Golf Ratings · States · Best value
Best value states for golf
Good public golf at a fair price, with room to play and a long season. Built from 9 sources. Last checked October 22, 2026.
Supreme Golf · GreenFeeTracker · National Golf Foundation · Golf Digest · GOLF · Golfweek · GolfNow · US Census Bureau · USGA
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1
Cheapest, year-round
Oklahoma
The cheapest state for golf, with 2 nationally ranked public courses and 5.3 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golfcheapest
- Public ranked courses2
- Courses per 100,0005.3
- SeasonYear-round
100/100 -
2
10th cheapest, 246 days
Nebraska
The 10th cheapest state for golf, with 4 nationally ranked public courses and 11.1 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf10th cheapest
- Public ranked courses4
- Courses per 100,00011.1
- Season246 days
100/100 -
3
26th cheapest, 214 days
Wisconsin
The 26th cheapest state for golf, with 11 nationally ranked public courses and 8.2 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf26th cheapest
- Public ranked courses11
- Courses per 100,0008.2
- Season214 days
95/100 -
4
3rd cheapest, 228 to 261 days
Ohio
The 3rd cheapest state for golf, with 1 nationally ranked public courses and 6.3 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf3rd cheapest
- Public ranked courses1
- Courses per 100,0006.3
- Season228 to 261 days
90/100 -
5
6th cheapest, year-round
Arkansas
The 6th cheapest state for golf, with 1 nationally ranked public courses and 6.5 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf6th cheapest
- Public ranked courses1
- Courses per 100,0006.5
- SeasonYear-round
90/100 -
6
17th cheapest, 246 days
North Dakota
The 17th cheapest state for golf, with 3 nationally ranked public courses and 14.0 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf17th cheapest
- Public ranked courses3
- Courses per 100,00014.0
- Season246 days
88/100 -
7
5th cheapest, 306 days
Kansas
The 5th cheapest state for golf, with 0 nationally ranked public courses and 8.5 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf5th cheapest
- Public ranked courses0
- Courses per 100,0008.5
- Season306 days
85/100 -
8
8th cheapest, 229 days
Iowa
The 8th cheapest state for golf, with 0 nationally ranked public courses and 12.7 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf8th cheapest
- Public ranked courses0
- Courses per 100,00012.7
- Season229 days
85/100 -
9
2nd cheapest, 275 days
Kentucky
The 2nd cheapest state for golf, with 0 nationally ranked public courses and 5.7 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf2nd cheapest
- Public ranked courses0
- Courses per 100,0005.7
- Season275 days
83/100 -
10
4th cheapest, 245 days
Illinois
The 4th cheapest state for golf, with 1 nationally ranked public courses and 5.0 courses per 100,000 people.
- Cheapest golf4th cheapest
- Public ranked courses1
- Courses per 100,0005.0
- Season245 days
83/100
All 50 states
| # | State | Price | Public ranked | Per 100,000 | Season | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Oklahoma | cheapest | 2 | 5.3 | Year-round | 100 |
| 2 | Nebraska | 10th cheapest | 4 | 11.1 | 246 days | 100 |
| 3 | Wisconsin | 26th cheapest | 11 | 8.2 | 214 days | 95 |
| 4 | Ohio | 3rd cheapest | 1 | 6.3 | 228 to 261 days | 90 |
| 5 | Arkansas | 6th cheapest | 1 | 6.5 | Year-round | 90 |
| 6 | North Dakota | 17th cheapest | 3 | 14.0 | 246 days | 88 |
| 7 | Kansas | 5th cheapest | 0 | 8.5 | 306 days | 85 |
| 8 | Iowa | 8th cheapest | 0 | 12.7 | 229 days | 85 |
| 9 | Kentucky | 2nd cheapest | 0 | 5.7 | 275 days | 83 |
| 10 | Illinois | 4th cheapest | 1 | 5.0 | 245 days | 83 |
| 11 | Indiana | 14th cheapest | 4 | 6.1 | 259 days | 82 |
| 12 | Missouri | 12th cheapest | 3 | 5.2 | 259 days | 81 |
| 13 | Michigan | 28th cheapest | 12 | 8.0 | 214 days | 81 |
