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Americans in general - and golfers in particular - probably have their own assumptions about which parts of the country are nicest and which are a little surly. There are plenty of stereotypes out there about "Midwestern sensibilities" and "Southern hospitality", among other preconceived notions. Are they founded in truth?
As the game of golf has enjoyed unprecedented participation in recent years, we have seen some interesting trends emerge as hundreds of thousands of golfers like you review their experiences across thousands of golf courses across the country.
How well - or poorly - you are treated between the time you arrive at a golf course and the time you leave can have as significant an impact on your own thoughts about how the day went as anything, from the design of the course to the conditions and peripheral amenities. I have had the opportunity to play some of America's most prestigious private clubs, and the occasional frosty or snooty reception I've received there has colored my overall impressions of the place. Likewise, I have felt been made to feel so welcome at some of the humblest mom-and-pop public courses or municipal layouts that I have come away thinking the world of them.
You and your fellow golfers are clearly in-tune with this dynamic, too. We pulled nearly 750,000 golfer-submitted reviews from the last three years to see which states' golf courses tend to impress golfers like you, and which are lagging behind, in regards to service, friendliness and generally making you feel welcome. Some of the results we uncovered might shock you.
The 10 friendliest golf states in America
1. North Dakota
Friendliness rating: 4.72
One of the least golf-dense states, North Dakota golf course operators seem to understand the preciousness of the experiences they offer. As a result, their staffs have received consistently high marks from locals and visitors.
2. Montana
Friendliness rating: 4.69
Similar to no. 1 North Dakota, Montana isn't an enormously golf-rich state, but its courses and their staffs tend to offer a positive experience.
3. Wyoming
Friendliness rating: 4.64
America's least-populous state's golf courses tend to be unfussy but friendly nevertheless.
4. Nevada
Friendliness rating: 4.60
Las Vegas wouldn't enjoy the status it has among travel destinations if people didn't feel welcome, and the spirit of Sin City extends to its golf, as well as a cluster of courses up around Lake Tahoe, led by Edgewood Tahoe, which ranked no. 2 on our Golfers' Choice 2025 list of America's Friendliest Golf Courses.
5. Delaware
Friendliness rating: 4.57
Delaware is small, but with courses that are part of the greater Philadelphia area, as well as an underrated summer destination in Rehoboth Beach, it is serving visitors and locals well.
6. Alaska
Friendliness rating: 4.55
Similar story here to other top-ranked states: there's not much golf in Alaska in absolute terms, but the people who run them are welcoming. Maybe the trend to note from the top six states is that small-town and rural courses tend to attract locals who know everyone on staff and feel at home every time they visit. When random tourists/out-of-towners do show up for a tee time, they tend to fall in love with the low-key vibe and natural beauty.
7. Arizona
Friendliness rating: 4.48
Only Florida and California have garnered more golf course reviews than Arizona, but this desert golf paradise is head and shoulders above those larger states (no. 17 and no. 26, respectively) when it comes to friendly faces encountered by the legions of golfers who visit every year.
8. South Dakota
Friendliness rating: 4.47
North Dakota's sibling has more golf courses, also staffed by welcoming folks.
9. Connecticut
Friendliness rating: 4.46
I was thrilled to see the state of my birth crack the top 10, especially given its geographical location between two of the least-friendly golf states (see below). But I'm also not surprised; Connecticut's people are very friendly, and its public golf scene is underrated, not just because of the quality of its courses but the quality of the people who run them.
10. North Carolina
Friendliness rating: 4.43
Southern hospitality is real, so it's somewhat surprising that only one Southern state made the top 10. But having played a good amount of golf in the state over the years, I can say that the people who run its golf courses are friendly. I consider Pinehurst Resort to be the friendliest golf resort I've visited, so this ranking tracks.
Honorable Mentions: Michigan and Wisconsin
These two Midwest states are home to some of America's best summer golf spots, with friendly courses everywhere. On the latest Golfers' Choice list of America's Friendliest Golf Courses, they are represented by a combined eight courses - just under a third of the list in total.
Neither state cracked the top 10, though; some less attentive courses are dragging the others down. Wisconsin ranked #15 overall, while Michigan came in 24th.
The 5 least-friendly golf states in America
I'll refrain from state-by-state comment here, other than to say that I was surprised to see two New England states listed below, though I'm probably biased as a native of the region. As for no. 5, suffice it to say that its inclusion is in line with what golfers assume will happen when the 2025 Ryder Cup kicks off...
1. Utah
Friendliness rating: 3.99
2. Maine
Friendliness rating: 4.06
3. Nebraska
Friendliness rating: 4.13
4. Massachusetts
Friendliness rating: 4.14
5. New York
Friendliness rating: 4.15
Comments (3)
I looked at the U.S. list of states by population density, and it so happens that four of the five states in the bottom five–North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, and Alaska–all rank in your top ten of “friendly states.” Not only that, three of these are your top three. And the fifth state that is lowest ranked in population is South Dakota, ranked number eight in your tally of friendly states. I would call this a very high correlation! We can only speculate, however, on why this is so, but some of the reasons should be obvious.
Still, there seems to be only a small or very loose correlation of the so-called “unfriendly golf course states” (for lack of a better phrase) to high state population densities, as three of the five states that made your list for friendly states–Connecticut, Delaware, and North Carolina–all have high population densities, and only two of these five have high densities (Mass. is #3; NY is # 7). In this sense, attempting such a correlation has a downside: it can become about as meaningful (although not as laughable) as spurious correlations such as the relationship between U.S. Crude Oil Imports to The Netherlands vs. Drivers Killed in Collisions with Trains.
Correlations aside, this is an interesting article that speaks in some ways to the importance, I think, of customer service. The overriding point for me is that if ANY golf course–whether it is in Utah or North Carolina or New York, is unaware of the importance of the friendliness of its staff in day-to-day operations, then it is surely losing business, especially in the category of repeat customers. I don’t see enough courses truly training those employees that regularly interact and communicate with golfers.
I would include South Carolina and Florida as golf friendly states. Include New Jersey in the least friendly.
I'm not sure where Iowa ranked but I can't believe we aren't in the Top 10. We are known to be some of the friendliest people in general AND we are up there in courses per capita. Most are 9-holers in smaller towns. Almost every town with more than 1000 people have a course. Many operate on the honor system. If no one is working in the shop, drop your money in the lock box. Oh, I almost forgot, it's also inexpensive to golf in Iowa.