The Best Public Golf States (Ranked 1-50)

Welcome to the Thunderdome, pull up a chair (or grab a golf club).

On the heels of our article celebrating the best municipal golf course in each state, I thought it would be cool to rank every state based on their public golf scene.

These are the places where real golfers love to play. You don’t need to know someone to get on to these courses and you don’t have to be the Country Club Hitchhiker begging for a tee time. The courses are open to anyone.

Here is how the list was calculated:

• Top-Tier Quality (25 percent) — This is where we consider the top shelf of public golf courses in each state. Do you have the top-100, world-class standouts? These are the name-brand courses golfers around the country know.

• Accessibility/Cost (25 percent) — A critically important one here. A state can have a bunch of top-tier venues but we need places where the public can get a tee time without mortgaging their children’s college fund. If a state has a tremendous municipal golf system, that goes a long way to providing for golfers. This variable fluctuates wildly and can push some unexpected states up the ranking. Conversely, some obvious frontrunner states *cough California cough* get dinged for lack of accessibility.

• Depth (20 percent) — An underrated but valuable factor is how many solid courses are available to golfers. A few dozen? A couple hundred? More? This one goes hand in hand with the accessibility metric.

• “It Factor” Appeal (15 percent) — A metric I developed in my head (scary, I know). Is your state a destination for golfers? Does it have sex appeal? Does the average golfer dream of traveling there? Does it have a certain brand of golf?

• Variety (15 percent) — Pretty simple one here. Can you play different types of golf in this state or is it all kind of different shades of the same thing? This is highly subjective but we’re looking for a smorgasbord of municipal, resort, daily-fee, treelined, linksy, Golden Age, new age, etc.

Scores for each metric are calculated from 1-10 and then averaged out to create a state score. I then give a quick opinion and explain the scores.

I look forward to some spirited debate here. Did I get your state right? Let me know below in the comments.

50. Alaska

• Top-Tier Quality: 3
• Accessibility/Cost: 4
• Depth: 2
• “It Factor”: 3
• Variety: 6
• TOTAL: 3.5

Hey, no shade at Alaskan golf—it’s just cool that it exists given the short season. There is distinctive scenery and a golf experience unlike any other state. However, the small inventory and absence of nationally recognized public courses make it easily the weakest public golf scene.

49. Delaware

• Top-Tier Quality: 5
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 2
• “It Factor”: 3
• Variety: 4
• TOTAL: 4.2

Bayside provides Delaware with one decent public course that has destination appeal near the coast. Beyond that headliner, the state has very few notable public facilities to compete in quality, depth or variety.

48. Louisiana

• Top-Tier Quality: 4
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 4
• “It Factor”: 3
• Variety: 6
• TOTAL: 4.9

Louisiana has affordable municipal and daily-fee golf, but it lacks both nationally elite courses and meaningful statewide depth. Course closures and a comparatively weak destination identity (what golf destination is even there?) leave it ahead of only Delaware and Alaska.

47. Rhode Island

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 3
• “It Factor”: 4
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 5.3

Newport National and Donald Ross-designed Triggs Memorial give Rhode Island two credible public headliners. But the state’s small size produces an unavoidable lack of depth, variety and destination infrastructure. Rhode Island’s private golf scene is far more dynamic.

46. Wyoming

• Top-Tier Quality: 5
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 4
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 5.7

Wyoming offers exceptional scenery and the potential for mountain, prairie and high-desert golf. Sign me up. Much of its best golf is private, however, leaving the public scene thin and without a nationally significant anchor.

45. North Dakota

• Top-Tier Quality: 5
• Accessibility/Cost: 8
• Depth: 4
• “It Factor”: 4
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 5.7

The Links of North Dakota and Hawktree provide memorable golf at accessible prices. There are some strong municipal courses. The state’s tiny inventory and remote geography keep it close to the bottom despite having respectable value.

44. Vermont

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 4
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 5.8

Green Mountain National and several charming historic courses give Vermont scenic and varied golf. Its shortage of nationally elite public courses limit both depth and destination appeal.

43. Arkansas

• Top-Tier Quality: 5
• Accessibility/Cost: 8
• Depth: 5
• “It Factor”: 4
• Variety: 6
• TOTAL: 5.8

Arkansas has affordable golf and a few quality choices such as Mystic Creek and its state-park courses. Its modest depth, limited national recognition and lack of a compelling public-golf destination suppress its score.

