Ranking the Best U.S. States for Golfers
Florida is No. 1 atop the the Best U.S. States for Golfers list, according to a new golf ranking produced by MyBaggage.com.
Grabbing a top score 64.42 out of 100, the Sunshine State excelled using criteria that included the distribution of golf courses, driving ranges, tournaments, and golf coaches per 100,000 residents, plus the number of Platinum Clubs.
Florida Ranks No. 1
The Villages in Lady Lake leads the state with 13 golf courses.
Florida, with 1,131 golf courses, the most of any state, also has the highest number of available PGA coaches, standing at 329 instructors. Florida also offers the most Platinum Clubs in the U.S. with 12 listed in the 2023-2024 ranking—double that of California.
The Sunshine State is also tops in tournaments with 96 upcoming events starting this month; 437 driving ranges are available for practice.
Check out top Florida clubs to see why the state continues its ranking dominance: Harbour Ridge Yacht & CC (36 holes), The Club at Ibis (three Nicklaus family-designed golf courses) and The Villages (13 championship golf courses with clubhouses).
Surprising Colorado Is No. 2, Arizona No. 3
Desert Mountain offers six Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses.
Outranking a number of traditional golf states, Colorado ranks second with a score of 62.91 out of 100. For its 5.87 million residents, the state offers 263 golf courses, 167 driving ranges, and 109 PGA coaches.
Following close behind, Arizona ranks third with 305 courses distributed throughout the state. Top centers for golf courses in the Grand Canyon state include the include Scottsdale area headed by Desert Mountain which features six Jack Nicklaus Signature golf courses.
For golfers seeking to improve their skills, Arizona offers 173 driving ranges and 108 PGA coaches. The state also maintains a busy golf tournament schedule featuring 36 upcoming events.
South Carolina Hits No. 4
Sea Pines, Hilton Head Island, hosts the annual RBC Heritage.
South Carolina ranks fourth (57.33), offering offers a golf course for approximately every 16,000 residents and a driving range for every 28,500 residents. You’ll find plenty of SC communities and world-class golf courses on GolfCourseHome.com here.
The state also offers 75 PGA coaches and 58 upcoming tournaments, building on the excitement of the recent RBC Heritage at Sea Pines last month.
Pennsylvania, home to Treasure Lake in DuBois and its 36 holes of golf, is ranked sixth (54.04), followed by New York (52.43), Minnesota (52.11), Illinois at (51.93), and Maryland (50.90).
The Best U.S. States for Golfers
According to mybaggage.com, rankings are scores out of 100
1 Florida 64.42
2 Colorado 62.91
3 Arizona 59.79
4 South Carolina 57.33
5 Wyoming 54.82
6 Pennsylvania 54.04
7 New York 52.43
8 Minnesota 52.11
9 Illinois 51.93
10 Maryland 50.90
Other GolfCourseHome.com States
12 Georgia 49.61
19 Texas 38.78
30 North Carolina 27.50
35 Massachusetts 20.55
41 Virginia 15.89
42 Delaware 15.85
See the full list at mybaggage.com
