2021's Best Cities for Golfers in the U.S.

Golfer putting, ball approaching hole, sunset in the background

Every golfer has their favorite local venue. Whether they go there to play 18 holes, practice their short game, or watch the world’s best, these places can be like a second home to the avid golfer.

But some cities score better for golfers than others. Factors like weather, number of golf courses, and access to equipment make some places more golfer-friendly.

Is your city up to par?

LawnStarter compared the 200 largest cities in the U.S. to find out which are the best for golfers. We evaluated 13 key metrics, including number of courses, number of golf specialty stores, monthly precipitation, and average temperature.

City Rankings
Highlights and Lowlights
Methodology

City Rankings

See how your city and others fared in our ranking:

OVERALL RANK	City	Overall Score	Climate Rank	Golf Courses Rank	Specialty Stores Rank	Practice Facilities Rank
1	Scottsdale, AZ	65.98	46	1	1	6
2	Los Angeles, CA	55.37	6	7	11	5
3	New York, NY	50.74	178	2	17	7
4	Anaheim, CA	49.87	7	38	5	1
5	Las Vegas, NV	48.66	39	3	55	85
6	Phoenix, AZ	46.87	46	18	4	8
7	Mesa, AZ	44.25	46	28	7	13
8	Gilbert, AZ	43.61	46	22	11	18
9	San Diego, CA	42.81	1	43	20	19
10	Glendale, AZ	42.65	46	36	8	16
11	Newark, NJ	41.85	172	9	20	9
12	Garden Grove, CA	40.81	7	49	25	26
13	Atlanta, GA	40.62	125	8	35	30
14	Yonkers, NY	40.29	187	4	84	56
15	Dallas, TX	40.2	89	13	29	11
16	Boston, MA	39.56	164	5	114	72
17	San Bernardino, CA	39.5	7	161	2	2
18	San Francisco, CA	39.23	31	15	102	89
19	Glendale, CA	38.92	7	42	13	129
20	North Las Vegas, NV	38.88	39	12	102	140
21	Tempe, AZ	38.63	46	26	27	55
22	Columbus, OH	38.31	139	6	71	112
23	Peoria, AZ	38.12	46	76	10	20
24	Irvine, CA	38.02	7	79	25	27
25	Salinas, CA	37.89	31	21	114	95
26	Long Beach, CA	37.84	30	50	44	59
27	Escondido, CA	37.41	1	55	50	76
28	Fullerton, CA	37.37	7	64	41	41
29	Santa Ana, CA	37.26	7	48	65	70
30	Huntington Beach, CA	37.15	7	77	36	31
31	Paterson, NJ	36.73	176	19	20	12
32	Orange, CA	36.26	7	40	128	119
33	Aurora, CO	36.23	81	20	38	33
34	Chandler, AZ	35.98	46	44	33	62
35	Irving, TX	35.74	89	24	50	25
36	Denver, CO	35.72	81	27	33	29
37	Henderson, NV	35.38	39	25	144	136
38	Orlando, FL	35.08	111	14	55	40
39	Palmdale, CA	34.93	7	194	9	4
40	Chicago, IL	34.71	159	29	30	17
41	Naperville, IL	34.67	159	10	94	64
42	Oxnard, CA	34.56	7	112	23	28
43	Torrance, CA	34.56	7	65	94	106
44	Philadelphia, PA	34.24	127	17	65	34
45	Bridgeport, CT	33.78	132	11	128	115
46	Pasadena, CA	33.68	7	92	71	49
47	Grand Prairie, TX	33.47	89	62	27	14
48	Minneapolis, MN	33.4	157	16	50	46
49	Oceanside, CA	32.86	1	102	55	66
50	Honolulu, HI	32.77	5	83	65	147
51	Houston, TX	32.74	153	37	44	23
52	Lakewood, CO	32.38	81	32	84	70
53	Ontario, CA	32.28	7	127	36	39
54	Austin, TX	32.2	77	35	71	78
55	Arlington, TX	31.86	89	54	18	58
56	Lancaster, CA	31.67	7	196	14	10
57	Moreno Valley, CA	31.56	7	142	3	142
58	Fremont, CA	31.53	31	108	14	83
59	Jersey City, NJ	31.37	187	23	114	35
60	Tucson, AZ	31.03	60	56	94	133
61	Pomona, CA	30.75	7	118	84	68
62	Tampa, FL	30.46	86	74	23	45
63	Plano, TX	30.4	89	61	48	36
64	Jacksonville, FL	30.26	128	33	50	89
65	Fort Worth, TX	30.25	89	59	65	44
66	Detroit, MI	29.83	110	51	55	52
67	San Jose, CA	29.82	31	117	84	53
68	Joliet, IL	29.65	159	89	16	15
69	San Antonio, TX	29.63	67	60	71	86
70	Pittsburgh, PA	29.35	131	39	128	54
71	Washington, DC	29.31	100	46	128	75
72	Riverside, CA	29.3	7	155	38	47
73	Port St. Lucie, FL	29.25	129	30	65	147
74	Indianapolis, IN	29.24	155	34	94	82
75	Santa Clarita, CA	29.16	7	164	6	163
76	Arlington, VA	28.84	100	53	50	102
77	Hayward, CA	28.71	31	108	114	107
78	Frisco, TX	28.64	89	73	79	48
79	Pembroke Pines, FL	28.62	112	71	42	38
80	St. Paul, MN	28.41	157	31	128	126
81	Santa Rosa, CA	28.29	7	152	48	67
82	Alexandria, VA	28.23	100	57	128	80
83	Cincinnati, OH	28.21	150	47	55	80
84	Oakland, CA	28.2	31	120	71	103
85	Chula Vista, CA	27.72	1	156	128	78
86	Garland, TX	27.55	89	80	71	57
87	Corona, CA	27.19	7	144	144	128
88	Seattle, WA	27.12	71	106	38	51
89	Portland, OR	27.1	74	86	79	73
90	Providence, RI	27.06	196	41	157	69
91	Cape Coral, FL	26.79	174	45	79	130
92	Miramar, FL	26.67	112	88	42	42
