New 18-hole disc golf course to open at Yellow Creek
The Daviess County Fiscal Court will hold a ribbon-cutting ceremony Monday to celebrate the completion of a new 18-hole disc golf at Yellow Creek Park.
The event, slated for 11 a.m., will take place at the first hole of the park’s new Creekside course, near the Nature Center parking lot. The ceremony is open and free for the public to attend.
The new course was designed by Owensboro native and professional disc golf player Dutch Napier, along with sign manufacturing from H.B. Clark. The course layout is available for viewing on UDisc, the leading online app for digital scorekeeping, strategy and other course reviews nationwide. Napier described the course as “fun but challenging and perfect for any skill level.” The Creekside course, which mainly offers an open layout, also features water hazards on the back nine near the creek.
Daviess County Parks & Recreation now maintains three 18-hole disc golf courses, with two at Yellow Creek Park and one at Panther Creek Park South. Other local 18-hole courses include the Kentucky Wesleyan College campus, the Whitesville City Park, Vastwood Park in Hancock County and the Ohio County Park. There are also other nine-hole courses in Livermore, Calhoun, Sacramento and Rockport (Ind.).
With more than 15,000 courses in nearly 90 countries, disc golf remains one of the fastest-growing sports in the world. According to UDisc, 1.4 million golfers used the app to play 21.9 million rounds in 2023 — a 17% growth from 2022. Kentucky is home to 160 courses, including 103 with 18 or more holes.
Upcoming disc golf events in the area include the Ohio County Classic, a Pro-Am B Tier sanctioned tournament in Hartford next week and the Whitesville Fall Classic in August, among other events throughout Kentucky and Indiana.
In November, the Daviess County Parks & Recreation Department will partner with Visit Owensboro and the Daviess County Disc Golf Association to host a B Tier sanctioned event through the Professional Disc Golf Association. The tournament is scheduled for Nov. 22-24 and will feature some of the region’s top competitors.
In July, the Daviess County Disc Golf Association will also host a free clinic on July 5 for people who are interested in learning to play. It’ll be held before the German American Bank Fireworks Festival, and players of all skill levels and experience are invited to participate.
