthur Hills & Daniel McQueen
- 3.0Conditions
- 3.0Layout
- 2.5Value
- 2.0Scenery
- 2.8Facilities
Marriotts Griffin Gate
Griffin Gate Golf Club
Lexington, KY, USASlope rating 138, 73.1 course rating, Gold tees, 6,784 yds
PrivateRees Jones & Keith Evans
- 4.0Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Scenery
- 3.8Facilities
Great conditions, and holes 3-4-10-16 are my favorites. Food and hospitality is top tier!
Written by
@coachkodo
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Keene Run
Keene Trace Golf Club
Nicholasville, KY, USASlope rating 136, 74.4 course rating, Tournament tees, 7,139 yds
PrivateDrew Rogers & Keith Foster
- 2.5Conditions
- 4.0Layout
- 3.0Scenery
- 4.0Facilities
Worth it to play both golf courses. The 9th hole out here is one of the best golf holes in the state of KY. Just doesn’t fit the course at all. Make sure to play the par 3 course at Keene Run. Super fun.
Written by
@Bhris B
- Driving range
- Restaurant
- Bar
Kearney Hills Golf Links
Lexington, KY, USA
Slope rating 136, 74.1 course rating, Tee 5, 7,100 yds
(The Bull) The Boone's Trace National Golf Club
Richmond, KY, USA
Slope rating 136, 71.6 course rating, Gold tees, 6,659 yds
(Cherry Blosson) Cherry Blossom Golf & Country Club
Georgetown, KY, USA
Slope rating 135, 73.6 course rating, Black tees, 6,842 yds
Idle Hour Country Club
Lexington, KY, USA
Slope rating 134, 75.0 course rating, Ross tees, 7,011 yds
Gay Brewer Jr. Course at Picadome
Lexington, KY, USA
Slope rating 131, 70.8 course rating, Blue tees, 6,548 yds
(Lakeside Municipal) Lakeside Golf Course
Lexington, KY, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.7 course rating, Tee 6, 7,145 yds
Lexington Country Club
Lexington, KY, USA
Slope rating 129, 73.5 course rating, Gold tees, 7,103 yds
Tates Creek Golf Course
Lexington, KY, USA
Slope rating 126, 69.4 course rating, Blue tees, 6,265 yds
Connemara golf course
Nicholasville, KY, USA
Slope rating 125, 71.2 course rating, Black tees, 6,551 yds
Longview Golf Course
Georgetown, KY, USA
Slope rating 125, 70.6 course rating, Blue tees, 6,658 yds
Peninsula Golf Resort
Lancaster, KY, USA
Slope rating 124, 71.5 course rating, Gold tees, 6,647 yds
How we rank
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Lexington, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
FAQ
Houston Oaks Golf Course is #1 on Course Vaults in and around Lexington, Kentucky at Slope 141 (74.0 course rating · Blue tees · 6,854 yds). 16 courses qualify for this list.
This ranking uses published scorecard data from each course’s longest men’s tees, the same tee set for every course. Only 18-hole courses with a yardage for every hole, a total that matches the hole-by-hole sum, and a par between 54 and 80 are included, and the tees must carry a single slope rating (55–155) and course rating. Courses whose scorecard duplicates another course’s are left out until the data is fixed. Courses are ordered by slope rating, then course rating, then Course Vaults score. Only open courses with a published Course Vaults score (at least 5 explicit ratings) are eligible, and a page is published only when at least 5 courses qualify. City pages include courses within about 25 miles of Lexington, so nearby suburbs can appear. Rankings refresh about hourly.
Slope rating is the USGA measure of how much harder a course plays for a bogey golfer than for a scratch golfer, from 55 to 155 (113 is average). Course rating is the expected score for a scratch golfer from the same tees.
Yes. It includes qualifying courses within about 25 miles of Lexington, not only courses whose address is in the city.
This page was last generated Nov 12, 2026, 3:53 AM EST. Scores and eligibility are recomputed about every hour.
