Kearney Hill Golf Links — Local services in Lexington

Nicest public course in Lexington. By public I mean part of the Parks and Rec department; there are other courses that are as nice or nicer and are open to the public, but they'll come with a hefty price tag (except Connemara - beautiful course; great pricepoint).

A few things to know about this course.

1. There is a driving range and practice green. Both are nice.
2. The course is wide open, but beware of the thick grass if you miss the fairway by too much - you likely won't find your ball in a reasonable time (aka, don't hold up the group behind you looking for it).
3. Greens are not flat. While not large greens, they can be tricky depending on pin placement.
4. There are only a few holes where water plays a factor, mostly on the second nine. There's a pretty long Par 3 that forces you to choose an aggressive line over water or safe line to the left - it's especially tough with a back right pin placement (though there is a backstop if you can use it).
5. It's not a hilly course, but it's definitely rolling.
6. Nice clubhouse, but, as of this writing, it only serves snacks (I think that's a COVID thing, so as the vaccine rolls out, this...

Course is in poor condition, and severe need of maintenance. Can understand long rough on a links course but this is unkept long rough and signs of neglect are everywhere including the driving range where the entire range is scattered divots and clumps of brown dead grass everywhere. No bunker is playable and show signs of not being maintained for years. Could hardly believe this was the course all the reviews raved about. Pace of place was also atrocious, about 6 hours for 18 holes on a Sunday morning. Part of that is due to late golfers but also due to people walking around the uncut rough trying to find their ball. Club house itself is even showing significant signs of repair. It might just be the standards of the area but if you are from out of town and excited by this course would recommend skipping. It’s likely worth the cost...

Pretty fun, and the greens were in ok shape. The course was very wet when we played although it hadn't rained for a couple days. They were also punching the fairways when we were there. No big deal, its what happens this time of year. The service though, is why they only get three stars. The guys driving the tractors would not wait for players at all. They would go in front of us across the fairway when we were hitting and even came right up to the green when we were putting. Not much consideration for the players. The guy in the pro shop was also pretty worked up the day we were there. Threatened to "pull our keys" for driving across some rough on a path only day, when we were just trying to avoid a part of the path that was under repair. Cheap golf and close to home, but there are lots of other choices...