Kentucky
Owensboro & Western Kentucky Golf Courses & Tee Times
Western Kentucky's public golf has deep roots in city parks. Paducah's Paxton Park opened in 1940 as a Works Progress Administration project, laid out by Liverpool-born George Davies, and it has held Kentucky Amateurs in 1949, 1961 and 1974 and the Kentucky Open in 1959 and 1973. Kenny Perry and Russ Cochran both grew up playing it. Near Kentucky Lake, the state park course at Kentucky Dam Village is a Perry Maxwell design from 1950 that Kentucky State Parks calls the Grandaddy of its courses. Owensboro's Ben Hawes has been a city course, a state park course and a city course again.
Good weekend tee times in Owensboro & Western Kentucky go fast, and the ones that come back later (cancellations, groups that shrink) aren't announced. Yoink watches the tee sheets at 23 public courses here, from Owensboro, Glasgow, Murray, Utica and Park City, and tells you the moment a time you want opens up.
The longest layout here is Western Hills Golf Course at 6,907 yards; there are 2 nine-hole courses.
Who runs public golf in Owensboro & Western Kentucky
Cities run most of the public golf here. Owensboro bought Ben Hawes Park in 1962 and opened it on Memorial Day 1964; the state ran it as a park from 1980 until the city took it back in 2010. It has an 18-hole course, par 71 at 6,632 yards, plus a nine-hole par 3. Paducah owns Paxton Park, and Bowling Green's parks department runs three courses: the 18-hole CrossWinds, and nines at Hobson Grove and Paul Walker. Kentucky State Parks runs Kentucky Dam Village near Gilbertsville, a par 72 of 6,554 yards next to a resort park with lodge rooms and cottages, sold with overnight golf packages.
Public courses worth knowing in Owensboro & Western Kentucky
- Kentucky Dam Village Golf Course: Perry Maxwell design opened in 1950, par 72 at 6,554 yards with ultradwarf bermuda greens, at a state resort park near Kentucky Lake.
- Ben Hawes Golf Course: Owensboro's city course since 1964 (with a state park stretch from 1980 to 2010): a hilly front nine, a flat back nine, and a separate par-3 nine.
- Paxton Park Golf Course: City-owned WPA course from 1940 in Paducah, with over 2,000 trees; site of three Kentucky Amateurs and two Kentucky Opens, and Kenny Perry's home course as a kid.
- CrossWinds Golf Course: Bowling Green's municipal 18, over 6,500 yards with bentgrass greens and some of the largest bunkers in Kentucky.
23 courses in Owensboro & Western Kentucky
Cadiz
Calvert City
Ledbetter
Leitchfield
Owensboro
Summer Shade
Other
Lafayette Golf Club
One hole moves 51 feet from tee to green, and the back nine plays 293 yards longer than the front.
Madisonville Country Club
One hole moves 44 feet from tee to green. Water borders eight of the eighteen.
Silos Country Club
Water borders ten of the eighteen, and one hole moves 36 feet from tee to green.
Western Hills Golf Course
Par 72 and 6,907 yards from the back tees: Western Hills Golf Course is an 18-hole regulation course in Kentucky.
Windridge Country Club
Par 71 and 6,050 yards from the back tees: Windridge Country Club is an 18-hole regulation course in Kentucky.
Why tee times in Owensboro & Western Kentucky are hard to get
Golf in Owensboro & Western Kentucky follows the seasons: spring openers and fall weekends are the busiest stretches, and summer mornings fill before afternoons.
Each course releases its tee times on its own schedule, commonly a week or two out, with residents of town and county courses often booking first. Leagues, outings and members claim chunks of the sheet in advance, and whatever prime weekend times are left tend to go on release day.
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 Owensboro & Western Kentucky
Yoink
Watch all 23 courses in Owensboro & Western Kentucky. Hear the moment one opens.
Yoink checks all 23 courses in Owensboro & Western Kentucky every few minutes, so every open time is in one place and you're the first to know when one that fits your day, window and group appears, 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.
- Keep a quicker course in your back pocket. Nine-hole and executive courses are easier to get on and play faster. Around here that includes Legacy Golf Club and Park Mammoth Golf Club - Little Mammoth.
Read the full guide to getting a tee time when everything's booked
Tee times in Owensboro & Western Kentucky: questions
How do I get notified when a tee time opens up in Owensboro & Western 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 Owensboro & Western 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 Owensboro & Western Kentucky?
Demand is highest on spring and fall weekends. Weekend mornings are always the hardest tee times to get.
Which courses in Owensboro & Western Kentucky are quickest to play?
Nine-hole and executive courses such as Legacy Golf Club and Park Mammoth Golf Club - Little Mammoth take less time and are usually easier to book.
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
- Cincinnati · 9 courses
- Eastern Kentucky · 7 courses
- Nashville · 3 courses
Just across the state line
Markets with courses within 25 miles of a course here.
- Southern Indiana, IN · 26 courses
- Jackson & West Tennessee, TN · 11 courses
- Nashville, TN · 36 courses
Sources
Facts on this page come from these pages, checked 2026-09-28. Rates and booking rules change, so confirm with the course.
- owensboroparks.org · official
- owensborobenhawesgolf.org · official
- en.wikipedia.org · wikipedia
- kygolf.org · association
- paxtonpark.com · official
- parks.ky.gov · official
- bgky.org · official
- bgky.org · official
Tee times in Owensboro & Western 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.