| 14 | New York | 9th cheapest | 3 | 4.2 | 200 to 228 days | 81 |
| 15 | Oregon | 39th cheapest | 13 | 4.7 | 275 days | 81 |
| 16 | Minnesota | 15th cheapest | 3 | 7.9 | 214 days | 80 |
| 17 | Wyoming | 7th cheapest | 0 | 9.2 | 214 days | 79 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 42nd cheapest | 10 | 4.6 | Year-round | 79 |
| 19 | Utah | 16th cheapest | 3 | 3.6 | 245 to 365 days | 76 |
| 20 | Connecticut | 13th cheapest | 1 | 4.7 | 229 days | 74 |
| 21 | Pennsylvania | 11th cheapest | 2 | 5.1 | 228 days | 73 |
| 22 | Texas | 21st cheapest | 5 | 2.8 | Year-round | 72 |
| 23 | Florida | 43rd cheapest | 9 | 4.7 | Year-round | 72 |
| 24 | Georgia | 24th cheapest | 4 | 3.3 | Year-round | 72 |
| 25 | New Mexico | 25th cheapest | 2 | 3.7 | Year-round | 68 |
| 26 | Mississippi | 33rd cheapest | 2 | 5.2 | Year-round | 67 |
| 27 | California | 44th cheapest | 15 | 2.4 | Year-round | 66 |
| 28 | Maine | 23rd cheapest | 1 | 9.8 | 200 days | 66 |
| 29 | Tennessee | 22nd cheapest | 1 | 3.9 | Year-round | 66 |
| 30 | Virginia | 40th cheapest | 4 | 3.5 | Year-round | 65 |
| 31 | South Dakota | 30th cheapest | 0 | 12.9 | 214 days | 64 |
| 32 | Louisiana | 18th cheapest | 0 | 3.6 | Year-round | 62 |
| 33 | South Carolina | 48th cheapest | 6 | 5.7 | Year-round | 62 |
| 34 | West Virginia | 31st cheapest | 1 | 6.5 | 275 days | 61 |
| 35 | Montana | 37th cheapest | 1 | 8.9 | 214 days | 61 |
| 36 | Washington | 41st cheapest | 4 | 3.6 | 259 days | 61 |
| 37 | Rhode Island | 20th cheapest | 0 | 5.7 | 229 days | 58 |
| 38 | Hawaii | 47th cheapest | 6 | 5.5 | Year-round | 58 |
| 39 | Massachusetts | 36th cheapest | 2 | 4.9 | 228 days | 56 |
| 40 | Vermont | 34th cheapest | 0 | 9.0 | 200 days | 56 |
| 41 | Alabama | 38th cheapest | 1 | 4.8 | Year-round | 54 |
| 42 | Idaho | 27th cheapest | 0 | 5.3 | 259 days | 54 |
| 43 | Alaska | 19th cheapest | 0 | 3.1 | 214 days | 52 |
| 44 | New Hampshire | 32nd cheapest | 0 | 7.9 | 229 days | 52 |
| 45 | Delaware | price not ranked | 0 | 3.4 | 228 days | 51 |
| 46 | Maryland | 29th cheapest | 0 | 3.1 | 261 days | 47 |
| 47 | Arizona | 45th cheapest | 2 | 3.7 | Year-round | 42 |
| 48 | Nevada | 49th cheapest | 5 | 2.3 | 261 to 365 days | 42 |
| 49 | New Jersey | 35th cheapest | 0 | 3.1 | 228 days | 41 |
| 50 | Colorado | 46th cheapest | 5 | 4.3 | 246 days | 40 |
How we score
Best value mixes four things: price (40 percent, from the Cheapest golf list), the quality of courses the public can play (25 percent, from the Best courses list, public courses only), courses per person (20 percent) and the length of the season (15 percent). Scores run from 40 to 100.
The season is the USGA's handicap active season, set by each state's golf association for when courses are in playable condition. It is a rules calendar, not a count of good-weather days. Where associations in one state set different seasons, we use the middle of the range.
Nobody pays to be on this list, and we don't use affiliate links.
What we left out
- Private clubs, which most golfers can't play.
Sources
- Supreme Golf Average 2024 tee time price by state (reported by Today's Golfer) (2024)
- GreenFeeTracker Average public green fees by state (2026)
- National Golf Foundation Average public fees, nine states (reported by Golf Digest) (2025) · US golf course supply by state, year-end 2023 (2023)
- Golf Digest America's 100 Greatest Public Courses (2025-26)
- GOLF Top 100 Courses You Can Play in the U.S. (2024-25)
- Golfweek Golfweek's Best 2026: Top 100 Best Courses You Can Play (2026)
- GolfNow Course directory by state (2026)
- US Census Bureau County Business Patterns: golf courses and country clubs (2023) · State population estimates, July 1 2025 (2025)
- USGA Handicap active and inactive season schedule (current)
State outlines: US Census Bureau boundaries, via us-atlas.