Kearney Hill Golf Links

I live about 50 miles from this course and always tried to play there at least once a year, mostly because of the friendliness of the employees. They always made me feel that they were happy that I chose this course to play. The other thing that I liked was the immaculate condition of the course itself.

My son and I made the trip and were very dissatisfied with the condition of the course. Tee boxes and fairways were in terrible shape. the greens were so-so at best.

I hope they can turn this course to the quality of before.

Kearney Hill Golf Links is a beautifully designed course from the late Hall of Fame designer Pete Dye. You can see, when playing the course, many of his trademark design cues. However, over time, the city's ownership of the course has caused them to remove sand from many of his trademark pot bunkers, and the fairways have become incredibly patchy due to poor maintenance. What bunkers remain are still gorgeous and very challenging, the big elevation changes on several holes create some really difficult to judge distances, and the greens are in immaculate condition and can be very difficult depending on pin position. This course suffers from one big issue for fans of Dye's designs, though: Peninsula Golf Resort, just about an hour away, is a far more well-maintained Dye design at a better price point. I would encourage anyone who likes this course to visit out there. I think that you will be happier with the state of their fairways. Kearney's have gotten to the point where they are almost as much dirt as grass. Virtually unplayable on a wet day. Shame, because it's a beautiful setup in a beautiful location.

beautiful course from a distance. Tee boxes and fairways were in very rough shape. This used to be a premier course I was excited about playing. It got to then point where I would aim for justnoff the fairways due to mud pits everywhere on them. Not sure what has happened to them.

Have played this course annually for last 5 years. Course condidtions are as bad as previous reviewers stated. In addition to try to improve turf conditions it was CPO. This might be of some benefit but will take long time for this course to recover from current conditions. I think I saw 1 worker on the course all day and he was just riding around. Do not know what green fees were as we played as part of golf package but they should have given us discout. I think since they are run by local govt customer service is not a high priority.

I have played at Kearney dozens of times since it first opened...the condition of the course is THE WORST I HAVE EVER SEEN! There is evidently something that has taken place in regard to a fungus, etc...that has attacked the grass on many fairways and tee boxes. DO NOT WASTE YOUR MONEY RIGHT NOW (until they get this issue under control).

So there was a worker named Steve who started treating me like a criminal cause I was looking at the map of course next to the golf carts (I guess he thought I was trying to take one, I don’t really know). After I finished playing I went to the restroom to take leak and I smelled like a swap and dead rats in there.... little did I know that it was because Steve was taking a massive dump and blowing up the bathroom. I felt like throwing up when he walked out cause he smelled so bad.

Kearney has been the flagship of the Lexington city courses since the day it was built. Not this year. Someone decided to not water the fairways during the past hot, dry weeks. There are many areas of the course where there is no grass. The conditions are some of the worst I have ever experienced. They are giving a discounted rate, so there’s that. Is it playable? yes. Is it embarrassing? Absolutely.

Scored a discount for two players at $62 for 18 holes and a cart. Warmed up on the driving range which is $4 per basket (about 25 balls). Checked the speed of the greens on a nice practice area (2 putting greens and one chipping). Overall we couldn’t complain at all. Tee’d off at our scheduled tee time. Before we even tee’d off there was a foursome pull up behind us waiting to tee off (not sure of their tee time). Cart path only and soon found out why. Most of the fairways were pretty burnt up (down to just dirt). Greens were in good shape minus several divots on every green from disrespectful people who refused to repair their ball marks (don’t know how many I fixed throughout the day). Overall a great day but could have been much better. Would like to play this course again in early spring or late fall.

Kearney Hills is a great course, but the weather (and perhaps a loss of revenue as a result of COVID-19 restrictions) has taken a toll. The fairways and tee boxes are burned out and many of the bunkers have tufts of grass and weeds in them. The greens still run true, but getting there is a challenge. I’m visiting from Florida, and have played 5 area courses since coming to Kentucky. Sad to say Kearney is the worst-maintained of them.

I love this course. The challenge is tough, especially if the wind is up, and it makes you use every club in the bag. Can be fun from all tees and is a pro quality test from the tips. My all-time favorite.

I didn’t play. Course was cart path only. No one let me know. And when I tried to check in, no one was at the counter.

Played it on a steamy Monday in early July. The tee times were surprisingly tight for a 10:45 am Monday round. Golfers stacked in front and behind our flight. If you have performance anxiety and prefer to play solo then Kearney Hill isn't your cup of tea. Show up alone and you WILL be paired with another group (no complaints here as I enjoy meeting new golfers).

If you have above-average shot control then Kearney Hill is a fun, challenging round of golf. If you struggle with hooks, slices, blocks, etc, then the aesthetically calming overgrown and spindly blowing grass will prove to be your worst nightmare (unless you own stock in Titleist Pro V1). The unforgiving second (un)cut is a graveyard for the false-confidence of overly ambitious golfers. The tortoise wins this race; slow, steady and straight ahead.

To be fair, the low rating awarded for off-course amenities is likely a result of restrictions to COVID 19 mandates but, seeing as how this was my first time playing KH, I can't assume they are better than presented.

The greens were surprisingly slick, which took some to adjust.. By the third hole you should be dialed in to the hyper-sensitive unjulations of KH's greens. Alternatively, you could always spend some time on the practice green pre-launch. I spent +/- 30 minutes on the practice green after my round and found it to be an accurate representation of the greens in play.

Looking forward to playing this course again soon!

Wonderful golf course, but not for the beginner. Relatively long and poor shots can exact a big penalty. Fairways are wide, but the undulating hillsides can take your ball into some areas that make the next shot more difficult.

Played 18 in 4 hours, course in great shape, staff friendly, felt like we were the only people on the course. Only set back is no beverages!

Course was in excellent condition. Played in a little more than three hours. I would recommend this course.

Lexinton's nicest coure. Perfect weather Played fairly well for an old man.

If they rolled the greens, this would be one of the better courses in Lexington public or private.

Layout is great. Greens are slow