Lexington Golf & Country Club

The course has a great feel with rolling hills. Tee boxes, fairways, and greens were in great condition.
This was my 2nd time playing here in 2 years. Both times I was on vacation. Staff has always been pleasant.
I played on a Tuesday by myself and was able to get out on my own and moved rather quickly and finished in 3 hours. The only bummer was that there was no food prepared at the snack bar. I didn't eat breakfast in the morning before getting to the course assuming I could grab some food on the turn. I am assuming they only serve food on the weekends. Overall, I loved the course. I would play again.

Course was great, fun layout, and amazing views! Checked in at the desk, asked if we paid online and that was it, last time we talked to anyone. Both good and bad. Over would recommend and play again.

We enjoyed the course very much. The staff was very friendly and accommodating. The course was in great shape and gave us a real challenge. This is our first time playing this course but we will be back

The course was in pretty good shape for winter. Excellent layout that challenges you. Would certainly recommend it to others and will return again. It's worth a trip.

Couldn't have asked for a nicer staff! Course was in great shape.

Was traveling and booked less than an hour before tee time. Was been like 6 to 8 groups of seniors having a tournament in front of me. Was a single for a few holes then was joined by a young player ( VERY Good ) and his Grandfather. Enjoyed getting to know them. Course is a very good layout and in good shape. I recommend the course. Hopefully I’d like to play here again someday.

While a challenging course, it’s still lovely to play. And the views are spectacular.

Played on a Saturday in Late August. Although it was late summer greens were in bad shape. Lots of brown spots on greens. Couldn’t get a good roll al day. Fairways decent. Not a 55 dollar course. Did a replay for 9 holes 25 dollars. Couldn’t believe that price either. Played on lot better courses for less.

From First Tee Jitters website:

ABOUT THE COURSE
-Lexington Golf and Country Club - Lexington, Virginia
-6,444 yards, Par 71, built in 1971
-Designer: Ellis Maples and Ed Seay
-Golf Pro -Jeff Wagner
www.lexingtongolfandcountryclub.com/golf

*This is the first article discussing courses that we play, rating them based on their clubhouses, course layouts, difficulty, and other characteristics.
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First up in our series on golf courses is Lexington Golf and Country Club. LGCC, built in 1971, was designed by Ellis Maples and Ed Seay. Though not big names in the same sense as Donald Ross or Pete Dye, Maples has been compared to Donald Ross, and he designed many courses throughout Virginia, the Carolinas, Georgia, and Tennessee.

​Growing up in Lexington, I have played this course more than any others. LGCC was a private course when I was younger, but is now open to the public.

Pulling into the parking lot, LGCC certainly has a country club feel. The houses surrounding the course look like houses that should be on a golf course. The tennis courts, pool, and large clubhouse appear both inviting and exclusive at the same time.

​THE CLUBHOUSE
The quaint pro shop isn’t packed with merchandise, but has what you would expect for a local country club with a well established membership. They have official LGCC merchandise, a few clubs, golf balls, tees, gloves, and some snacks and drinks. I have never had an issue with the service, and everyone always seems friendly and personable. As an added bonus, a cup cut into the pro shop floor gives you a chance to try out the putters before buying one.

Downstairs, the restaurant offers a full menu, and also has plenty of room far larger gatherings. Since it is the only Country Club in the area, I would understand if prices were a little steep, but the menu items are very reasonably priced, and the sweet potato fries alone are worth the visit.

FIRST LOOK
From the back of the clubhouse, you can see almost all of holes 1,10, and 18. The first tee sits up higher than the fairway, with a fairly large pond to the left that, unless you pull your tee shot severely left and short, shouldn’t be a problem. The pond does come in to play on 10 and 18, but it isn’t the only water on the course. It is pretty evident at first glance that there are some significant elevation changes. The 18th green and tee box sit well above the level of the pond, and though the 10th tee sits near the water, the green can’t be seen because of the elevated fairway, making for a difficult tee shot over the water and up a hill. With an elevated first tee, and a great panoramic view of multiple holes over the pond, the first impression of LGCC is most definitely a good one.

