A portion of the former Vista Links golf course has reopened for limited use, allowing Tribrook Club members to access select holes while also serving as a practice site for Southern Virginia University’s golf teams, which will have priority use through a new agreement between the club and the university.
Tribrook Club — the new name for the former Lexington Golf & Country Club — is leasing the Vista Links property from SVU while its main course undergoes a full reconstruction, according to officials.
“The SVU golf team will continue to have privileges there to use for practice and limited hole play,” said Steve McAllister, vice president for finance and treasurer at Washington and Lee University, which has been involved in broader golf course planning efforts in the area.
The Vista Links site, now referred to by Tribrook as “The Ranch” facility, is already operational, said Tribrook general manager Michael Wysocki. Use of the property is currently limited to Tribrook members and SVU’s golf teams.
In addition to practice access, Tribrook is operating a small snack bar and a limited pro shop at the site during the lease period.
The arrangement comes as the main Tribrook course remains under construction, with a targeted reopening in spring 2027, Wysocki said.
While the reopening of a handful of holes may appear minor, it represents the latest turn in a complex and evolving local golf landscape shaped by financial struggles, institutional partnerships and ongoing redevelopment.
Vista Links, originally developed in the mid-2000s, became a long-running financial burden for the city of Buena Vista. The city stopped making payments on the course in 2014, triggering years of litigation tied to the bonds used to finance the project.
A 2022 settlement between Buena Vista and ACA Financial Guaranty Corp. resolved roughly $6 million in outstanding debt, but the course closed that March, leaving its future uncertain.
That same year, the property was purchased by The Ranch Golf Club LLC.
Meanwhile, the former Lexington Golf & Country Club — now Tribrook Club — entered into a memorandum of understanding in 2024 with Washington and Lee University. The agreement expanded the course’s footprint and secured priority access for W&L tournaments in exchange for university-backed improvements.
Reconstruction of the Tribrook course began in 2025 and is expected to continue until its planned reopening in 2027.
The current use of Vista Links effectively bridges the gap created by that construction, offering both a practice facility for SVU athletes and a temporary outlet for Tribrook members.
