Ben Hawes Golf Course

Ben Hawes is a public golf course operated by Owensboro's parks department, sitting within Ben Hawes State Park on the city's western edge — one of Kentucky's few courses set inside a dedicated state park property. That setting shapes the experience considerably: the layout shares its land with hiking trails and open recreation areas, giving rounds here a relaxed, unhurried character that distinguishes it from a pure golf destination.

Owensboro itself is the largest city on the Kentucky side of the Ohio River, a region of rolling bluegrass terrain, humid summers, and a tight-knit local sports culture. Western Kentucky's public golf scene leans toward accessible, unpretentious tracks, and Ben Hawes fits squarely into that tradition — a course where regulars outnumber visitors and a tee time rarely requires much advance planning.

The par-71 layout plays to a range of abilities without demanding elite ball-striking. For Owensboro residents it serves as a genuine community course, the kind of place where the game stays affordable and the afternoon pace of play matters more than tournament pedigree.