Ben Hawes Municipal Golf Course
About Ben Hawes Municipal Golf Course
Ben Hawes Golf Course sits within Ben Hawes Park, land the City of Owensboro acquired in 1962 and opened on Memorial Day in 1964. The park takes its name from former mayor Benjamin W. Hawes. The city ran the course until 1980, when the property was sold to the Commonwealth of Kentucky and operated as a state park; Owensboro reacquired it in 2010.
The complex includes an eighteen-hole regulation course and a separate nine-hole par-3 course. The front nine runs over hilly ground while the back nine is laid out on flat terrain. From the longest tees the main course measures 6,632 yards to a par of 71, with a par of 72 for women.
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The second hole, a 444-yard par 4, calls for a long tee shot up the fairway, with out-of-bounds stakes on the left, large oak trees right and a ditch about 200 yards out. A pro shop stocks apparel, clubs and balls, and offers pull carts, golf carts and rental clubs.
At a glance
- Access
- Public
- Holes
- 18
- Par
- 72
- Length
- 6,519 yards
- Tees
- 5 tee boxes
- Course rating
- 71.9 / 133 slope
- Opened
- 1964
- Difficulty
- Harder than most
Scorecard
Ben Hawes Golf Course
| Tee | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | Out | In | Total | Par | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 4 | 4 | 5 | 35 | 36 | 71 | ||
| Handicap | 12 | 2 | 18 | 4 | 6 | 16 | 10 | 14 | 8 | 13 | 9 | 15 | 1 | 5 | 17 | 7 | 3 | 11 | |||||
| Black | 381 | 438 | 163 | 382 | 482 | 180 | 356 | 350 | 379 | 516 | 387 | 191 | 391 | 393 | 176 | 398 | 428 | 528 | 3111 | 3408 | 6,519 | 71 | 71.9/133 |
| Blue | 369 | 427 | 153 | 372 | 470 | 166 | 342 | 349 | 367 | 496 | 373 | 180 | 375 | 383 | 167 | 384 | 415 | 506 | 3015 | 3279 | 6,294 | 71 | 70.7/127 |
| White | 313 | 381 | 120 | 330 | 417 | 147 | 290 | 310 | 300 | 452 | 341 | 126 | 316 | 338 | 155 | 349 | 379 | 465 | 2608 | 2921 | 5,529 | 71 | 67.0/121 |
| Green | 289 | 364 | 111 | 324 | 404 | 100 | 211 | 295 | 232 | 435 | 321 | 110 | 302 | 319 | 145 | 307 | 343 | 438 | 2330 | 2720 | 5,050 | 71 | 64.8/113 |
Par 3 Course
| Tee | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | Total | Par | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Par | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 3 | 27 | ||
| Handicap | 17 | 9 | 1 | 3 | 7 | 5 | 13 | 11 | 15 | |||
| Blue | 95 | 125 | 200 | 175 | 150 | 180 | 115 | 115 | 115 | 1,270 | 27 | 26.9/77 |
Tee and scorecard data retrieved from the USGA GHIN course database
Course handicap at Ben Hawes Municipal Golf Course
How many strokes you get from each tee, by handicap index.
| Tee | Rating | Slope | 0 | 5 | 10 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 30 | 36 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Black | 71.9 | 133 | 1 | 7 | 13 | 19 | 24 | 30 | 36 | 43 |
| Blue | 70.7 | 127 | 0 | 5 | 11 | 17 | 22 | 28 | 33 | 40 |
| White | 67.0 | 121 | -4 | 1 | 7 | 12 | 17 | 23 | 28 | 35 |
| Green | 64.8 | 113 | -6 | -1 | 4 | 9 | 14 | 19 | 24 | 30 |
Work out your exact course handicap here, or calculate your handicap index.
Golf courses near Ben Hawes Municipal Golf Course
- Owensboro Country ClubOwensboro · Private · 18 holes · 5.9 mi7.6
- Club 18 Golf of OwensboroOwensboro · Public · 18 holes · 7.0 mi8.8
- Hillcrest Golf CourseOwensboro · Public · 9 holes · 7.6 mi6.4
- The Rustic Golf Course & Country ClubRockport · Public · 9 holes · 8.5 mi7.1
- Windridge Country ClubOwensboro · Public · 18 holes · 9.5 mi7.6
- The Pearl ClubOwensboro · Public · 18 holes · 10 mi8.9
- Panther Creek Golf ClubUtica · Public · 18 holes · 11 mi7.6
- Victoria National Golf ClubNewburgh · Private · 18 holes · 17 mi9.6
Updated October 2026 · Best golf courses in Kentucky ›
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