1. Numbers: USA Golfers and Golf Courses
There is no question that there is a large and passionate base of golfers in the U.S. that simply love to play the game. This group of avid golfers will get out to the course at every chance they can, even in some rather ugly weather. If you consider yourself among this group of golfers, it probably doesn’t concern you much what the state of the game is as a whole – rather, you are just hoping to be able to play some of the best golf courses in USA and continue to improve your game for years to come.
While USA golf course numbers generally track with population figures, there’s a good bit of divergence. For example, frigid Minnesota ranks 21st in population yet counts 479 golf courses within its borders, while sunny Georgia (No. 9 in population) has just 396.
3. Profiling Golfers in the U.S.A. By The Numbers
While golf may not be the hoity-toity, elitist sport of caricature, demographic statistics show the average player to be reasonably well off. These facts and figures were compiled from sources including the National Golf Foundation and the 2010 United States Census:
4. Millions Of Golfers Enlist in Arnie’s Army
With his charismatic warmth and aggressive style, Palmer became the face of golf in the early television era. From 1958-64, he won seven major championships – including four Masters titles – and drew a rabid following called “Arnie’s Army.” Just as his contemporary, Elvis Presley, was the “King of Rock ’n’ Roll,” Palmer was the “King of Golf.”
5. U.S.A.: Golf’s Global Center of Gravity
The founding of Oakhurst Golf Club in 1884 launched golf as we know it in the U.S. When Bobby Jones won what was then called the “Grand Slam” in 1930, it cemented America’s status as the game’s center of gravity.
