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.
In the effort to rank 2022’s Best Cities for Golfers, LawnStarter compared the 200 biggest U.S. cities based on their golf-friendly qualities, such as weather, number of golf courses, and access to coaches.
Scottsdale checks most of the boxes and sits at the top of the list as the best city for golfers.
What makes Scottsdale so golfer-friendly? According to LawnStarter’s data, the city has the most public golf courses per 100,000 residents and ranks highly for its access to golf training by PGA coaches.
Arguably, the most important item on the list for a golfer is having a place to play. Without a course, you can’t play golf. So in cities with more golf courses available to the public, golfers have more options of where they can swing their clubs and practice their skills. It also allows more people to golf at a given time, opening up more opportunities for golfers to enjoy a day on the course.
Scottsdale is the top ranked-city for both Public and Premium Golf Course Access. With 56 courses within its city limits, Scottsdale offers about 10 golf courses per 100,000 residents. There are also 45 more courses just within a 20-mile radius of the city, so golfers do not need to look far and wide for a place to play a round of golf.
For the golfers out there looking to sharpen their skills on the course, having access to a good coach is important as well. Scottsdale ranked third in LawnStarter’s Training Access category, which means the city has the third most PGA golf coaches per 100,000 residents.
Scottsdale also scored relatively well in LawnStarter’s Course Quality and Climate categories, ranking 15th for the quality of its courses and 46th for its weather.
You can read LawnStarter’s full ranking and analysis here.
