General Burnside Island Golf Course, Burnside, KY

For golfers that don’t mind a little drive, there are two Kentucky State Park courses that are close enough to make a quick, two-day trip; Wasioto Winds Golf Course at Pine Mountain State Resort Park and General Burnside Island Golf Course in Burnside Kentucky. The courses are less than two hours apart and if you include a stay at Cumberland Falls State Resort Park, your drive to each course is about an hour.

General Burnside Island State Park golf course is located on an island surrounded by Lake Cumberland in Somerset, KY. Brian Ault, who designed two other Kentucky State Park golf courses - Dale Hollow and Hidden Cove - also designed this spectacular waterfront layout. General Burnside Island Golf Course was recognized by Kentucky Living Magazine in 2016 with a First Place Award for golf courses.

Although the course is situated on an island, the water that surrounds it does not come into play, although it does make for some amazing views! Three of the par 3s are worth mentioning. From Tee 2, the 5th hole plays 185 yards into an offset green with sand in the front right. The 14th hole is one of the signature holes; it plays 172, straight downhill into a tear-shaped green with a bunker front right. The only true water hazard on the course is the pond on the par 3, 16th hole. It plays 172 yards from Tee 2, slightly downhill with water and a beautiful rock wall to the right of the green.

Because the course is landlocked, it’s comparatively short with only one par 4 over 400 yards from the back tees, so longball hitters may be inclined to try and drive a few of the greens. Head Golf Professional Steve Lutz has some profound putting advice; “Because the course is located on an island, all putts break toward the water!”

Both of these courses are currently undergoing bunker renovations and are in the process of switching over to “Better Billy Bunker,” the best-draining bunker system in the golf industry. It may take a while for the installation to be complete but it’s well worth the wait.

For golfers that plan on playing multiple rounds of golf over the year at the Kentucky State Parks, you may want to consider purchasing a Trail Card which gives you access to many courses across the state within the Nation’s Finest Park System. A lot of these courses have been recognized nationally by Golf Digest. The Trail Card can be purchased at any of the Kentucky State Park courses.

If you like Dale Hollow, which is probably the best public course in the state, you will like the Burnside course. Same designer with many of the same great features that makes Dale Hollow such a great track.