COURSE CONDITION
Lexington Golf and Country Club has an extensive membership list, with members who play regularly. On top of that, LGCC is a public course, adding to the amount of people playing the course. It is one of only two courses in the area, so most days, it sees fairly high foot traffic. That being said, LGCC is in very good condition for the amount of traffic it sees. From tee to green, it is well manicured. The groundskeepers do a good job of moving tee locations, a ball in the fairway almost always has a good lie to play off of, and the greens roll smoothly. In the summer months, there are a few dead spots on some of the greens, which is understandable considering how many people play here each day.

COURSE DIFFICULTY
The front 9 at LGCC is very forgiving. It may be that I have played more rounds here than anywhere else and I am more
familier with the course, but I seem to play well here, especially on the front. There are not many places to lose balls, and wayward tee shots can usually be forgotten about with a decent second shot. The par 5 third hole offers up a real scoring chance, as long as you don’t go left off the tee. A good second shot can easily lead to an eagle opportunity. Three par 3s on the front give this course a par of 71, but on the 4th hole, a pond between the tee and green is the best opportunity to lose a ball on the front 9. The par 4 ninth hole can be tricky due to the severe dogleg left, but a well placed iron off the tee leaves a wedge into the green that should result in a comfortable par.

The back 9 starts off with a long, difficult par 4. Your tee shot must first carry the water and land on top of a hill, which will leave you with a long second shot over a creek and down towards the green. The par 5 eleventh is even tougher. A draw off the tee is ideal, because anything right is lost, and a drive that goes too long will end up through the fairway and into the trees as well. The rest of the fairway into the green is downhill with a severe slope to the right. Par here is a very good score. After starting the back 9 with two difficult holes, you now come to the par 4 twelfth, the hardest hole on the course. A dogleg right, followed by an elevated, sloping green makes for three straight holes that par would be more than respectable. The final hole gives you a downhill tee shot that, if executed, can lead to a shot at the green with your second. Though a two-tiered green awaits, par on 18 would be a reasonable finish.

Overall, the front 9 gives you a great chance to get ahead with some real scoring opportunities, which you must take advantage of, because the back 9 has at least six holes that even par could be tough to achieve.

LAYOUT
LGCC is a par 71 course that measures 6,444 yards from the tips. Though it is not terribly long, there are many intricacies, especially on the back 9, that make this course interesting to play. The five par 3s are all memorable in there own way. Two of them have significant elevation changes, two are over large ponds, and one has a sloping green that needs to have a tee shot land below the hole.

This is a typical country club course, weaving between neighborhoods with trees lining the outer edges of the course. Although there aren’t any incredibly breathtaking views, the course is laid out in a way that makes it inviting for those who haven’t played it before, but also presents a challenge for those who play it regularly.

COST
For a country club course, and one of only two courses in the area, LGCC is very reasonably priced. If you are playing before 12:00 during the week, a VSGA card will provide a significant discount, making 18 holes here more than worth it.

BEST HOLE ON THE COURSE
The par 3 seventeenth is the signature hole at LGCC. The final par 3 on the course, it requires a high tee shot over a large pond, with not much room to miss long or on either side. The manicured foliage on the hillside above the pond spell out LGCC, making this hole the most picturesque spot on the course.

RANDOM OBSERVATIONS
The golf course is under new management, with rumors circulating that major renovations might be in the works. Though nothing has been confirmed, if the rumors are true, Lexington Golf and Country Club could become an even higher quality course, with the potential to attract even more golfers to the area, including the possibility of hosting NCAA tournaments for the local college.

OVERALL COURSE RATING
Lexington Golf and Country Club is the perfect course for the area. The playability of the course, the fact that it is always in good condition, and the welcoming facilities make this a great choice for beginners as well as seasoned golfers.

7.8

This was our first time playing LGCC and we were impressed. The layout was nice, the views were spectacular, and the staff was very friendly. Course was in pretty good shape given the time of year, and we had little complaints. Will definitely play there again and recommend it to others.

Have played this course several times a number of years ago, but have not been back in 10 to 15 years. The course was as I remembered it, and is very “friendly” to play, especially if you choose the right tees. Unfortunately, the course had received over 2” of rain the day before we played, so it was sloppy in some places, but still playable. Except for the wet conditions, we had a good time and look forward to returning again soon. Very worth the trip.