The study has been concluded and the results are in. The most golf-mad state in the union, based on per capita golf courses is ….
North Dakota.
With one course for every 5,468 people, it is far and away the best served state in terms of course availability.
The most golf-impoverished state, on the other hand, is California, with one course for every 32,679 people. I find it funny that USGA Headquarters, is in Far Hills, NJ, a state which is in the bottom five most golf-impoverished.
Michigan is just out of the top ten.
So I’ve just created a new statistic: Golf Wealth. That’s the number of golf courses per capita. For this “study,” I used the number of courses for each state as listed by golflink.com, and the 2010 census data, as listed on wikipedia.
A table showing all the states, and their Golf Wealth is below:
| State | Courses | Population | Per capita (Golf Wealth) |
| North Dakota | 123 | 672,591 | 5,468 |
| South Dakota | 132 | 814,180 | 6,168 |
| Iowa | 441 | 3,046,355 | 6,908 |
| Wyoming | 70 | 493,782 | 7,054 |
| Nebraska | 249 | 1,826,341 | 7,335 |
| Vermont | 76 | 608,827 | 8,011 |
| Montana | 119 | 989,415 | 8,314 |
| Maine | 150 | 1,328,361 | 8,856 |
| Minnesota | 575 | 5,303,925 | 9,224 |
| Wisconsin | 604 | 5,686,986 | 9,416 |
| Michigan | 1,047 | 9,883,640 | 9,440 |
| South Carolina | 462 | 4,625,364 | 10,012 |
| Kansas | 273 | 2,853,118 | 10,451 |
| New Hampshire | 123 | 1,316,470 | 10,703 |
| Florida | 1,481 | 15,982,378 | 10,792 |
| Indiana | 527 | 6,483,802 | 12,303 |
| Idaho | 126 | 1,567,582 | 12,441 |
| Ohio | 901 | 11,536,504 | 12,804 |
| Arkansas | 223 | 2,915,918 | 13,076 |
| Hawaii | 104 | 1,360,301 | 13,080 |
| Kentucky | 315 | 4,339,367 | 13,776 |
| West Virginia | 133 | 1,852,994 | 13,932 |
| North Carolina | 664 | 9,535,483 | 14,361 |
| Arizona | 421 | 6,392,017 | 15,183 |
| Alabama | 311 | 4,779,736 | 15,369 |
| Oklahoma | 241 | 3,751,351 | 15,566 |
| Pennsylvania | 811 | 12,702,379 | 15,663 |
| Mississippi | 189 | 2,967,297 | 15,700 |
| Massachusetts | 408 | 6,547,629 | 16,048 |
| Colorado | 306 | 5,029,196 | 16,435 |
| Illinois | 777 | 12,830,632 | 16,513 |
| Oregon | 231 | 3,831,074 | 16,585 |
| Delaware | 53 | 900,877 | 16,998 |
| Missouri | 336 | 5,988,927 | 17,824 |
| Rhode Island | 59 | 1,052,567 | 17,840 |
| Connecticut | 200 | 3,574,097 | 17,870 |
| Georgia | 523 | 9,687,653 | 18,523 |
| Tennessee | 329 | 6,346,105 | 19,289 |
| Virginia | 414 | 8,001,024 | 19,326 |
| New Mexico | 106 | 2,059,179 | 19,426 |
| New York | 976 | 19,378,102 | 19,855 |
| Nevada | 133 | 2,700,551 | 20,305 |
| Washington | 327 | 6,724,540 | 20,564 |
| Utah | 134 | 2,763,885 | 20,626 |
| Louisiana | 194 | 4,533,372 | 23,368 |
| Texas | 1,041 | 25,145,561 | 24,155 |
| New Jersey | 360 | 8,791,894 | 24,422 |
| Maryland | 231 | 5,773,552 | 24,994 |
| Alaska | 25 | 710,231 | 28,409 |
| California | 1,140 | 37,253,956 | 32,679 |
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| State | Courses | Population | Per capita (Golf Wealth) |
| North Dakota | 123 | 672,591 | 5,468 |
| South Dakota | 132 | 814,180 | 6,168 |
| Iowa | 441 | 3,046,355 | 6,908 |
| Wyoming | 70 | 493,782 | 7,054 |
| Nebraska | 249 | 1,826,341 | 7,335 |
| Vermont | 76 | 608,827 | 8,011 |
| Montana | 119 | 989,415 | 8,314 |
| Maine | 150 | 1,328,361 | 8,856 |
| Minnesota | 575 | 5,303,925 | 9,224 |
| Wisconsin | 604 | 5,686,986 | 9,416 |
| Michigan | 1,047 | 9,883,640 | 9,440 |
| South Carolina | 462 | 4,625,364 | 10,012 |
| Kansas | 273 | 2,853,118 | 10,451 |
| New Hampshire | 123 | 1,316,470 | 10,703 |
| Florida | 1,481 | 15,982,378 | 10,792 |
| Indiana | 527 | 6,483,802 | 12,303 |
| Idaho | 126 | 1,567,582 | 12,441 |
| Ohio | 901 | 11,536,504 | 12,804 |
| Arkansas | 223 | 2,915,918 | 13,076 |
| Hawaii | 104 | 1,360,301 | 13,080 |
| Kentucky | 315 | 4,339,367 | 13,776 |
| West Virginia | 133 | 1,852,994 | 13,932 |
| North Carolina | 664 | 9,535,483 | 14,361 |
| Arizona | 421 | 6,392,017 | 15,183 |
