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 over 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.
Golfweek’s Best: Top public and private courses in Montana
States with the toughest golf courses in the country
| Rank | State | Average Bogey Rating | Average Course Rating |
| 1 | Montana | 97.42 | 70.68 |
| 2 | Hawaii | 96.35 | 70.65 |
| 3 | Texas | 96.22 | 70.36 |
| 4 | New Jersey | 95.82 | 69.73 |
| 5 | Utah | 95.14 | 69.28 |
| 6 | Illinois | 94.85 | 69.53 |
| 7 | Washington | 94.76 | 69.33 |
| 8 | California | 94.74 | 69.33 |
| 9 | Nevada | 94.59 | 68.95 |
| 10 | Louisiana | 94.45 | 69.67 |
| 11 | Arkansas | 94.22 | 69.25 |
| 12 | Pennsylvania | 94.17 | 68.85 |
| 13 | North Carolina | 93.97 | 68.63 |
| 14 | Michigan | 93.88 | 68.59 |
| 15 | South Dakota | 93.85 | 69.23 |
| 16 | New Mexico | 93.85 | 68.77 |
| 17 | South Carolina | 93.84 | 68.54 |
| 18 | Maryland | 93.74 | 68.78 |
| 19 | Georgia | 93.58 | 68.43 |
| 20 | Indiana | 93.57 | 68.98 |
| 21 | Tennessee | 93.42 | 68.89 |
| 21 | Wyoming | 93.36 | 68.52 |
| 23 | Nebraska | 93.27 | 69.20 |
| 24 | Colorado | 93.19 | 67.68 |
| 25 | Oklahoma | 93.15 | 68.72 |
| 26 | Massachusetts | 93.15 | 68.24 |
| 27 | Arizona | 93.12 | 68.40 |
| 28 | Iowa | 93.10 | 68.95 |
| 29 | Deleware | 93.08 | 68.01 |
| 30 | Oregon | 93.01 | 68.04 |
| 31 | Virginia | 92.93 | 67.72 |
| 32 | Vermont | 92.90 | 67.85 |
| 33 | New Hampshire | 92.88 | 68.19 |
| 34 | Alabama | 92.70 | 68.27 |
| 35 | Kansas | 92.67 | 68.14 |
| 36 | Florida | 92.67 | 67.86 |
| 37 | Alaska | 92.67 | 68.32 |
| 38 | Kentucky | 92.60 | 67.76 |
| 39 | New York | 92.59 | 67.96 |
| 40 | Minnesota | 92.30 | 67.51 |
| 41 | North Dakota | 92.24 | 68.55 |
| 42 | West Virginia | 91.75 | 68.15 |
| 43 | Ohio | 91.23 | 67.13 |
| 44 | Connecticut | 91.06 | 66.70 |
| 45 | Idaho | 90.97 | 66.61 |
| 46 | Missouri | 89.97 | 66.61 |
| 47 | Rhode Island | 89.85 | 66.18 |
| 48 | Wisconsin | 89.80 | 66.14 |
| 49 | Maine | 89.71 | 66.18 |
| 50 | Mississippi | 89.24 | 66.09 |
