Griffin Gate Golf Club (Marriott Lexington)

Rees Jones designed Griffin Gate at the Marriott Lexington Resort in 1981 and returned in 2015 with Keith Evans and Bryce Swanson for an extensive bunker renovation, adjusting fairway grassing lines to give players additional shot options. The 6,784-yard par-72 layout sits on the Marriott Resort property north of downtown Lexington, accessible to resort and day-fee guests. The property has won the Conde Nast Traveler Readers' Choice Award (2023), the Herald Leader's Best of Lexington across Spa, Hotel, Golf, and Wedding Venue (2023), and Marriott International's 2021 Renovation Excellence Award. Griffin Gate is also a Certified Audubon Cooperative Sanctuary. As a Bourbon Trail destination round, this is the Marriott-loyalty pick — the resort experience matters more than the course's national pedigree, and the redesign has held its own. Mid-tier resort pricing ($$).