| Alabama | 311 | 4,779,736 | 15,369 |
| Oklahoma | 241 | 3,751,351 | 15,566 |
| Pennsylvania | 811 | 12,702,379 | 15,663 |
| Mississippi | 189 | 2,967,297 | 15,700 |
| Massachusetts | 408 | 6,547,629 | 16,048 |
| Colorado | 306 | 5,029,196 | 16,435 |
| Illinois | 777 | 12,830,632 | 16,513 |
| Oregon | 231 | 3,831,074 | 16,585 |
| Delaware | 53 | 900,877 | 16,998 |
| Missouri | 336 | 5,988,927 | 17,824 |
| Rhode Island | 59 | 1,052,567 | 17,840 |
| Connecticut | 200 | 3,574,097 | 17,870 |
| Georgia | 523 | 9,687,653 | 18,523 |
| Tennessee | 329 | 6,346,105 | 19,289 |
| Virginia | 414 | 8,001,024 | 19,326 |
| New Mexico | 106 | 2,059,179 | 19,426 |
| New York | 976 | 19,378,102 | 19,855 |
| Nevada | 133 | 2,700,551 | 20,305 |
| Washington | 327 | 6,724,540 | 20,564 |
| Utah | 134 | 2,763,885 | 20,626 |
| Louisiana | 194 | 4,533,372 | 23,368 |
| Texas | 1,041 | 25,145,561 | 24,155 |
| New Jersey | 360 | 8,791,894 | 24,422 |
| Maryland | 231 | 5,773,552 | 24,994 |
| Alaska | 25 | 710,231 | 28,409 |
| California | 1,140 | 37,253,956 | 32,679 |
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So what’s the point? That people should be building more golf courses in California? An analysis like this might be appropriate for grocery stores, because everyone eats. Or doctors, because everyone needs one. But analyzing golf based on courses per capita, when just 9% of the population plays golf, means absolutely nothing.
It’s all in fun, my friend. All in fun.
Interesting to the 9% of us (less 1) who play golf.
Golf courses per square mile, who beats Rhode Island? One course per 20.6 square miles. North Dakota is 1 course per 574.8 square miles.
I should pump that into my spreadsheet next …
I was thinking of the golf course per sq. mile too. What good is the availability of tee times in ND if you have to travel 45 miles to the nearest course?
Many of California’s golf courses of the 1900s were either bulldozed for freeways or fell to the pressure to build houses. Many of the ones left, however, are gems.
“So what’s the point? That people should be building more golf courses in California?”
No, though that might help its economy.
It’s that statistics is a game anyone can play. Even the humorless.
Can you imagine people actually getting upset because of a survey that is nothing more than a little unimportant information. I wonder what they do when there is a really important survey. Probably wrap themselves in ashcloth and beat their chests.
Your next chart should show the average cost of a round of golf per state. That would be interesting.
You should be using the number of golfers per state, not the population. Granted, that is a hard number to get, but you could maybe look at the number of registered USGA members by state or annual golf club sales per state as your numerator to get some kind of reasonable metric. I guarantee I would have an easier time getting on a golf course in California than North Dakota.
I would have assumed that Florida had the most golf courses per capita. Although five of the top ten are states with less than 1 million people although Iowa has a pretty impressive number. Florida isn’t too far out of the top ten and it does have the most courses of any state.
Please come to Hot Springs Village AR if you want to luxuriate in golf heaven. We have 8 1/2 courses and 14,000 residents! We have wonderful private homes with 2 – 5 bedrooms in all price ranges for your comfort during your stay. And you will have full access to all golfing facilities as well as lakes for fishing, mountain trails for hiking and lush forest foliage to enjoy on the side while you’re here. Especially for the ladies there’s pampering galore available in Spa City USA, Hot Springs, AR only 20 minutes away.
Maybe you can see it the other way around. Less courses per capita may be a business oportunity to build the course. Or, it may mean that more people in that state play golf.