If you want to want to become better at golf, it might be worth considering moving to the southern parts of the United States. According to the USGA, eight of the 10 states with the lowest average handicap are situated either along or one state above the country's southern border.
Although, that theory is not completely water-tight as the state which sat dead last among the 52 ranked areas is remarkably... Florida! Home to many of the PGA Tour's best and brightest. An ageing population could have something to do with the higher handicap index as well, but let's not allow the facts to disrupt what could be golf's most-intriguing theory.
Data from the USGA shows that almost 3.5 million adults held an active handicap in America in 2023 - while over 80% of those are male. The average handicap for female players is 28.0 while it is 14.0 for male golfers.
But officially the best state in America (in terms of average golfing ability), Mississippi's adult population can boast an extraordinarily-low average handicap of 11.6. Neighboring Arkansas is second with 12.8 - a significant 1.2 shots higher. Louisiana, Oklahoma, Alabama, and Washington D.C trail behind in increments of 0.1.
Tennessee and North Dakota share an average handicap index of 13.5 in seventh and eight place in the table, respectively, while Texas (13.8) just beat Georgia (14.3) to ninth in the top-10 standings.
The best of the best! Where does your state stack up to the rest of the country?See the full list below 👇 pic.twitter.com/WWyZyQFobPDecember 29, 2023
According to the USGA, Texas is among the top-three states for scores posted along with California - which finished 35th with a score of 17.1 - and Florida. The latter shared around eight million official cards in 2023.
While the Sunshine State was the most keen to get out on the course and play, it did not translate into a lower handicap for those involved. Florida's average handicap turned out to be exactly 20 at the end of 2023, behind Delaware (51st - 19.6) and Wyoming (50th - 19.2).
Completing the 10 highest average handicap indexes was; Maine (49th - 18.7), Idaho (48th - 18.7), Alaska (47th - 18.6), Montana (46th - 18.3), New Hampshire (45th - 18.3), Arizona (44th - 18.1), Vermont (43rd - 17.7), and Washington (42nd - 17.7).
Average Handicap Index Per US State
- 1st: Mississippi - 11.6
- 2nd: Arkansas - 12.8
- 3rd: Louisiana - 12.9
- 4th: Oklahoma - 13.0
- 5th: Alabama - 13.1
- 6th: Washington D.C. - 13.2
- 7th: Tennessee - 13.5
- 8th: North Dakota - 13.5
- 9th: Texas - 13.8
- 10th: Georgia - 14.3
- 11th: Kentucky - 14.4
- 12th: Kansas - 14.5
- 13th: West Virginia - 14.7
- 14th: Iowa - 14.9
- 15th: Indiana - 15.1
- 16th: Missouri - 15.1
- 17th: Utah - 15.1
- 18th: Ohio - 15.5
- 19th: Illinois - 15.7
- 20th: North Carolina - 15.8
- 21st: Virginia - 15.8
- 22nd: Pennsylvania - 16.1
- 23rd: Nebraska - 16.2
- 24th: Wisconsin - 16.4
- 25th: Hawaii - 16.5
- 26th: Minnesota - 16.5
- 27th: Michigan - 16.5
- 28th: South Carolina - 16.7
- 29th: New Mexico - 16.7
- 30th: Maryland - 16.7
- 31st: Massachusetts - 16.8
- 32nd: New York - 16.9
- 33rd: Puerto Rico - 16.9
- 34th: New Jersey - 17.1
- 35th: California - 17.1
- 36th: South Dakota - 17.1
- 37th: Oregon - 17.2
- 38th: Rhode Island - 17.4
- 39th: Nevada - 17.4
- 40th: Connecticut - 17.6
- 41st: Colorado - 17.7
- 42nd: Washington - 17.7
- 43rd: Vermont - 17.7
- 44th: Arizona - 18.1
- 45th: New Hampshire - 18.3
- 46th: Montana - 18.3
- 47th: Alaska - 18.6
- 48th: Idaho - 18.7
- 49th: Maine - 18.7
- 50th: Wyoming - 19.2
- 51st: Delaware - 19.6
- 52nd: Florida - 20.0
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