The 15 Best Cities for Golfers

Editor's Note: This story originally appeared on LawnStarter.

Which U.S. cities are like a second home to avid golfers?

LawnStarter has ranked 2023’s Best Cities for Golfers.

We compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on six categories. More specifically, we factored in public and premium course access, course quality, golfer groups, and climate, among 25 metrics.

Find out if your city is up to par in our ranking below. To learn how we ranked the cities, see our methodology at the end.

1. Scottsdale, AZ

• Overall Score: 64.82
• Public Course Access Rank: 1
• Premium Course Access Rank: 1
• Training Access Rank: 1
• Course Quality Rank: 1
• Community Rank: 2
• Climate Rank: 47

2. Orlando, FL

• Overall Score: 50.94
• Public Course Access Rank: 6
• Premium Course Access Rank: 2
• Training Access Rank: 2
• Course Quality Rank: 8
• Community Rank: 40
• Climate Rank: 96

3. Las Vegas, NV

• Overall Score: 42.66
• Public Course Access Rank: 15
• Premium Course Access Rank: 34
• Training Access Rank: 21
• Course Quality Rank: 2
• Community Rank: 4
• Climate Rank: 41

4. Cincinnati, OH

• Overall Score: 38.56
• Public Course Access Rank: 2
• Premium Course Access Rank: 13
• Training Access Rank: 15
• Course Quality Rank: 127
• Community Rank: 69
• Climate Rank: 125

5. Savannah, GA

• Overall Score: 38.51
• Public Course Access Rank: 3
• Premium Course Access Rank: 14
• Training Access Rank: 48
• Course Quality Rank: 16
• Community Rank: 108
• Climate Rank: 136

6. Tucson, AZ

• Overall Score: 36.76
• Public Course Access Rank: 11
• Premium Course Access Rank: 31
• Training Access Rank: 31
• Course Quality Rank: 84
• Community Rank: 9
• Climate Rank: 55

7. Los Angeles, CA

• Overall Score: 36.63
• Public Course Access Rank: 176
• Premium Course Access Rank: 6
• Training Access Rank: 122
• Course Quality Rank: 6
• Community Rank: 7
• Climate Rank: 29

8. Birmingham, AL

• Overall Score: 35.29
• Public Course Access Rank: 19
• Premium Course Access Rank: 15
• Training Access Rank: 25
• Course Quality Rank: 9
• Community Rank: 54
• Climate Rank: 170

9. San Francisco, CA

• Overall Score: 34.92
• Public Course Access Rank: 165
• Premium Course Access Rank: 11
• Training Access Rank: 23
• Course Quality Rank: 137
• Community Rank: 3
• Climate Rank: 30

10. San Antonio, TX

• Overall Score: 34.89
• Public Course Access Rank: 99
• Premium Course Access Rank: 4
• Training Access Rank: 115
• Course Quality Rank: 26
• Community Rank: 8
• Climate Rank: 120

11. St. Louis, MO

• Overall Score: 34.79
• Public Course Access Rank: 14
• Premium Course Access Rank: 24
• Training Access Rank: 6
• Course Quality Rank: 144
• Community Rank: 14
• Climate Rank: 161

12. Dallas, TX

• Overall Score: 34.29
• Public Course Access Rank: 159
• Premium Course Access Rank: 5
• Training Access Rank: 81
• Course Quality Rank: 10
• Community Rank: 11
• Climate Rank: 104

13. Houston, TX

• Overall Score: 33.70
• Public Course Access Rank: 162
• Premium Course Access Rank: 3
• Training Access Rank: 90
• Course Quality Rank: 30
• Community Rank: 11
• Climate Rank: 193

14. San Diego, CA

• Overall Score: 32.55
• Public Course Access Rank: 140
• Premium Course Access Rank: 8
• Training Access Rank: 65
• Course Quality Rank: 104
• Community Rank: 16
• Climate Rank: 1

15. Salt Lake City, UT

• Overall Score: 32.26
• Public Course Access Rank: 4
• Premium Course Access Rank: 74
• Training Access Rank: 43
• Course Quality Rank: 128
• Community Rank: 117
• Climate Rank: 74

Methodology

First, we determined the factors (metrics) that are most relevant to rank the Best Cities for Golfers. We then assigned a weight to each factor based on its importance and grouped those factors into six categories:

• Public Course Access
• Premium Course Access
• Training Access
• Course Quality
• Community
• Climate

For each of the 200 biggest U.S. cities, we then gathered data on each factor, which are listed below:

• Public Courses per 100,000 Residents
• Municipal Courses per 100,000 Residents
• Private Courses per 100,000 Residents
• Number of Preferred Courses (Golf Tournament Association of America)
• Number of Top 100 Golf Courses in the World (Golf Magazine)
• Number of Top 100 Golf Courses in the U.S. (Golf Digest)
• Number of Best Golf Courses for Public Access (Golfweek Magazine)
• Number of PGA Courses Available for Public Play
• Number of Golf Resorts
• Driving Ranges per Square Mile
• Indoor and Virtual Golf Facilities per Square Mile
• PGA Golf Coaches per 100,000 Residents
• Number of Facilities Offering Golf Lessons per 100,000 Residents
• Golf Equipment Stores per Square Mile
• Average Consumer Rating for All Courses
• Total Reviews for All Courses
• Average Number of Holes for All Courses
• Average Number of Yards for All Courses
• Average Par for All Courses
• Number of Amateur Golf Competitions and Tournaments
• Number of Golf Meetup Groups
• Historical Average Annual Number of Extremely Cold Days
• Historical Average Annual Number of Extremely Hot Days
• Historical Average Monthly Percentage of Sunshine
• Historical Average Monthly Rain (in Inches)

Finally, we calculated scores (out of 100 points) for each city to determine its rank in each factor, each category, and overall. A city’s Overall Score is the average of its scores across all factors and categories. The highest Overall Score ranked “Best” (No. 1).