Glenmary Country Club is located just off Bardstown Road, not far from the Gene Snyder Expressway. They call it "historic Glenmary" but it has only been opened since 1990. The course was designed by John Addington and measures out at 6540 yards from the longest tees to a par 72. The course has bentgrass tees and greens, with bermuda fairways that should be nice in the summer. The off-season rates have been $31.00 on the weekend and the summer rates will be right at $40.00. Glenmary has a large, old, clubhouse with a small pro shop but a large bar area, as well as room to host events in the clubhouse. They have a nice size practice green with no driving range. There will be houses close to the course as this winds through a subdivision with plenty of out of bounds areas. Tee times can be made by calling (502)239-3500.
Number 1 is a solid test for a starting hole. It measures 452 yards from the back tees for a par 4, and as is the case with most holes at Glenmary, plays tight with out of bounds to the right and a ditch running down the left side. The fairway is narrow but there is room to miss on either side. It's pretty a pretty-straightforward hole, but the distance itself makes par a good score to start your round.
The second hole at Glenmary is a solid test as well. The distance is a bit shorter than number 1 but this hole goes uphill just a bit, with trees lining the fairway and out of bounds left. Your second shot will be into a green with water guarding the front side, as well as bunkers on the left side of the green. The bail out is to the right here, but the undulating green could make for a tricky up-and-down. Number 2 is one of the tougher holes on the golf course.
Number 3 is a short par 4 with a slightly elevated tee shot that will tempt the longest of hitters to try to reach or get close to the green at only 335 from the tips. The green is surrounded by bunkers, so that is something to keep in mind if you do go for the green, not to mention if you pull it left the tree lined out of bounds area can easily be reached since the hole moves slightly to the right. If you decide to lay back from the green there is also a fairway bunker down the right side to consider. If you keep your shots out of trouble this one can definitely be a birdie hole!
At the 4th tee there is a "chute" like tee shot with two big trees on each side of the tee helping you aim your tee shot. If not for the tree on the left side of the tee long ball hitters could take the shortcut over the trees lining the left of the fairway and over the creek cutting the hole roughly 260-270 yards off the tee. There are fairway bunkers and out of bounds through the fairway on the tee shot so this may force some players to lay back with a 3 wood on this par 5. The second shot will leave a long, uphill shot that could be tough to reach and basically makes this a 3 shot hole. The only par 5 on the front nine is no cake walk.
The fifth hole is a fairly ho-hum hole. It's pretty straight forward, has out of bounds on each side, and has a fairway bunker in your landing area, a lot like the other holes. It's no overly long and can make for an easy hole before we get to the signature hole.
When you reach the 6th hole it is like you are on a different golf course out in the country. The sixth and seventh holes have no houses surrounding them at all and are down in a valley away from everything else. These two holes probably have the most character on the golf courses, and while they do not fit with the rest of the course, are a nice addition. Number 6 tees from way up high and is the signature hole at Glenmary. The tee has quite a drop and this is a short hole at 329 from the tips, especially with the extra carry from the high tee. They keep the rough to the left thick and if you miss right you are heading to 7 tee. The green is small for those big hitters that go for the green. A good tee shot can make for a great chance at birdie here, but that tee shot can be intimidating for some.
Number 7 is the toughest hole on the golf course according to the handicapping on the scorecard and it would seem to fit. This is a very tight hole with a creek running down the left side all the way and a hill where your ball can get caught up to the right. This is another one that is not a long hole but the fairway is very narrow. The creek juts across the fairway just as you are getting to the green and there are two bunkers around a medium sized green that comes back into the end of the valley. To give you an idea of the remoteness of the green they have fans at the green blowing to get air moving across the green. That is generally only seen in hilly, country courses. Nice hole!
The eighth hole starts with the trip there. You have to come back out of the valley on a winding trail, cross a bridge that has a small waterfall that continues that "out of the city" feel, then go up a little more and back into suburbia. This par 3 is a short, fairly easy hole. This is only about 150-155 yards into a nice-sized, flat green. It's straight forward and you can see exactly what you need from the tee.
To finish up the front nine, number nine is a slight dogleg left with a big difference in the back tees and the next set. The back tees are well behind a small creek, while the rest of the tees are out in front of that creek, making about 65 yard difference. This is another tight driving hole with out of bounds on each side, with the least amount of of forgiveness on the right side. There is another small creek that cuts across the fairway just before the fairway heads uphill to a medium green. The uphill shot collects a lot of shots just short of the green, but this leads to an easy pitch to the hole.'
So that finishes the longer and more difficult of the two nine's. Now onto the back nine!
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