Golf Ratings · States · Most courses
States with the most golf courses
Every state ranked by how many golf courses it has, from three separate counts. Built from 3 sources. Last checked October 22, 2026.
GolfNow · US Census Bureau · National Golf Foundation
-
1
1,095 courses
Florida
GolfNow lists 1,095 courses here, about 4.7 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory1,095
- Census golf businesses624
- Per 100,000 people4.7
100/100 -
2
931 courses
California
GolfNow lists 931 courses here, about 2.4 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory931
- Census golf businesses606
- Per 100,000 people2.4
92/100 -
3
843 courses
New York
GolfNow lists 843 courses here, about 4.2 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory843
- Census golf businesses625
- Per 100,000 people4.2
89/100 -
4
809 courses
Michigan
GolfNow lists 809 courses here, about 8.0 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory809
- Census golf businesses525
- Per 100,000 people8.0
85/100 -
5
879 courses
Texas
GolfNow lists 879 courses here, about 2.8 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory879
- Census golf businesses489
- Per 100,000 people2.8
85/100 -
6
753 courses
Ohio
GolfNow lists 753 courses here, about 6.3 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory753
- Census golf businesses446
- Per 100,000 people6.3
78/100 -
7
670 courses
Pennsylvania
GolfNow lists 670 courses here, about 5.1 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory670
- Census golf businesses471
- Per 100,000 people5.1
78/100 -
8
633 courses
Illinois
GolfNow lists 633 courses here, about 5.0 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory633
- Census golf businesses389
- Per 100,000 people5.0
74/100 -
9
512 courses
North Carolina
GolfNow lists 512 courses here, about 4.6 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory512
- Census golf businesses351
- Per 100,000 people4.6
69/100 -
10
487 courses
Wisconsin
GolfNow lists 487 courses here, about 8.2 for every 100,000 people.
- GolfNow directory487
- Census golf businesses356
- Per 100,000 people8.2
69/100
All 50 states
| # | State | Courses (GolfNow) | Per 100,000 people | Score |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Florida | 1,095 | 4.7 | 100 |
| 2 | California | 931 | 2.4 | 92 |
| 3 | New York | 843 | 4.2 | 89 |
| 4 | Michigan | 809 | 8.0 | 85 |
| 5 | Texas | 879 | 2.8 | 85 |
| 6 | Ohio | 753 | 6.3 | 78 |
| 7 | Pennsylvania | 670 | 5.1 | 78 |
| 8 | Illinois | 633 | 5.0 | 74 |
| 9 | North Carolina | 512 | 4.6 | 69 |
| 10 | Wisconsin | 487 | 8.2 | 69 |
| 11 | Minnesota | 462 | 7.9 | 66 |
| 12 | Iowa | 411 | 12.7 | 63 |
| 13 | Indiana | 428 | 6.1 | 62 |
| 14 | Georgia | 374 | 3.3 | 61 |
| 15 | Massachusetts | 352 | 4.9 | 61 |
| 16 | Missouri | 329 | 5.2 | 59 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 320 | 5.7 | 59 |
| 18 | Virginia | 312 | 3.5 | 58 |
| 19 | Arizona | 281 | 3.7 | 58 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 294 | 3.1 | 57 |
| 21 | Washington | 286 | 3.6 | 55 |
| 22 | Tennessee | 282 | 3.9 | 55 |
| 23 | Kentucky | 264 | 5.7 | 54 |
| 24 | Kansas | 253 | 8.5 | 53 |
| 25 | Colorado | 261 | 4.3 | 53 |
| 26 | Nebraska | 224 | 11.1 | 53 |
| 27 | Alabama | 248 | 4.8 | 52 |
| 28 | Oregon | 200 | 4.7 | 51 |
| 29 | Connecticut | 175 | 4.7 | 51 |
| 30 | Arkansas | 201 | 6.5 | 51 |
| 31 | Maryland | 192 | 3.1 | 50 |
| 32 | Oklahoma | 217 | 5.3 | 50 |
| 33 | Mississippi | 154 | 5.2 | 48 |
| 34 | Maine | 139 | 9.8 | 48 |
| 35 | Louisiana | 165 | 3.6 | 48 |
| 36 | South Dakota | 121 | 12.9 | 47 |
| 37 | Idaho | 108 | 5.3 | 46 |
| 38 | Montana | 102 | 8.9 | 46 |
| 39 | New Hampshire | 112 | 7.9 | 46 |
| 40 | North Dakota | 112 | 14.0 | 46 |
| 41 | Utah | 128 | 3.6 | 46 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 115 | 6.5 | 46 |
| 43 | Nevada | 77 | 2.3 | 45 |
| 44 | New Mexico | 79 | 3.7 | 44 |
| 45 | Hawaii | 79 | 5.5 | 44 |
| 46 | Vermont | 58 | 9.0 | 44 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | 64 | 5.7 | 44 |
| 48 | Wyoming | 54 | 9.2 | 43 |
| 49 | Delaware | 36 | 3.4 | 42 |
| 50 | Alaska | 23 | 3.1 | 41 |
How we score
The counts disagree, because they count different things: GolfNow's directory lists courses, the Census Bureau counts golf businesses (and leaves out most city-run courses), and the National Golf Foundation counts courses, with a 36-hole club as two. We take each state's share of the biggest count in each source and average them, so no one count decides the order. Scores run from 40 to 100.
Courses per 100,000 people uses the Census Bureau's 2025 population estimates. It shows where a tee time is easiest to find, and it counts toward Best value and the overall list.
Nobody pays to be on this list, and we don't use affiliate links.
What we left out
- Course counts from blogs that copy GolfNow or contradict the primary sources.
Sources
- 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)
- National Golf Foundation US golf course supply by state, year-end 2023 (2023)
State outlines: US Census Bureau boundaries, via us-atlas.