42. New Jersey

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 5
• Depth: 7
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 6
• TOTAL: 5.8

New Jersey possesses strong county-operated systems and a handful of notable public courses including Atlantic City Country Club. But most of the state’s architectural greatness remains private (Pine Valley, Plainfield, Ridgewood, etc.) while high costs and population pressure can make public play difficult.

41. South Dakota

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 4
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 6

Red Rock and Prairie Green headline a small but visually varied collection of accessible courses. The state’s limited inventory and absence of a world-class public venue keeps it in the bottom 10.

40. Kentucky

• Top-Tier Quality: 5
• Accessibility/Cost: 8
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 4
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 6.1

Kentucky has affordable state-park, municipal and daily-fee golf, with Dale Hollow and Lassing Pointe among its better options. There is decent depth and value but no nationally recognized public centerpiece.

39. West Virginia

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 5
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 6.2

The Greenbrier, Stonewall Resort and several state-park courses give West Virginia attractive mountain golf and good variety. But there just isn’t much going on beyond that.

38. Kansas

• Top-Tier Quality: 5
• Accessibility/Cost: 9
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 4
• Variety: 6
• TOTAL: 6.2

Kansas has affordable small-town golf and worthwhile destinations such as Buffalo Dunes and Sand Creek Station. Still, excellent value can’t fully compensate for limited elite quality, modest variety and almost zero national destination appeal.

37. Connecticut

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 6.3

Connecticut has decent municipal golf through Keney Park, Wintonbury Hills and other affordable local facilities. The state’s famous architectural reputation is overwhelmingly tied to private clubs while Yale’s evolving access situation (and skyrocketing prices) complicates its public-golf crown jewel.

36. Montana

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 5
• Depth: 5
• “It Factor”: 7
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 6.4

Montana’s mountain, prairie and high-desert landscapes create spectacular variety with Old Works and Wilderness Club providing notable quality. Significant travel distances and limited access at several leading courses hold it back.

35. Mississippi

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 5
• “It Factor”: 6
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 6.5

Mossy Oak, Dancing Rabbit and Fallen Oak give Mississippi a stronger top tier than many golfers realize. The state struggles with depth beyond those leading properties and some of its best experiences require resort or casino stays.

34. Oklahoma

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 8
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 6.5

Jimmie Austin is a standout college venue and several affordable municipal courses give Oklahoma a respectable public offering. Strong accessibility cannot completely overcome its limited destination appeal and relatively shallow group of nationally recognized courses.

33. New Hampshire

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 6
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 6.6

Mount Washington and Owl’s Nest lead a scene that also includes several charming historic courses and nine-hole layouts. New Hampshire provides solid value and attractive variety but its elite quality and overall depth remain limited.

32. Idaho

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 6
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 6.7

Circling Raven, Coeur d’Alene Resort (you’ll know it for the floating island green) and several mountain courses give Idaho impressive scenery and good top-end quality. The state’s relatively small and geographically dispersed inventory keeps it from becoming a major national destination.

31. Hawaii

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 3
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 10
• TOTAL: 6.8

Hawaii has unforgettable oceanfront scenery, major resort names and a style of golf unavailable anywhere else in the country. High prices, limited affordable options and the need to travel between islands make the overall public scene far less accessible than its reputation suggests.

30. Maine

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 7
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 6.9

A surprise here. Belgrade Lakes, Sugarloaf and Sunday River provide Maine with scenic, characterful public golf in distinctive natural settings. It’s not in the upper echelon of golf states but Maine packs a punch.

29. Nevada

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 3
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 6.9

Shadow Creek, Cascata, Wolf Creek and the Paiute courses give Nevada tremendous name recognition and visual drama. Extremely high prices and a scene heavily concentrated around Las Vegas severely weaken its accessibility and depth scores.

28. Massachusetts

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 7
• “It Factor”: 7
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 6.9

Massachusetts combines historic municipal architecture, coastal golf and quality daily-fee courses such as George Wright and Crumpin-Fox. Restricted depth and relatively high costs prevent the public golf in the state from fully capitalizing on its rich golf history.

27. Georgia

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 7
• “It Factor”: 7
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 6.9

Reynolds Lake Oconee, McLemore, Sea Island and Bobby Jones G.C. give Georgia several compelling public experiences. However, the state’s world-famous golf reputation is primarily built around Augusta National and other private clubs (Peachtree, East Lake, Ohoopee) rather than its public offerings.

