Golf Courses by State: Total, Per Capita & Density Rankings

Published May 24, 2026

We pulled data on 16,686 golf courses across all 50 states to answer a simple question: where is golf most accessible in America?

The answer depends on how you measure it. Raw totals, per capita rates, and geographic density each tell a different story.

Total Golf Courses by State

The raw count favors large, populous states with warm climates or deep golf traditions.

Horizontal bar chart showing the top 20 states by total number of golf courses. Florida leads with 1,321 courses followed by California with 986.

The top five states by total courses:

  • Florida: 1,321 courses
  • California: 986 courses
  • Michigan: 885 courses
  • New York: 876 courses
  • Texas: 868 courses

These five states alone account for nearly 30% of all courses nationwide.

Florida's dominance makes sense. Year-round playing weather, a massive retiree population, and decades of resort development have made it the golf capital by sheer volume.

Michigan and New York might surprise some, but both states have long histories with the sport and enough seasonal demand to support hundreds of courses despite cold winters.

Golf Courses Per Capita

Total counts don't tell the full story. Texas has 868 courses but also 29 million people. How accessible is golf relative to population?

Horizontal bar chart showing golf courses per 100,000 residents by state. North Dakota leads with 14.1 courses per 100,000 people.

When adjusted for population, the rankings flip entirely:

  • North Dakota: 14.1 courses per 100,000 residents (110 courses, 779k population)
  • Iowa: 12.7 per 100,000 (405 courses)
  • South Dakota: 12.1 per 100,000 (107 courses)
  • Vermont: 11.2 per 100,000 (72 courses)
  • Nebraska: 11.0 per 100,000 (215 courses)

Smaller, rural states in the Midwest and Northeast dominate per capita access. These states have modest populations but enough courses to serve local demand generously.

Florida drops significantly in per capita rankings despite its raw total. With 21.5 million residents, those 1,321 courses translate to about 6.1 per 100,000 people.

Golf Course Density Per Square Mile

Another way to think about accessibility: how far do you have to drive to reach a course? States with more courses packed into less land area mean shorter trips to the tee box.

Horizontal bar chart showing golf courses per 1,000 square miles by state. Rhode Island leads with 57 courses per 1,000 square miles.

The states with the highest course density are:

  • Rhode Island: 57.1 courses per 1,000 sq miles (59 courses in just 1,034 sq miles)
  • Massachusetts: 50.1 per 1,000 sq miles (391 courses)
  • New Jersey: 44.5 per 1,000 sq miles (327 courses)
  • Connecticut: 40.5 per 1,000 sq miles (196 courses)

Technically, Washington D.C. would rank first here, but we exclude it since it's a federal district rather than a state.

The Northeast dominates geographic density. These compact states pack courses tightly, meaning golfers rarely have to travel far. In Rhode Island, you're never more than a few minutes from a course.

Meanwhile, states like Montana and Alaska have plenty of courses per capita but low density because the land area is enormous.

Data sourced from the TrueRound course database covering 16,686 courses across the United States. Population data from the 2020 US Census. Land area from the US Census Bureau.