93	Rancho Cucamonga, CA	26.63	7	148	128	135
94	Charlotte, NC	26.43	103	75	102	77
95	Aurora, IL	26.23	159	52	157	116
96	Akron, OH	26.13	167	66	102	61
97	Laredo, TX	26	67	195	190	3
98	Miami, FL	25.98	112	82	65	62
99	Fort Lauderdale, FL	25.83	112	70	114	103
100	Fontana, CA	25.83	7	156	144	134
101	Bellevue, WA	25.73	71	100	84	94
102	St. Petersburg, FL	25.63	86	81	102	140
103	St. Louis, MO	25.53	146	78	55	91
104	Hollywood, FL	25.52	112	71	144	107
105	Overland Park, KS	25.47	135	63	114	123
106	Augusta, GA	25.43	149	58	144	150
107	Elk Grove, CA	25.41	57	163	30	50
108	Sunnyvale, CA	25.3	31	143	157	139
109	McKinney, TX	25.28	89	122	47	37
110	Rochester, NY	25.05	142	68	102	113
111	Milwaukee, WI	25.04	151	90	84	43
112	Baltimore, MD	25.03	144	67	157	117
113	Kansas City, MO	24.85	135	69	114	121
114	Pasadena, TX	24.83	153	132	30	22
115	Stockton, CA	24.73	55	170	157	32
116	Mesquite, TX	24.72	89	95	144	97
117	Vancouver, WA	24.61	74	116	84	84
118	Worcester, MA	24.29	200	119	19	24
119	Hialeah, FL	24.07	112	98	71	88
120	Cleveland, OH	23.86	148	85	114	74
121	Thornton, CO	23.61	81	115	144	87
122	Nashville, TN	23.2	169	87	84	92
123	Albuquerque, NM	23.17	62	121	182	181
124	Sacramento, CA	23.14	57	154	94	114
125	Springfield, MA	22.78	164	111	44	65
126	Newport News, VA	22.41	104	96	128	183
127	Kansas City, KS	22.4	135	97	114	125
128	Durham, NC	22.39	120	103	94	120
129	Omaha, NE	22.27	133	91	102	157
130	Louisville, KY	22.23	163	84	128	160
131	Reno, NV	22.09	66	125	157	173
132	Sunrise Manor, NV	22.01	39	196	55	98
133	Savannah, GA	21.96	109	110	55	155
134	Salt Lake City, UT	21.95	79	135	102	118
135	Tacoma, WA	21.84	71	134	102	160
136	Greensboro, NC	21.59	118	105	128	152
137	Enterprise, NV	21.45	39	196	55	124
138	Richmond, VA	21.45	134	114	94	109
139	Cary, NC	21.42	120	113	114	132
140	Spring Valley, NV	21.41	39	196	71	122
141	Paradise, NV	21.39	39	196	144	98
142	Lexington, KY	21.21	156	94	182	160
143	Tulsa, OK	21.16	173	93	114	178
144	Toledo, OH	21.09	140	104	144	142
145	Modesto, CA	21.09	55	180	128	149
146	Winston-Salem, NC	21.01	118	128	102	105
147	Bakersfield, CA	20.96	38	190	190	178
148	El Paso, TX	20.86	59	165	190	175
149	Birmingham, AL	20.8	182	99	144	145
150	Fresno, CA	20.57	54	176	157	192
151	Des Moines, IA	20.56	179	101	128	156
152	Raleigh, NC	19.9	120	141	94	111
153	Oklahoma City, OK	19.89	108	123	170	175
154	Colorado Springs, CO	19.86	88	140	175	169
155	Spokane, WA	19.64	76	184	170	60
156	Olathe, KS	19.63	135	124	114	150
157	Buffalo, NY	19.49	183	131	114	100
158	Norfolk, VA	19.45	104	136	114	165
159	Tallahassee, FL	19.36	198	166	175	21
160	Boise City, ID	19.26	65	172	128	163
161	Memphis, TN	19.15	193	107	157	175
162	Lincoln, NE	19.06	145	133	84	157
163	Dayton, OH	18.84	166	147	55	96
164	Grand Rapids, MI	18.78	181	129	157	131
165	Brownsville, TX	18.59	61	180	190	193
166	Lubbock, TX	18.3	70	168	190	184
167	Fort Collins, CO	18.19	81	173	102	152
168	Syracuse, NY	18.16	184	130	190	137
169	Chattanooga, TN	18.11	192	126	170	154
170	Midland, TX	18.04	63	188	182	196
171	Little Rock, AR	17.99	180	137	128	142
172	Killeen, TX	17.96	77	189	102	126
173	McAllen, TX	17.51	67	178	190	193
174	Knoxville, TN	17.5	143	146	157	146
175	Virginia Beach, VA	17.4	104	159	144	165
176	Madison, WI	17.38	190	139	144	157
177	New Orleans, LA	17.36	185	138	157	170
178	Fayetteville, NC	17.35	120	153	157	165
179	Corpus Christi, TX	17.3	64	192	182	185
180	Salem, OR	16.89	99	185	128	138
181	Wichita, KS	16.83	141	149	170	186
182	Rockford, IL	16.45	177	175	79	101
183	Sioux Falls, SD	16.45	152	150	175	186
184	Amarillo, TX	16.24	80	185	182	196
185	Chesapeake, VA	15.94	104	182	144	165
186	Baton Rouge, LA	15.81	197	145	182	172
187	Murfreesboro, TN	15.76	169	191	79	93
188	Fort Wayne, IN	15.71	168	159	175	170
189	Eugene, OR	15.64	126	171	190	173
190	Anchorage, AK	15.47	147	162	190	188
191	Clarksville, TN	15.15	169	192	84	110
192	Columbus, GA	15.03	124	174	190	196
193	Montgomery, AL	14.94	189	158	190	188
194	Jackson, MS	14.9	195	151	182	193
195	Macon, GA	14.64	130	185	170	181
196	Metairie, LA	14.19	185	179	157	178
197	Huntsville, AL	14.14	194	169	175	188
198	Shreveport, LA	13.75	175	182	182	191
199	Springfield, MO	13.58	191	176	175	196
200	Mobile, AL	13.27	199	167	175	196