26. Maryland

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 7
• “It Factor”: 6
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 7

Bulle Rock, Whiskey Creek and Queenstown Harbor are supported by excellent county-operated golf systems around Baltimore and Washington. Maryland performs solidly in every category but lacks an especially dominant strength or national golf identity.

25. Illinois

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 6
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 7.1

Chicago and its surrounding counties provide Illinois with a deep collection of municipal and daily-fee courses led by Cog Hill, Cantigny and ThunderHawk. The state has some good accessibility but lacks the scenery and destination appeal of higher-ranked Midwestern competitors.

24. Missouri

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 7.1

Big Cedar Lodge gives Missouri a compelling collection of nationally recognizable destination courses. The broader public scene is less accomplished and less deep, leaving the state heavily dependent upon the Ozarks region.

23. Ohio

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 9
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 7.2

Ohio has awesome municipal and daily-fee depth, making quality golf affordable throughout its major population centers. Cleveland alone has several tremendous options. Its low “It Factor” and absence of a famous public destination keep it from matching its stronger private golf reputation.

22. New Mexico

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 7
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 7.4

Paako Ridge, Black Mesa, Twin Warriors and the University of New Mexico Championship Course provide distinctive, high-quality desert golf. Its strong value and visual variety are offset slightly by lack of depth and considerable travel between destinations but New Mexico is generally undervalued as a golf destination.

21. Iowa

• Top-Tier Quality: 6
• Accessibility/Cost: 10
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 5
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 7.4

Iowa’s affordable nine-hole courses give it exceptional accessibility and remarkable small-town depth. Spirit Hollow, Blue Top Ridge and The Preserve add quality but the state has limited national prestige and destination appeal.

20. Colorado

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 7.4

Colorado has resort, mountain, prairie and Front Range golf in dramatically different settings. But its top shelf is not quite as accomplished as its scenery suggests and high-season pricing reduces its accessibility. Projects like Rodeo Dunes could boost the state in future rankings.

19. Pennsylvania

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 8
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 6
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 7.5

Pennsylvania has strong daily-fee depth, historic architecture and numerous affordable municipal and county-operated courses. It lacks a nationally dominant public destination—it has a sterling private golf reputation, of course—but the overall experience available to residents is consistently good.

18. Indiana

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 9
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 6
• Variety: 7
• TOTAL: 7.6

An underrated golf state. French Lick, The Fort, Purgatory and Sultan’s Run headline a deep collection of affordable public courses. Indiana lacks the scenery and destination reputation of higher-ranked states on this list but it performs extremely well in accessibility and value.

17. Nebraska

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 6
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 7.7

Landmand, Wild Horse and the Prairie Club give Nebraska extraordinary architectural quality and appeal relative to its population. Limited depth, long travel distances and scarce tee times at Landmand prevent the state from ranking even higher.

16. Texas

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 9
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 7.9

Texas gets more flack than it deserves. The Lone Star State has substantial depth, geographic variety and improving top-end quality through PGA Frisco, Memorial Park, Lajitas and numerous municipal systems. The downside is that its enormous size makes the best courses difficult to combine into one trip and several premium facilities remain expensive.

15. Arizona

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 5
• Depth: 9
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 7.9

We-Ko-Pa, Troon North, Quintero and Grayhawk give Arizona an elite and exceptionally deep desert-golf scene. It’s still a top-tier golf trip destination. Peak-season prices and relative stylistic similarity keep it close with the more accessible but less prestigious Alabama (see below).

14. Alabama

• Top-Tier Quality: 7
• Accessibility/Cost: 9
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 7
• Variety: 8
• TOTAL: 7.9

The Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail gives Alabama an extensive network of affordable, consistently good courses distributed throughout the state. It lacks a universally recognized top-100 public headliner but few states serve the ordinary traveling golfer more effectively. It’s my most underrated golf travel destination.

13. Virginia

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 7.9

Primland, the Homestead, Golden Horseshoe and Royal New Kent give Virginia an impressive mixture of resort history and modern architecture. Its overall public inventory is strong and varied although several of its leading courses require expensive resort-style trips.

