Golf Ratings · States · Best courses
States with the best golf courses
Every state ranked by how many of its courses make the national top 100 and top 200 lists, and how high. Built from 3 sources. Last checked October 22, 2026.
Golf Digest · GOLF · Golfweek
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1
45 nationally ranked courses
California
45 courses on the national rankings, 15 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Cypress Point Club.
- Ranked courses45
- On all three publishers' lists14
- Public ranked15
- Top courseCypress Point Club
100/100 -
2
40 nationally ranked courses
New York
40 courses on the national rankings, 3 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Shinnecock Hills Golf Club.
- Ranked courses40
- On all three publishers' lists14
- Public ranked3
- Top courseShinnecock Hills Golf Club
99/100 -
3
28 nationally ranked courses
Florida
28 courses on the national rankings, 9 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Seminole Golf Club.
- Ranked courses28
- On all three publishers' lists7
- Public ranked9
- Top courseSeminole Golf Club
84/100 -
4
26 nationally ranked courses
North Carolina
26 courses on the national rankings, 10 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Pinehurst No. 2.
- Ranked courses26
- On all three publishers' lists8
- Public ranked10
- Top coursePinehurst No. 2
82/100 -
5
20 nationally ranked courses
New Jersey
20 courses on the national rankings, 0 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Pine Valley Golf Club.
- Ranked courses20
- On all three publishers' lists6
- Public ranked0
- Top coursePine Valley Golf Club
80/100 -
6
19 nationally ranked courses
Massachusetts
19 courses on the national rankings, 2 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Myopia Hunt Club.
- Ranked courses19
- On all three publishers' lists7
- Public ranked2
- Top courseMyopia Hunt Club
80/100 -
7
24 nationally ranked courses
Pennsylvania
24 courses on the national rankings, 2 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Oakmont Country Club.
- Ranked courses24
- On all three publishers' lists5
- Public ranked2
- Top courseOakmont Country Club
79/100 -
8
21 nationally ranked courses
South Carolina
21 courses on the national rankings, 6 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Kiawah Island Golf Resort: The Ocean Course.
- Ranked courses21
- On all three publishers' lists5
- Public ranked6
- Top courseKiawah Island Golf Resort: The Ocean Course
79/100 -
9
15 nationally ranked courses
Ohio
15 courses on the national rankings, 1 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Muirfield Village Golf Club.
- Ranked courses15
- On all three publishers' lists7
- Public ranked1
- Top courseMuirfield Village Golf Club
78/100 -
10
23 nationally ranked courses
Michigan
23 courses on the national rankings, 12 of them open to the public. The highest rated across the lists is Crystal Downs Country Club.
- Ranked courses23
- On all three publishers' lists7
- Public ranked12
- Top courseCrystal Downs Country Club
76/100
All 50 states
| # | State | Ranked courses | Public | Highest rated | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | California | 45 | 15 | Cypress Point Club | 100 |
| 2 | New York | 40 | 3 | Shinnecock Hills Golf Club | 99 |
| 3 | Florida | 28 | 9 | Seminole Golf Club | 84 |
| 4 | North Carolina | 26 | 10 | Pinehurst No. 2 | 82 |
| 5 | New Jersey | 20 | 0 | Pine Valley Golf Club | 80 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | 19 | 2 | Myopia Hunt Club | 80 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 24 | 2 | Oakmont Country Club | 79 |
| 8 | South Carolina | 21 | 6 | Kiawah Island Golf Resort: The Ocean Course | 79 |
| 9 | Ohio | 15 | 1 | Muirfield Village Golf Club | 78 |
