Roughly half of the people who play at the Western Hills Municipal Golf Course are from out of town, says Edwin Ford, a Hopkinsville resident and member of the course on Russellville Road.
“So we are bringing in people from out of town here,” said Ford, observing that those same people will stop and eat somewhere when they leave the golf course, may stay and spend the night and even buy gas in the local community.
“We’re spreading the money around,” he said of the impact of Western Hills, adding that “the better shape you can get your course in, the more people you’re going to bring in.”
The golf course, the only public course in Hopkinsville, has been included on a list of legislative priorities that county officials plan to advocate for during the 2026 session of the Kentucky General Assembly, and Christian County Judge-Executive Jerry Gilliam said officials are going to try to identify some grants that will help build a new facility to house restrooms along with storage for golf carts.
The improvements for the course will cost about $2 million, the judge-executive noted.
Gilliam said the course, built in 1985 during the administrations of Mayor Sherry Jeffers and Judge-Executive Frank Gary, is making a little money now. But he said a sizable investment like the anticipated $2 million in improvements would need some government assistance.
“We want to make sure the golf course stays healthy,” said Gilliam, describing the grounds on Russellville Road as a big tourist attraction.
For people who deplane at the adjacent Hopkinsville-Christian County Airport for economic development purposes and play a round of golf, the Western Hills course is one of the first things they see, according to Gilliam.
But its restroom facilities remind the judge-executive of a 1980s dirty gym locker room.
It’s pretty disgusting, he notes, pointing to leaks and a weathered appearance.
“The storm took out part of the roof of the shelter for the public golf cart storage,” Gilliam added, noting that plans are to have a combined facility that will encompass new restrooms and a storage barn for the golf carts.
The judge said the golf course this past year did build a storage facility for private carts.
The judge notes that Western Hills has seen some pretty good seasons and had some good revenue come in; he observes that the amount of out-of-town play at the golf course, based on credit card receipts, is pretty significant.
He says officials want the golf course and its board to make sure that the facility continues to have good fairways and good greens.
“That’s what keeps people coming back to play,” the judge-executive noted.
Ford said there is always a need for improvements at the local golf course.
“We do need to work on our cart storage and our restrooms outside,” he said, noting that those issues hopefully are “in the works.”
He added that the course needs more grass and a better watering system, and beyond the priorities of the restrooms and cart storage, is in need of a new pro shop on the course grounds.
The shop currently resides in an old farmhouse.
Western Hills member Kanavis Cheatham says the course caters to a lot of the military community and can see anywhere from 40 to 50 military players daily; there are also youth and retirees who play on the course, he said.
