America most golf rich states 1

You might think that America’s Sun Belt states boast the largest numbers of golf courses. But that’s not exactly the case.

In fact, you may be surprised by the volume of courses in states where the climate is less hospitable. For example, New York and Michigan both have more courses than Texas, even though the Lone Star state boasts a considerably larger population than either.

In fact, while 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.

Here are the top 10 U.S. states by number of courses, as of 2010:

1. Florida – 1,055

2. California – 928

3. New York – 832

4. Michigan – 825

5. Texas – 808

6. Ohio – 757

7. Pennsylvania – 690

8. Illinois – 669

9. North Carolina – 556

10. Wisconsin – 505

Now check out some of the more head-scratching figures:

  • Indiana – 444 courses ? Georgia – 396
  • Iowa – 407 courses ? South Carolina – 351
  • Massachusetts – 377 courses ? Arizona – 322
  • Minnesota – 479 courses ? Tennessee (289) + Louisiana (160) = 449

It’s pretty easy to guess which state has the fewest courses – Alaska, with 24. Here’s the entire bottom 5:

46. Vermont – 69

47. Wyoming – 58

48. Rhode Island – 57

49. Delaware – 42

50. Alaska – 24

Consider yourself lucky if your state has a lot of golf courses serving a small population.