| 10 | Michigan | 23 | 12 | Crystal Downs Country Club | 76 |
| 11 | Wisconsin | 14 | 11 | Whistling Straits: Straits Course | 76 |
| 12 | Illinois | 17 | 1 | Chicago Golf Club | 75 |
| 13 | Georgia | 17 | 4 | Augusta National Golf Club | 75 |
| 14 | Oregon | 15 | 13 | Pacific Dunes | 73 |
| 15 | Texas | 20 | 5 | Whispering Pines Golf Club | 72 |
| 16 | Nebraska | 10 | 4 | Sand Hills Golf Club | 69 |
| 17 | Minnesota | 11 | 3 | Interlachen Country Club | 66 |
| 18 | Colorado | 10 | 5 | Ballyneal Golf Club | 66 |
| 19 | Arizona | 13 | 2 | The Estancia Club | 64 |
| 20 | Maryland | 8 | 0 | Congressional Country Club: Blue | 64 |
| 21 | Hawaii | 8 | 6 | Nanea Golf Club | 63 |
| 22 | Virginia | 7 | 4 | Kinloch Golf Club | 63 |
| 23 | Washington | 6 | 4 | Gamble Sands | 61 |
| 24 | Indiana | 8 | 4 | Victoria National Golf Club | 61 |
| 25 | Missouri | 6 | 3 | St. Louis Country Club | 60 |
| 26 | Oklahoma | 5 | 2 | Southern Hills Country Club | 60 |
| 27 | Rhode Island | 4 | 0 | Newport Country Club | 59 |
| 28 | Tennessee | 5 | 1 | The Honors Course | 59 |
| 29 | Nevada | 7 | 5 | Shadow Creek | 58 |
| 30 | West Virginia | 3 | 1 | Pikewood National Golf Club | 58 |
| 31 | Connecticut | 7 | 1 | The Stanwich Club | 58 |
| 32 | Montana | 4 | 1 | Rock Creek Cattle Company | 58 |
| 33 | Kansas | 3 | 0 | Prairie Dunes Country Club | 57 |
| 34 | Idaho | 4 | 0 | Gozzer Ranch Golf and Lake Club | 56 |
| 35 | Alabama | 4 | 1 | Shoal Creek | 54 |
| 36 | Utah | 5 | 3 | Black Desert Resort | 54 |
| 37 | Iowa | 3 | 0 | The Harvester Club | 53 |
| 38 | Arkansas | 3 | 1 | Blessings Golf Club | 52 |
| 39 | Mississippi | 2 | 2 | Mossy Oak Golf Club | 51 |
| 40 | Kentucky | 2 | 0 | Valhalla Golf Club | 51 |
| 41 | New Mexico | 2 | 2 | Paako Ridge Golf Club | 50 |
| 42 | Delaware | 2 | 0 | Bidermann Golf Course | 48 |
| 43 | South Dakota | 1 | 0 | Sutton Bay Golf Course | 47 |
| 44 | North Dakota | 3 | 3 | The Links of North Dakota | 47 |
| 45 | Vermont | 1 | 0 | Ekwanok Country Club | 47 |
| 46 | Wyoming | 1 | 0 | Shooting Star Golf Club | 47 |
| 47 | Maine | 1 | 1 | Cape Arundel Golf Club | 44 |
| 48 | Alaska | 0 | 0 | None ranked | 40 |
| 49 | Louisiana | 0 | 0 | None ranked | 40 |
| 50 | New Hampshire | 0 | 0 | None ranked | 40 |
How we score
We count every course on the national rankings from Golf Digest, GOLF and Golfweek: their top 100 and top 200 lists and their best public lists. A place near the top of an overall list is worth about twice a place near the bottom, and a place on a public-only list is worth less, since those lists are shorter on top-end courses. Each publisher counts once per course, so a course on all three publishers' lists counts three times.
A state's points are added up, then scaled from 40 to 100 on a square root, so the first great course in a state counts for more than its tenth. The by-state lists aren't counted, because they rank courses in every state by design.
Nobody pays to be on this list, and we don't use affiliate links.
What we left out
- Golf Digest's and Golfweek's best-in-state lists, because every state gets courses on them.
- Golfweek's resort and residential lists and world rankings, which overlap the lists we use.
Sources
- Golf Digest America's 100 Greatest Golf Courses (2025-26) · America's Second 100 Greatest Golf Courses (2025-26) · America's 100 Greatest Public Courses (2025-26)
- GOLF Top 100 Courses in the U.S. (2024-25) · Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S. (2024-25)
- Golfweek Golfweek's Best 2026: Top 200 Classic Courses in the U.S. (2026) · Golfweek's Best 2026: Top 200 Modern Courses in the U.S. (2026) · Golfweek's Best 2026: Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play (2026)
State outlines: US Census Bureau boundaries, via us-atlas.