Wasioto Winds at Pine Mountain State Resort Park

Wasioto Winds is Dr. Michael Hurdzan's 2001 design at Pine Mountain State Resort Park in Pineville, Kentucky, a $10 million state-park course widely considered the best course on the Kentucky State Parks Trail. Hurdzan routed 18 holes through southeastern Kentucky mountain terrain, weaving around a lake, three creeks, and several wetland areas, with elevation changes and views that rival any Appalachian resort course. The routing is unusually configured, five par-3s and five par-5s, with only eight par-4s. That makes scoring swingy: opportunities on reachable par-5s balance against shorter, more exacting par-3s. Wide fairways and generous landing areas keep the course 'difficult but friendly to the high handicapper' as one reviewer put it; the length (5,346 to 7,037 yards across five tees) flexes for every group. Wasioto Winds was ranked #4 Best New Affordable Public Course by Golf Digest in 2003, and Golf Advisor placed it #10 on Top 25 Courses for Pace of Play in the U.S. (2019). At state-park pricing for a Hurdzan signature course, it's the must-play round on the Kentucky Parks Trail, a Hurdzan design at public-park rates is rare in any state.