Travel industry experts compared the 200 largest cities in the U.S. to find out which are the best for golfers. They evaluated eight key metrics, including number of courses, number of golf specialty stores, monthly precipitation, and average temperature.
So which U.S. cities are the best for duffers and golf pros alike? Here are the top 10 and bottom 10 golfing cities overall, followed by some highlights and lowlights.
| Best Cities for Golfers in America
|
| City |
| Scottsdale, AZ |
| Los Angeles, CA |
| New York, NY |
| Anaheim, CA |
| Las Vegas, NV |
| Phoenix, AZ |
| Mesa, AZ |
| Gilbert, AZ |
| San Diego, CA |
| Glendale, CA |
| Worst Cities for Golfers in America |
| City |
| Clarksville, TN |
| Columbus, GA |
| Montgomery, GA |
| Jackson, MS |
| Macon, GA |
| Metairie, LA |
| Huntsville, AL |
| Shreveport, LA |
| Springfield, MO |
| Mobile, AL |
Highlights and Lowlights:
Sunny with a Chance of Birdies: Five of our top 10 Best Cities for Golfers are in Arizona, where rain is a rarity. California boasts three of the top 10 cities for golf, two of which are in the top five. Climate isn’t everything, though. New York City ranked third overall, but scored a bogey on climate, ranking 178th. That’s second-worst in the top 50, behind only Yonkers, New York.
Drive for Show, Putt for Dough: Even on the most beautiful days, you can’t swing the sticks without a course, driving range, or practice facility. Of the top 20 cities on our list, only one ranked outside the top 50 for the number of golf courses. The number of practice facilities makes a difference on our list, too. Indoor and outdoor driving ranges are a haven for golf-hungry loopers.
Sporting the Tools of the Trade: Unless you’re Roy McAvoy, you’ll need clubs to play golf. And balls. And shoes. And an extra pair of socks in case you get a hole-in-one. An abundance of golf stores means a strong community of golfers to support them. Even with the prevalence of online shopping, there’s still no substitute for a place where you can test drive your gear before you buy it.
The Best of the Best Come to Town: Having a PGA Tour event brings a big boost to a city’s golfiness. For example, six of our top 10 cities for golfers host a PGA Tour event. For example, TPC Scottsdale is the home of the Tour’s rowdiest and most attended event, the Waste Management Phoenix Open, and Torrey Pines Golf Course in San Diego hosts both the annual Farmers Insurance Open and the 2021 U.S. Open.