12. Tennessee

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 8
• Depth: 7
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8

Tennessee’s public scene includes destination-worthy nine-hole courses, accessible state-park golf, strong municipal systems and quality daily-fee facilities. Sweetens Cove, Sewanee and the state’s geographic variety elevate it beyond what its national reputation might suggest.

11. Oregon

• Top-Tier Quality: 10
• Accessibility/Cost: 5
• Depth: 7
• “It Factor”: 10
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8

Bandon Dunes makes Oregon one of the world’s most desirable public-golf destinations and gives the state unmatched top-end credibility. Oregon falls outside the top 10 because much of that reputation is concentrated at one remote and increasingly expensive resort.

10. Utah

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 8
• Depth: 7
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 10
• TOTAL: 8.1

Utah combines Sand Hollow, Black Desert and Soldier Hollow with affordable municipal golf and spectacular scenery. Its bench of elite facilities is not as deep as those of the states above it but few states offer a better mixture of value, variety and visual appeal.

9. New York

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8.2

Bethpage, Turning Stone, Saratoga Spa and a deep collection of municipal courses give New York both prestige and everyday options. Its public golf is somewhat geographically scattered but the state offers excellent architectural and landscape variety.

8. Florida

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 5
• Depth: 10
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8.2

Florida offers an enormous inventory spanning championship resorts, PGA Tour venues, municipal courses and affordable daily-fee facilities. The scene loses points because many of its most desirable courses are expensive, private or attached to costly resort experiences—but Florida’s depth is unmatched.

7. California

• Top-Tier Quality: 10
• Accessibility/Cost: 3
• Depth: 10
• “It Factor”: 10
• Variety: 10
• TOTAL: 8.3

California has an unrivaled collection of famous public courses including Pebble Beach, Spyglass Hill, Pasatiempo, Torrey Pines and Rustic Canyon. Its extraordinary prices and difficult tee times prevent its perfect quality, depth, variety and appeal scores from producing a higher ranking.

6. Washington

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 8
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 10
• TOTAL: 8.5

Chambers Bay, Gamble Sands, Wine Valley and Gold Mountain provide Washington with an excellent and architecturally diverse top tier. Mountain, coastal, desert and parkland settings give it tremendous variety without making the entire scene prohibitively expensive.

5. North Carolina

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 7
• Depth: 9
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8.5

Pinehurst, Tobacco Road and the broader Sandhills region give North Carolina one of America’s most recognizable public-golf identities. Strong coastal and mountain options add variety although some of the premium resort pricing keeps its accessibility score below the top four finishers.

4. South Carolina

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 10
• “It Factor”: 10
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8.6

South Carolina has a major-championship venue (Kiawah Island), a PGA Tour venue (Harbour Town) and enormous inventories around Myrtle Beach and Hilton Head. Costs can be high at its most famous properties but the quality, depth and destination appeal remain outstanding. New offerings like Candyroot Lodge add to an already bustling public golf scene.

3. Minnesota

• Top-Tier Quality: 8
• Accessibility/Cost: 9
• Depth: 9
• “It Factor”: 8
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8.6

Minnesota’s strength comes from its remarkable depth of affordable public golf including Giants Ridge, The Wilderness, Deacon’s Lodge and an excellent collection of municipal courses throughout the state. It lacks Wisconsin’s national name recognition but has virtually no weakness as an everyday public-golf state.

2. Wisconsin

• Top-Tier Quality: 10
• Accessibility/Cost: 6
• Depth: 9
• “It Factor”: 10
• Variety: 9
• TOTAL: 8.7

Wisconsin possesses arguably the country’s strongest top shelf of public golf led by Sand Valley, Whistling Straits, Erin Hills, Blackwolf Run, Lawsonia and SentryWorld. Premium pricing prevents it from taking first but its concentration of world-class public golf and enormous destination appeal are nearly unmatched.

1. Michigan

• Top-Tier Quality: 9
• Accessibility/Cost: 9
• Depth: 10
• “It Factor”: 9
• Variety: 10
• TOTAL: 9.4

Michigan is No. 1 by a country mile. The state earns the top spot because Arcadia Bluffs, Forest Dunes, The Loop, Greywalls, Boyne and its many strong daily-fee courses give it exceptional statewide depth. It combines destination-level quality with reasonable prices, varied landscapes and more accessible tee times than most elite golf states.

So that’s the list. What stands out? Which states should be higher or lower?

Let me know in the comments.