TAKE A SWING AT $1 MILLION DURING STOCK YARDS BANK DERBY FESTIVAL EVENT
HOLE-IN-ONE GOLF CONTEST OPENS APRIL 16
April 11, 2026. Louisville, KY. – The Kentucky Derby Festival’s golf event tees off next week and it’s your annual chance to take your best shot at $1 million. The Stock Yards Bank $1 Million Dollar Hole-In-One Golf Contest swings into action on Thursday, April 16 and runs through Sunday, April 26. The contest will take place at the Seneca Golf Course Driving Range off Pee Wee Reese Road. There will be 10 days of preliminary qualifying rounds, a Semi-Final Round, and a Final Round.
The preliminary competition starts Thursday, April 16 and ends Sunday, April 26 (closed on Saturday, April 18 for Thunder). Thursday, April 16 through Saturday, April 25 the range is open from 10 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. On the last day of the preliminary competition, Sunday, April 26, the range is open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Semi-Final round is Sunday, April 26 at 6 p.m., and the Finals is Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. Competitors and spectators can relax and catch the action in the tent located adjacent to the tee area.
During the preliminary rounds, there will be 10 qualifiers each day of the competition whose shots were closest to the hole. Hole-in-one shots will advance directly to the Finals and the remainder of the 10 qualifiers per day will move on to compete in the Semi-Final round. It is $1 per swing daily, with 2 swings for $1 (Buy-One-Get-One-Free) specials on the following days:
- Senior Days (62+): Weekdays, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
- College Day: Friday, April 17
- Junior Day (under 18): Sunday, April 19
- First Responders & Veterans Day: Monday, April 20
- Ladies Day: Tuesday, April 21
There are a total of 56 positions in the Finals, which include all daily hole-in-one qualifiers, four female qualifiers from Ladies Day, plus two qualifiers under the age of 18 from Junior Day advance as well. The Finals will be held on Tuesday, April 28 at 6 p.m. at Seneca Golf Course Hole #8. If no hole-in-one is awarded during the Grand Prize round, the participant coming closest to the hole during the Finals will receive a $5,000 first prize.
Sponsor: Stock Yards Bank. Contributing Sponsor: Louisville Parks & Recreation. Official Luxury Vehicle: Cadillac/Courtesy Cadillac. Media Sponsor: WLKY.
About Kentucky Derby Festival
2026 marks the 71st year for the Kentucky Derby Festival, a month-long celebration packed with 70+ events leading up to the first Saturday in May. As an independent community organization, it’s supported by 4,000 volunteers, more than 400 businesses and civic groups, Pegasus Pin sponsorships and event participation. It entertains more than 1.5 million people every spring and has a local economic impact of more than $200 million. This involvement has made the Festival the largest single-attended event in Kentucky and one of the leading community celebrations in the world.
