GOLF

Which state has the toughest bogey and course ranking? The USGA has revealed an unlikely leader

Marley Malenfant, USA TODAY NETWORK
USA TODAY Sports
Nov. 11, 2024, 1:25 p.m. ET
The 15th hole at the Reserve at Moonlight Basin, site of the next installment of "The Match" featuring Phil Mickelson and Tom Brady vs. Bryson DeChambeau and Aaron Rodgers. (Photo courtesy The Reserve at Moonlight Basin.)

Golf is a game of patience and depending on what course you play on, it can require more tolerance.

A study from the United States Golf Association on more than 14,000 golf courses across America, revealed the average difficulty of the courses in every state.

According to the association's methodology, the average "bogey rating" was calculated for all courses in each state, with states ranked from highest to lowest difficulty based on this rating.

The bogey rating indicates the course difficulty for a player with a handicap of around 20 for men or 24 for women, making it a good measure for amateur, hobby golfers. Additionally, the average "course rating" for each state was calculated, which measures difficulty for a scratch player — an elite-level golfer with a handicap of zero, a status achieved by less than 1% of golfers.

States with the toughest golf courses

RankStateAverage bogey ratingAverage course rating
1Montana97.4270.68
2Hawaii96.3570.65
3Texas96.2270.36
4New Jersey95.8269.73
5Utah95.1469.28
6Illinois94.8569.53
7Washington94.7669.33
8California94.7469.33
9Nevada94.5968.95
10Louisiana94.4569.67
11Arkansas94.2269.25
12Pennsylvania94.1768.85
13North Carolina93.9768.63
14Michigan93.8868.59
15South Dakota93.8569.23
16New Mexico93.8568.77
17South Carolina93.8468.54
18Maryland93.7468.78
19Georgia93.5868.43
20Indiana93.5768.98
21Tennessee93.4268.89
21Wyoming93.3668.52
23Nebraska93.2769.20
24Colorado93.1967.68
25Oklahoma93.1568.72
26Massachusetts93.1568.24
27Arizona93.1268.40
28Iowa93.1068.95
29Deleware93.0868.01
30Oregon93.0168.04
31Virginia92.9367.72
32Vermont92.9067.85
33New Hampshire92.8868.19
34Alabama92.7068.27
35Kansas92.6768.14
36Florida92.6767.86
37Alaska92.6768.32
38Kentucky92.6067.76
39New York92.5967.96
40Minnesota92.3067.51
41North Dakota92.2468.55
42West Virginia91.7568.15
43Ohio91.2367.13
44Connecticut91.0666.70
45Idaho90.9766.61
46Missouri89.9766.61
47Rhode Island89.8566.18
48Wisconsin89.8066.14
49Maine89.7166.18
50Mississippi89.2466.09
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