As golfers, we love to see the game thriving. As things stand in 2025, participation and play are up, positive perceptions abound, and the number of Americans going on golf getaways or buddies’ trips is close to an all-time high. Golf is cool, golf is hip, and we’re here for it.
That said, one of the byproducts of the current golf boom is full tee sheets and busy courses, especially on the public side of the game. If you haven’t said it yourself recently, you probably know someone who has… “Man, is it tough to get a tee time.”
But where can it be hardest to land those coveted weekend morning starts at the local muni?
The following are the 10 U.S. states with the highest average number of golfers per public course, per the latest figures from the National Golf Foundation, the industry’s leading research organization. Now, some of the metro areas in these states also have a higher-than-average number of private golf clubs (and thus private club golfers), a balance driven in part by the demand for golf and the desire to have somewhere to play regularly. Generally speaking, though, these states have the most potential competition when it comes to public play.
1. New Jersey (5,339 per public)
The state with the highest population density tucked between two of the nation’s biggest metro areas—New York and Philadelphia—can make for a tough tee time. And whether it’s a positive or a negative (either helping alleviate demand or further limiting access), New Jersey has the highest proportion of private clubs in the country… and by extension, the lowest proportion of public golf (52 percent of its 300-plus courses). Consider this: New Jersey has almost 70 fewer public golf courses than North and South Dakota combined, but approximately 750,000 more resident golfers in total than those two states at the other end of the demand/supply spectrum.
2. California (4,851 per public)
California has the most golfers of any state, by far, with over three million in total. While the Golden State is massive, the second largest in the continental U.S., the public golf offerings in major metro areas can be especially strapped, Los Angeles in particular. There’s a reason the Noteefy platform—which sends text notifications to help golfers and course operators with tee time availability—was started by a frustrated L.A. area golfer who was charged with coordinating his group’s weekend bookings.
3. Maryland (4,515 per public)
Like New Jersey, here’s another state with a population density in the top 10 nationally along with a public-to-private golf balance that ranks among the bottom 10, with Baltimore among the metro areas most affected. Consider, too, that this excludes Washington, D.C., which borders Maryland and Virginia. The golfer population in the nation’s capital is counted separately, with over 11,000 golfers for each of its five public courses.
4. Texas (3,939 per public)
As the largest state in the continental U.S. and one that’s home to the second-most golfers—over two million in total—Texas occupies an interesting spot on this list. Texas has a wealth of residential golf communities and resorts, along with a plethora of local 9-hole courses spread from its borders in the east with Arkansas and Louisiana to its westernmost side that abuts Mexico and New Mexico. Both the Dallas and Houston metro areas are in the top 10 of total golfers, putting public golf most in demand in those regions.
5. Virginia (3,525 per public)
There’s significant diversity to Virginia’s golf geography, from the Atlantic coastline to the higher elevations of the Blue Ridge and Appalachian Mountains further west. Like neighboring Maryland, just over 60 percent of Virginia’s golf courses are public. This is notably lower than the national average (73 percent) and the proportion is even lower around the Washington, D.C., metro area in cities like Arlington and Alexandria.
6. Rhode Island (3,371 per public)
Rhode Island isn’t just the smallest state in the U.S. (and second most densely populated behind N.J.), it also has one of the higher percentages of private clubs, like many other states in the New England region where golf traces back well over a century. Public golf in R.I. is comprised almost entirely by local daily fee haunts.
7. Washington (3,365 per public)
While Washington is adding a new resort course with the debut of Scarecrow at Gamble Sands (the latest design from David McLay Kidd), the Evergreen State has one of the largest disparities between golf courses (ranking 23rd nationally) and total number of golfers (14th nationally, per the NGF). This disconnect comes despite nearly 80 percent of Washington’s courses being open to public play, the second-highest percentage among states on this top 10 list.
8. Connecticut (3,354 per public)
Like several of its New England neighbors, Connecticut is population dense and has a wealth of private golf clubs—the third-highest proportion nationally—with the heaviest concentration close to New York City. Most of the public golf is in the center of the state, in and around the Hartford area and surrounding towns to the south.
9. Georgia (3,273 per public)
Outside of the northeast, Georgia has the second-lowest proportion of public golf, behind only Florida. While the state has a wide range of destination golf—from Reynolds Lake Oconee’s five public courses to McLemore Resort’s offerings in the mountains near the Tennessee border to Sea Island Resort’s guest packages—there’s heavier demand for the public layouts in and around the Atlanta metro area.
10. Utah (3,262 per public)
Just ahead of Massachusetts, Utah—perhaps the surprise entrant in this lineup—has recently seen the third-highest population growth rate in the U.S. while offsetting public golf additions like Black Desert Resort with exclusive private clubs such as Wohali, Wasatch Peaks Ranch, and the forthcoming Three Bridges and Marcella Club, the latter designed by Tiger Woods. Utah has just over 100 public courses in total, the second fewest on this list behind only Rhode Island.
