Which country has the best average handicap index? Find out below.
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When we released ours Top 100 courses in the USA AND The best 100 courses you can play lists this fall, several states with more courses and golfers overall dominated the rankings.
California, for example, came in second with 13 of the top 100 coursesright after New York, and first in the ranking of the 100 best public courses (11). Florida, which is practically covered with courses from coast to coast, came in second on the list of public courses with 9.
None of this is a surprise. But when the conversation turns from the states with the best fields to the playing ability of a state’s players, very different states rise to the top, many of which may surprise you.
We know this thanks to the USGA, which released a ranking of states by average handicap index. According to this measure, it is Mississippi that takes the crown with an average index of 10.7, apparently slightly better than the second state, Arkansas, which also has 10.7.
What about California, the state that dominated our course rankings? The Golden State comes in a dismal 40th out of 51 (the ranking includes Puerto Rico), with an average handicap index of 15.2, though that’s significantly better than Florida, which comes in at 46th on the list with an average index of 16.2.
The last “honors” place goes to Alaska, with an average index of 16.7.
The USGA average is based on the 3.2 million US golfers who actively post scores. In general, average handicap index for men it is 14.2 and for women it falls to 28.7.
You can see the top 10 states in the USGA’s average handicap index rating below, or you can check out the full results from the USGA’s Instagram post below.
Top 10 States with the Best Average Handicap Index
- Mississippi: 10.7
- Arkansas: 10.7
- Oklahoma: 10.9
- Alabama: 11.6
- Tennessee: 11.8
- Texas: 12.3
- North Dakota: 12.4
- Louisiana: 12.4
- Kansas: 12.5
- Kentucky: 12.5
