Kentucky

Map of Kentucky

Officially titled the Commonwealth of Kentucky, the Bluegrass State is located in the east central area of the United States. Bordered by seven other states, Kentucky’s famous for livestock breeding, horseracing, bourbon distilleries and tobacco production – hell, it’s the state that all good gamblin’, drinkin’ and smokin’ golfers should be heading for, pronto!

The Kentucky Golf Association was formed in 1911 and it looks after the interests of amateur golfers in over 200 member clubs. The association works closely with the Kentucky Section of the PGA which, since 1925, has overseen the activities of hundreds of professionals and apprentices across the Commonwealth.

A pair of Arthur Hills courses – Olde Stone in Alvaton and Champion Trace in Nicholasville – figure prominently in Kentucky state rankings, as do a couple of recently renovated 1920s layouts: Big Spring (reworked by Rees Jones) and Idle Hour (upgraded by Ron Pritchard). Most well known, however, is Jack Nicklaus’s 1986 design at Valhalla, host to the USPGA Championship in 1996 and 2000 as well as the venue for the 37th Ryder Cup series of matches in 2008, when the USA beat Europe 16½ to 11½.

Our Kentucky Best In State Rankings were last updated in May 2018. Click the link to read the story.

Top 100 Golf Courses - Kentucky

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Idle Hour

1^st

Ron Pritchard recently reworked the old 1925 Donald Ross course at Idle Hour Country Club, restoring bunkers and adding length to the layout.

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Valhalla

2^nd

Jack did a bit of earth moving on the front nine at Valhalla which is fashioned in a links-style with fairways that pitch and roll through a fairly flat, low-lying and open valley.

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Olde Stone

3^rd

Opened for members play in 2006, the Club at Olde Stone came from the burgeoning portfolio of veteran architect Arthur Hills.

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Big Spring

4^th

Host to the PGA Championship in 1952, the course at Big Spring Country Club has been altered a number of times down the years by the likes of William Diddel, Larry Packard, Arthur Hills and, most recently, Rees Jones in 2004.

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Keene Trace (Champion Trace)

5^th

An Arthur Hills design that debuted in 1987, the fairways of the Champion Trace course at Keene Trace Golf Club are routed around a residential development to the south west of Lexington.

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Hurstbourne (Championship)

6^th

Chic Adams originally laid out the Championship course at Hurstbourne Country Club in 1967 but Keith Foster substantially renovated it in 2005 when he retained most of the routing but upgraded the bunkers.

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Persimmon Ridge

7^th

The 18-hole layout at Persimmon Ridge Golf Club nestles in the gently rolling landscape of Shelby County. Many contend that the heavily contoured greens are the course’s greatest attribute.

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Griffin Gate

8^th

Managed by Marriott Golf, the course at Griffin Gate Golf Club in Lexington was one of the first design projects completed by architect Rees Jones back in 1981.

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Triple Crown

9^th

Gene Bates laid out the course at Triple Crown Country Club and the high rating of its slope index marks it out as one of the tougher tracks in Greater Cincinnati.

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Heritage Hill

10^th

Situated within a mixed landscape of woodland and farmland on the banks of the Salt River, the course at Heritage Hill Golf Club is a Doug Beach layout that first opened its doors to golfers in the Bluegrass State in 2007.

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