Best golf courses in Kentucky.

Prospect, KY

Arthur Hills's 7,040-yard Prospect layout outside Louisville

Richmond, KY

Fazio's Kentucky gem

Park City, KY

Historic Kentucky course near Mammoth Cave National Park

Lexington, KY

Kearney Hill Golf Links is an 18-hole, par-72 public course in Lexington, Kentucky, designed by Pete Dye and P.B. Dye and opened in 1989. It measures 7,062 yards from the back tees, with a course rating of 74.1 and a slope of 136. The Scottish links-style layout features open, rolling terrain, deep sand and grass bunkers, and few trees, making wind a significant factor in play. Kearney Hill is a city-owned municipal course in northwest Fayette County with a driving range and practice facilities.

Georgetown, KY

Bluegrass golf at its finest

Pineville, KY

Spectacular mountain golf in the Cumberlands

Louisville, KY

Gary Player's 7,054-yard semi-private layout near Louisville

Union, KY

Michael Hurdzan's 6,824-yard Northern Kentucky layout: Ohio River valley views and top public value since 1995.

Lexington, KY

The Golf Club of the Bluegrass, also known for its Widows Watch course, is an 18-hole public golf course located near Lexington in Nicholasville, Kentucky. Designed by architect Barry T. Serafin, the course opened in 1999 and plays to a par of 72 from a length of roughly 6,214 to 6,961 yards depending on tees. It operates as a daily-fee public facility with a driving range and other practice amenities. The course sits amid the rolling Bluegrass countryside characteristic of central Kentucky.

Louisa, KY

Yatesville Lake Golf Course, known as Eagle Ridge, is an 18-hole, par-71 public course within Yatesville Lake State Park near Louisa, Kentucky. Designed by Arthur Hills and opened in 2003, it plays 6,630 yards through the eastern Kentucky foothills with dramatic tee-to-green elevation changes. Golf Digest ranked it among Kentucky's Best in State courses from 2011 to 2014, and it received a Golf Digest national award in 2005 as one of the most affordable new public courses.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Nicholasville, KY

Hurdzan & Fry's 7,035-yard Bluegrass layout: Lexington's top public course in the rolling Jessamine County terrain.

Lancaster, KY

Peninsula Golf Resort is an 18-hole, par-72 course in Lancaster, Kentucky, about 30 minutes south of Lexington. Designed by Pete Dye and built in 1997 on 200 acres of rolling terrain, the course plays 6,647 yards from the back tees with more than 40 bunkers and Dye's signature grass "collection areas." Golf Digest gave it a 4.5-star rating in 2002 and named it among the 200 best places to play in North America. The resort also offers stay-and-play villas.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Calvert City, KY

Calvert City Golf & Country Club is an 18-hole public course in Calvert City, in the Kentucky Lake region of far western Kentucky. The course serves the lake country between Paducah and the Land Between the Lakes with affordable daily-fee golf.

Jenkins, KY

Raven Rock Golf Course occupies a former strip-mine site spanning about 2,000 acres in southeastern Kentucky, near Jenkins, with the layout wrapping around a large reclaimed quarry. Prairie grasses line the wide fairways, giving the course an open, links-like feel amid the surrounding mountains. The course was built by TECO Coal and designed by Jack Fykes, opening in 1995 as nine holes; it was expanded to a full 18 holes about eight years later. Elevations on the property reach nearly 3,000 feet. Greens are relatively small and lightly bunkered, with only about ten sand traps across the layout. The course plays to roughly 6,160 yards from the back tees and is open to the public, with a pro shop on site.

Last verified 2026-09-17

Lexington, KY

Ward Northrup's classic 6,801-yard Lexington resort layout: Bluegrass parkland golf at the Griffin Gate Marriott.

Burnside, KY

Golf on an island in Lake Cumberland

Shepherdsville, KY

Heritage Hill Golf Club is a public course in Shepherdsville, Kentucky, minutes from Louisville. Doug Beach, a former design associate of Jack Nicklaus, planned the course on former farmland in the Knobs region, and it opened in 2007, earning a Best New Public Course honor from Golf Digest in 2008. The par 72 layout stretches beyond 7,100 yards from the back tees, with zoysia fairways and tees and bent grass greens across five sets of tees. The land includes wide open sections as well as dense woods, and the Salt River borders the course on the north side, framing a scenic setting that hosts bald eagles nesting near the 18th hole. More than seven miles of cart path traverse the terrain, including a climb to the elevated 18th green. The club has a pro shop, snack bar and driving range for players preparing to tee off.

Richmond, KY

Michael Hurdzan's 7,112-yard Madison County public layout: one of Central Kentucky's most acclaimed public courses since 1991.

Harrodsburg, KY

Bright Leaf Golf Resort in Harrodsburg, Kentucky, was founded in 1963 by Clarence "Buck" Blankenship, a longtime PGA member and course designer, on a farm he had purchased in Mercer County. It has grown into a 36-hole facility that includes an 18-hole course, a 9-hole regulation course and a lighted 9-hole par-3 course, and remains family owned. The 18-hole course plays to a par of 72 at 6,474 yards from the back tees, with water hazards affecting six holes. The resort also offers hotel rooms and villa suites, and the golf courses are open to the public alongside overnight guests.

Burlington, KY

Arthur Hills's 27-hole Boone County public gem: three 9-hole loops through Northern Kentucky's rolling terrain.

Eddyville, KY

The Cullan at Mineral Mound is an 18-hole, par-72 golf course in Eddyville, Kentucky, situated on the shores of Lake Barkley within Mineral Mound State Park. The course, built in 2003, was designed by Dr. Michael Hurdzan, Dana Fry and David Whelchel and is operated as part of the Kentucky State Parks system. The property carries local historical ties to author F. Scott Fitzgerald through the Machen family farm once located there. Its lakeside setting provides varied views across the western Kentucky terrain.

Lucas, KY

Barren River Lake State Resort Golf Course is an 18-hole, par-72 course in Lucas, Kentucky, operated within Barren River Lake State Resort Park. The layout sits amid the forested, rolling hills of south-central Kentucky near the Mammoth Cave region and is owned and run by Kentucky State Parks. As a state resort course, it serves both park guests and public golfers year-round. Its setting along the lake shoreline gives several holes water views and varied elevation change typical of the area's karst topography.

Louisville, KY

Quail Chase Golf Club is a public course in Louisville, Kentucky. It is located on Cooper Chapel Road in southern Jefferson County. David Pfaff designed the course, which winds through groves of Scotch pine, maple, oak, and dogwood trees. The terrain is gently undulating, typical of the Louisville area. McNeely Lake and the historic knobs of southern Jefferson and Bullitt counties border the layout. Louisville Metro Parks operates the course as part of its public golf system.

Burkesville, KY

Dale Hollow Lake State Park Golf Course is an 18 hole par 72 public course in Burkesville, Kentucky, designed by Brian Ault and opened in 2003. The course is routed through lush woodlands with significant elevation changes and Zoysia fairways. Striking white sand bunkers and bent grass greens characterize the layout. The property is located within a state resort park and offers a scenic environment with no buildings near the fairways.