After my round at Gibson Bay I headed up I-75 and into Lexington, where I met up with my friend for a round at the University Club of Kentucky. I’ve been to Lexington a handful of times and have always heard good things about the University Club. Well, on Friday and Saturday I got to check it out!
There are 36 holes at the University Club and both courses, Big Blue and Wildcat, are named after the university. Our Friday afternoon round was on the Big Blue Course, which is the flagship course at the club. It was a busy afternoon and why wouldn’t it be, when you can play a collegiate course for only $40 (riding)?! The pace turned out to be better than I initially thought, as the groups separated after the 8th hole. It ended up being a less than four hour round. Nice!
Both of the UK courses were originally designed by Daniel McQueen, who has done plenty of design work in and around Lexington. Apparently, he is one of those local designers that non-residents don’t hear much about! McQueen is probably most famous for his work on nearby Keene Trace Golf Club – which hosted the PGA Tour’s Barbasol Championship this year. The UK courses opened in the early 1990’s and then Arthur Hills redesigned them in 2001.
Like most of the Kentucky courses that I’ve played, Big Blue is routed over the area’s rolling hills. The topography and soil around here just seem to make it a perfect area for golf! The course has an open feel and many of the holes have gentle elevation changes – these features allow for different shot options and had me guessing the tiniest bit about the best lines. Except for the water holes, I found Big Blue to be a fairly comfortable course to play. The front nine is more of a parkland style while half of the back nine is a big water hazard!
Although Big Blue is named after the university you’d think it was named after the diabolical water holes – the 8th, 12th, 14th, 15th and 16th! In a nutshell these holes define Big Blue and are probably what make the course the most desirable public option in the area. It all starts with the par-3 8th, the signature hole!
From where we played (tee four), the 8th was 158 yards of golf course terror! The distance isn’t overwhelming, however you have one swing at a par because the smallish green is surrounded by water! This island green par-3 has the added challenge of being about a half club downhill. When we played the wind was hurting, so that made for plenty of guesswork when picking a club! I took an extra club and tried to flight it down, which resulted in a sideways-breaking birdie attempt.
The back nine has a watery par-3 of its own, the 159 yard 12th. Normally, I’d say it is an intimidating looking golf hole and I suppose it is, yet after playing the 8th I wasn’t all that worried about the 12th! The 12th is all carry over water to the green and it reminded me quite a lot of the 12th at The Greenbrier’s Meadows Course. Both holes have a green just over water and a rock wall that frames the hole. There is room to miss long and left if you don’t have the perfect stick. Plus, both are about the same distance!
The 14th starts a three hole stretch that could beat up your scorecard! I had a good round going and spent some strokes on these holes, even with three good drives. The 14th is a position par-4 where you’ll want to get a tee shot in play so that you can have a comfortable yardage into another island green. At 454 yards the 15th is the longest par-4 on the course and one you’ll want to hit the fairway. The hole doglegs left but water runs down the left side and the cuts across the fairway. You can get away with a 3-wood from the tee or blast a driver out to the right and take your chances from the rough. The approach is slightly uphill to a very modern green complex with all sorts of slopes, bunkers and a chipping area. I was proud of my two putt par!
The 16th is a quirky par-5 with yet more water in play. The slope goes to the left but the hole goes to the right. You basically fire your layup out to the right and then carry the water to a small green, that is tucked into a hillside.
As you’ll see from my pictures, water is Big Blue’s main defense. Even if you avoid the water though, it won’t guarantee a good round. I certainly could tell that the course was designed for collegiate play! Tee four plays 6,505 yards with a rating of 72.0 and a slope of 137. Big Blue felt like the usual, modern Arthur Hills course. The course has challenging greens with false fronts and ridges separating them into halves. There is no shortage of bunkers to influence lines and club choices. What I enjoyed a bunch were closely mown chipping areas where you could hit any number of shots.
The conditions at Big Blue were very nice, just what you would expect from a collegiate course. The fairways, tees and greens were lush and you wanted nothing to do with the long fescue that separated holes. On a sunnier day, the course colors would have popped, but because of the cloud cover things looked a bit dull. Everything was cut down and I got some bounces forward when drives landed in the fairways. The greens were pure and had some speed.
I’ll admit that outside of Valhalla, Kentucky won’t be on too many golfers’ radar. Out of public courses that I’ve played in the state (or Commonwealth if you prefer) I’d rank Big Blue at the top of my list. It is a memorable round because of the water holes, but that makes it easy to overlook the solid non-water holes (#1 and #7, for example). If you are in Lexington with the clubs, check this one out!