Infographic detailing best golfing cities by various measures including average monthly precipitation, most golf courses, most golf equipment stores, most driving ranges.

Highlights and Lowlights

Sunny with a Chance of Birdies

Climate is one of the most important factors in determining a city’s golfability. If the place is too hot, too cold, or too wet too often, playing the game becomes untenable.

Five of the top 10 best cities for golf 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 is ranked third overall, but scored a bogey on climate, ranking 178th. That’s the second-worst in the top 50, behind only Yonkers, NY.

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.

From private clubs to resort courses to your local muni, more courses means more options and a greater capacity for golf. Of the top 20 cities on our list, only one ranked outside the top 50 for the number of golf courses. The three cities with the most golf courses (Scottsdale, New York, and Las Vegas) all ranked in the top five overall.

For context, Scottsdale has 100 golf courses within a 20-mile radius and “more than 200 golf courses in the Scottsdale area,” according to Experience Scottsdale.

Practice makes perfect. And the number of practice facilities makes a difference on our list, too. Indoor and outdoor driving ranges are a haven for golf-hungry loopers. They’ve even become a fun place for non-golfers, especially with the rise of venues like TopGolf.

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. 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.

Methodology

We ranked the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on their individual score totals in the metrics listed below. The city that scored the highest ranked No. 1, or “best city for golfers.”

Metric	Weighting	Min. Value	Max. Value
Annual Mean Number of Days with Minimum Temperature 32 Degrees F or Less	1	0	192
Annual Mean Number of Days with Maximum Temperature 90 Degrees F or Higher	1	2	169
Average Daily Mean Temperature	1	37	77.7
Average Monthly Precipitation in Inches	2	5.37	65.28
Climate Category Total	5
Number of Golf Courses	2	2	100
Number of Prized Golf Courses	2	0	25
Number of Awards	2	0	71
Number of Preferred Golf Courses	1	0	13
Presence in the Top 100 Golf List	2	0	517
Number of Courses Included in the PGA Tour; 2020-2021	1	0	2
Golf Courses Category Total	10
Number of Golf Equipment Stores	1	1	73
Specialty Stores Category Total	1
Number of Driving Ranges	2	1	128
Number of Venues Offering Golf Lessons	2	1	109
Practice Facilities Category Total	4
Overall Total	20