The 15 Best Cities for Golfers

Editor’s Note: This story originally appeared on Golf Workout Program.

When asked to name the best locations for golf in the U.S., golf obsessives might point to resort towns like Palm Desert, Hilton Head, or Naples, or perhaps to bigger cities packed with courses like Scottsdale or Las Vegas.

Many serious golfers dream of playing their way through the dozens of courses that each of these locales offers. But while few communities can stack up against the bounty of top courses in these golf-loving cities, golfers can still find excellent places to play across the country.

Having golf-friendly locations throughout the U.S. is important for generating and maintaining widespread interest in the sport — and lately, this interest has been growing quickly. Golf experienced a nationwide increase in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, and hasn’t slowed down since.

According to the National Golf Foundation, rounds played in 2021 were up 5% over 2020 and up 19% over the three-year average from 2017 to 2019. A record 3.2 million people played golf for the first time in 2021.

This increase in popularity has come despite the costs associated with the sport, which can be a major barrier to entry, from equipment to greens fees to club dues.

Golf can already be an expensive hobby, but recent data suggests that costs are also rising. Membership fees and dues are up by more than 40% in the last 15 years, while greens and guest fees are up by nearly 25% over the same span.

Even the cost of a beer or lunch at the snack bar after a round is getting more expensive, as costs from food and beverage sales are up by more than a third since 2006.

Beyond cost, however, a number of other local conditions can affect how easy it is for people to keep up with their golf hobby. A person who lives in an area that is not accommodating for golfers will be far less likely to try out or stick with the sport.

To determine the best locations for golfers, researchers at Golf Workout Program used data from the U.S. Census Bureau, NOAA, and the PGA Tour.

Here are the best large U.S. metropolitan areas (1 million or more residents) for golfers.

15. Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Alpharetta, GA

• Composite score: 57.1
• Weather score: 49.0
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 9
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 1.9
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 4.1

14. Grand Rapids-Kentwood, MI

• Composite score: 59.8
• Weather score: 40.4
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 5
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 4.1
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 7.3

13. Richmond, VA

• Composite score: 61.4
• Weather score: 44.9
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 5
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 3.3
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 5.1

12. Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX

• Composite score: 62.1
• Weather score: 63.6
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 11
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 1.4
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 4.2

11. Raleigh-Cary, NC

• Composite score: 62.5
• Weather score: 48.1
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 5
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 2.7
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 5.2

10. Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL

• Composite score: 62.7
• Weather score: 50.8
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 8
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 2.1
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 6.6

9. St. Louis, MO-IL

• Composite score: 64.6
• Weather score: 47.2
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 3
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 3.4
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 5.3

8. Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL

• Composite score: 68.1
• Weather score: 56.2
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 12
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 2.2
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 6.1

7. Jacksonville, FL

• Composite score: 69.1
• Weather score: 59.7
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 7
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 2.3
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 6.4

6. Rochester, NY

• Composite score: 70.0
• Weather score: 46.0
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 1
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 5.7
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 5.9

5. Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA

• Composite score: 70.4
• Weather score: 97.5
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 9
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 1.1
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 4.7

4. Tulsa, OK

• Composite score: 72.3
• Weather score: 52.9
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 2
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 3.6
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 6.2

3. Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA

• Composite score: 72.4
• Weather score: 83.6
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 10
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 2.1
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 3.8

2. Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ

• Composite score: 79.0
• Weather score: 79.5
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 12
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 2.9
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 5.1

1. Tucson, AZ

• Composite score: 79.4
• Weather score: 84.3
• Total PGA Tour events in the last 5 years: 5
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents: 2.9
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents: 5.8

Methodology

The data used in this analysis is from the U.S. Census Bureau’s County Business Patterns, NOAA’s National Centers for Environment Information, and the PGA Tour’s Tournament Schedule. To determine the best locations for golfers, researchers at Golf Workout Program calculated a composite score based on the following factors and weights:

• Local weather (40%)
• Total PGA Tour events in the past five years (30%)
• Golf courses and country clubs per 100,000 residents (25%)
• Sporting goods stores per 100,000 residents (5%)

The weather score is also a composite measure that optimizes for both mild temperatures and low precipitation. In the event of a tie, the location with more golf courses and country clubs per capita was ranked higher. To improve relevance, only metropolitan areas with at least 100,000 residents were included. Additionally, metros were grouped into cohorts based on population size: small (100,000–349,999), midsize (350,000–999,999), and large (1 million or more). Only areas in the contiguous United States were considered for the analysis.