The very best golf programs in all 50 states for 2024-25, ranked!

Within the weeks since we rolled our newest U.S. Prime 100 and Prime 100 You Can Play rankings, our viewers has been clamoring for extra. In spite of everything, be it new builds, renovations or restorations, high-quality programs are frequently coming on-line to the purpose the place scores of programs that golfers would like to play are absent from our Prime 100 ranks. 100 spots — and even 200 spots — are merely not sufficient to do justice to the breadth of the American golf scene.

To solid a wider highlight and provides a shout out to a number of hundred extra programs, we are actually publishing our best-by-state rankings, in addition to — coming quickly! — one of the best programs by area (Northeast, Southeast, Heartland and West). No different nation on earth has a deeper bench of outstanding programs. 

GOLF’s course rankings: Prime 100 within the World | Prime 100 within the U.S. | Prime 100 You Can Play | Prime 100 Worth Programs within the U.S. | America’s Greatest Municipal Programs | America’s Greatest Programs for $100 or Much less | Prime 100 within the U.Okay. and Eire | Prime 100 in Asia-Pacific | Prime 100 Brief Programs within the World

Take into consideration the abundance of golf riches from shore to shore: hyperlinks, clifftop, prairie, parkland, desert, coastal. You identify it, yow will discover it within the U.S. Simply have a look at a state like Wisconsin as a microcosm for the remainder of the nation and the way far it has are available simply the previous few a long time. In 1985, the Badger State may not have ranked among the many nation’s high half of states for golf. Now, it’s arguably within the high 5. Who knew the state’s geographic bounty past the truth that it bordered Lake Michigan? Immediately, its glacial moraines and huge swaths of sand have golfers heading there in droves. 

Surprise what state may be subsequent? Florida and Texas have a number of high-profile designs which might be about to open or whose constructions are properly underway. Builders and designers are exploiting to perfection the vein of sand that begins in Pinehurst and runs by way of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Nice golf is not confined solely to main metro areas. Witness the nice work at Dornick Hills in Ardmore, Okla. (inhabitants: 25,000), or the brand new programs blossoming round Aiken, S.C. (inhabitants: 33,000). 

For deep dives on the most recent in course tendencies, try our all-new journey podcast Vacation spot GOLF. Pay attention and subscribe wherever you get your podcasts: APPLE | SPOTIFY | IHEART | AMAZON

Finally, one in every of golf’s nice attributes is that it makes you spend time outdoors — and for geographic range and splendor, few nations can compete with the U.S. We must always all rely ourselves lucky that we’re within the midst of a second Golden Age of Structure.

It’s possible you’ll browse our state lists beneath. Get pleasure from! 

The very best golf programs in all 50 states for 2024-25

(sorted alphabetically)

To browse our state lists in map kind, go to our all-new Course Finder instrument.

Greatest golf programs in Alabama (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Alaska (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Arizona (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Arkansas (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in California (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Colorado (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Connecticut (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Delaware (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Florida (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Georgia (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Hawaii (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Idaho (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Illinois (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Indiana (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Iowa (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Kansas (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Kentucky (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Louisiana (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Maine (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Maryland (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Massachusetts (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Michigan (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Minnesota (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Mississippi (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Missouri (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Montana (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Nebraska (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Nevada (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in New Hampshire (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in New Jersey (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in New Mexico (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in New York (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in North Carolina (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in North Dakota (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Ohio (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Oklahoma (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Oregon (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Pennsylvania (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Rhode Island (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in South Carolina (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in South Dakota (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Tennessee (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Texas (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Utah (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Vermont (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Virginia (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Washington (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in West Virginia (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Wisconsin (2024-25)

Greatest golf programs in Wyoming (2024-25)

How we rank programs

There is just one variable within the voting course of for GOLF’s Prime 100 Course rankings: the poll, which is at all times in flux with new builds, restorations and even deletions ought to the standard of the course deteriorate.

For our newly launched Prime 100 U.S. and Prime 100 You Can Play lists, every panelist was offered a poll that consisted of 609 programs. Beside the listing of programs have been 11 “buckets,” or groupings. If our panelists thought of a course to be among the many high three within the U.S., they ticked that first column. In the event that they believed the course to be amongst Nos. 4-10, they checked that column, adopted by 11-25, 26-50, and so forth out to 250+ and even a column for “take away.” 

Panelists have been additionally free to write down in programs that they felt ought to have been included on the poll.

Factors have been assigned to every bucket; to reach at a median rating for every course, we divide its combination rating by the variety of votes. From these level tallies, the programs are then ranked accordingly. It’s an deliberately easy and easy course of. Why? As a result of it traditionally has produced outcomes which might be extensively lauded. Like the sport itself, there’s no must unnecessarily complicate issues or attempt to repair one thing that already works so properly.

The important thing to the methodology is the expertise and experience of our panel. For certain, our course of is simply pretty much as good because the panel itself. Hailing from 15 nations (and that’s counting Scotland, England, Northern Eire and Wales as one, the UK), every of our 127 handpicked panelists has a eager eye for structure, each regionally and globally.

Typecasting our panel could be unattainable, besides to say all of them share a golf wanderlust. Greater than 55 years separate our youngest panelist from the oldest. Taking part in skills fluctuate from plus-handicaps to these within the low double digits. If 30 panelists have seen a course, you might be nearly assured that each set of tees was used. Lots of our panelists have performed greater than 1,000 programs in 20-plus nations. Within the rankings world, expertise is important. Communication between panelists is enhanced by sustaining a comparatively small, tight group.

As a result of we don’t prescribe a set methodology to evaluate programs as different ranks do, nobody opinion carries the day — our rank is a democracy. Some panelists imagine that enjoyment is the final word aim, and thus prioritize design attributes akin to width and enjoying angles, whereas frowning upon the necessity to continually hunt for balls in thick tough. Different panelists worth problem and the calls for of hitting each membership within the bag. Nonetheless others take into account a course’s environment and total setting of paramount significance, thereby emphasizing the setting and naturalness of the course. Ultimately, permitting raters to freely specific their tastes is what produces the specified eclecticism in our Prime 100 lists.

Panelist integrity is important. Voters with any ties or associations to eligible programs should flag such conflicts. Any vote that falls outdoors the statistical norm is investigated. Panelists know to not let the standard of their play affect their poll — identical for a luxe expertise or clubhouse. Whereas opulence might make for a extra a memorable outing, it’s not what GOLF’s course lists are about. Our focus is on design and structure. We research the course, not the trimmings round it.

Our pledge to you with each rating is that we put ahead our greatest, most earnest effort. Finally, you might be decide and jury of our success.