Kentucky
Eastern Kentucky Golf Courses & Tee Times
Much of eastern Kentucky's public golf is in its state parks, but the region's oldest course is a club in Middlesboro, near Cumberland Gap. Golf there dates to at least 1889, when the town's British-backed founders were chasing iron ore, and the club calls itself the oldest continuously played course in the country. It hosted the Kentucky State Amateur in 1924 and for years had a 660-yard par 6. Pikeville, farther north, is the hometown of tour pros Woody Blackburn and Robert Damron.
Can't get a tee time in Eastern Kentucky? Yoink watches 7 public courses, from Pikeville, Middlesboro, Stearns and Barbourville. Pick your courses, set the day and time you want, and get a notification when a tee time opens, cancellations included.
The longest layout here is StoneCrest Golf Course at 7,011 yards.
Who runs public golf in Eastern Kentucky
Kentucky State Parks runs the courses most visitors come for. Wasioto Winds at Pine Mountain State Resort Park near Pineville is a Michael Hurdzan design laid through bottomland woods and wetlands. Hidden Cove at Grayson Lake State Park in Olive Hill is a Brian Ault course, and Eagle Ridge at Yatesville Lake State Park in Louisa is by Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest. A Trail Card sold at any state park course covers play across the system. Outside alcohol and personal coolers are not allowed on state park courses. Juniors can join Youth on Course and play participating courses for $5 or less.
Public courses worth knowing in Eastern Kentucky
- Middlesboro Country Club: Golf confirmed there since 1889; the club claims the title of oldest continuously played course in the U.S. and hosted the 1924 Kentucky State Amateur.
- Wasioto Winds at Pine Mountain: Michael Hurdzan's 18 at Pine Mountain State Resort Park, routed through bottomland, woods and wetlands.
- Hidden Cove at Grayson Lake: Brian Ault's state park course in Olive Hill was No. 4 on Golf Digest's 2004 Best New Affordable Public Courses list.
- Eagle Ridge at Yatesville Lake: Arthur Hills and Steve Forrest designed this 18 at Yatesville Lake State Park in Louisa.
7 courses in Eastern Kentucky
Barbourville
Pikeville
Stearns
Other
Diamond Links Golf Course
Eleven of the eighteen bend, and water borders eight of the eighteen.
Raven Rock Golf Course
Water borders six of the eighteen — the back nine plays 404 yards longer than the front.
StoneCrest Golf Course
StoneCrest Golf Course, a championship-length 18 in Kentucky. There's real elevation change: some holes rise or fall about 159 feet from tee to green.
Why tee times in Eastern Kentucky are hard to get
Golf in Eastern Kentucky follows the seasons: spring openers and fall weekends are the busiest stretches, and summer mornings fill before afternoons.
Most public courses open their tee sheet a set number of days ahead, often 7 to 14, and many municipal courses give residents or card holders an earlier window. The best weekend-morning times usually go the day they're released. Leagues and outings take blocks of the sheet before the public ever sees them.
When tee time cancellations happen
A full tee sheet rarely stays full. Many courses let you cancel without a fee up to 24 or 48 hours before your time, so spots tend to reappear in the last couple of days. A bad forecast shakes more loose, and a foursome that drops to three opens a single. None of it is announced. The time just shows up again on the booking page, and whoever looks first gets it.
How to get a tee time in Eastern Kentucky
Yoink
Watch all 7 courses in Eastern Kentucky. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink watches all 7 courses in Eastern Kentucky for you. The open tee times sit in one place instead of a dozen booking pages, and your phone buzzes the moment one fits your day, time window and group, cancellations included.
Doing it by hand? Here's what works.
- Know the booking window. Find out how many days ahead each course releases times, and whether residents get an earlier window. Be ready the morning it opens.
- Look again 24 to 48 hours out. That's when most cancellation deadlines pass and spots come back.
- Be flexible on group size. Singles and twosomes fit into gaps a foursome can't.
- Try twilight and weekday afternoons. They're the last to fill and often cheaper.
- Widen the map. If your first choice is full, check the next town over. Pikeville has 1 courses on Yoink and Middlesboro has 1.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Eastern Kentucky: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Eastern Kentucky?
Set a watch in Yoink for the courses you want, the days you can play, a time window and the number of players. Yoink checks those tee sheets every few minutes and sends a notification as soon as a matching time appears, cancellations included. You book it directly with the course.
When do tee time cancellations usually show up?
Mostly in the 24 to 48 hours before the tee time, as golfers cancel ahead of the course's cancellation deadline, and whenever the weather forecast changes. They appear without notice and tend to be rebooked quickly.
How far in advance can you book a tee time in Eastern Kentucky?
It depends on the course. Many public courses open bookings 7 to 14 days ahead, and town or county courses often give residents an earlier window. Each course's own booking page has its policy.
When is golf busiest in Eastern Kentucky?
Demand is highest on spring and fall weekends. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Does Yoink book the tee time for me?
No. Yoink tells you when a time opens; you book it with the course on its own booking page, at the course's price, with no extra fee.
More golf in Kentucky
- Louisville & Lexington · 39 courses
- Owensboro & Western Kentucky · 23 courses
- Cincinnati · 9 courses
- Nashville · 3 courses
Just across the state line
Markets with courses within 25 miles of a course here.
- Knoxville & Chattanooga, TN · 38 courses
- Tri-Cities — Johnson City, Kingsport & Bristol, TN · 9 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- mccgolfcourse.com · official
- parks.ky.gov · official
- golfaficionadomag.com · media
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- en.wikipedia.org · media
- kygolf.org · association
- kygolf.org · association
Tee times in Eastern Kentucky, without the refreshing
Watch as many courses as you like. When a time opens that fits your day, window and group, Yoink tells you first.