What’s the “golfiest” state in the country? Well, it’s tough to say.
California and Florida are bound to be high on the list with their beautiful weather and assortment of playing options, and New York and Pennsylvania probably deserve spots on the list as well with their rosters of classic courses and deep histories. However, while those states have plenty to offer golf-wise, none of them appear near the top of the list of states with the lowest average handicap indexes.
The USGA keeps careful track of Handicap Index figures from the entire country, and recently, they shared some of that data with us. One stat that jumped off the page? The states with the lowest average Handicap Indexes.
Lowest average Handicap Index (men and women)
Among the entire United States, the state with the lowest average Handicap Index is Mississippi at 11.8. According to the USGA, 8,527 golfers in the Magnolia State keep a Handicap Index — and it appears that a healthy dose of them can golf their ball.
Check out the entirety of the list below.
| State | Handicap Index |
| Mississippi | 11.8 |
| North Dakota | 12.5 |
| Oklahoma | 12.7 |
| Georgia | 13.2 |
| Texas | 13.2 |
| Kentucky | 13.3 |
| Kansas | 13.4 |
| Utah | 13.5 |
| Iowa | 14.0 |
| Tennessee | 14.1 |
| Alabama | 14.2 |
| Missouri | 14.4 |
| Michigan | 14.4 |
| Nebraska | 14.6 |
| Washinton D.C. | 14.8 |
| Ohio | 14.8 |
| Louisiana | 15.0 |
| Indiana | 15.0 |
| Arkansas | 15.1 |
| West Virginia | 15.1 |
| Colorado | 15.3 |
| North Carolina | 15.5 |
| Virginia | 15.6 |
| Pennsylvania | 15.8 |
| Puerto Rico | 15.8 |
| Illinois | 16.0 |
| Minnesota | 16.2 |
| Arizona | 16.3 |
| Massachusetts | 16.5 |
| New Jersey | 16.5 |
| Hawaii | 16.5 |
| Nevada | 16.6 |
| South Carolina | 16.6 |
| Maryland | 16.6 |
| Wisconsin | 16.6 |
| Oregon | 16.8 |
| South Dakota | 16.8 |
| Rhode Island | 16.8 |
| California | 16.9 |
| New Mexico | 17.0 |
| New York | 17.1 |
| Connecticut | 17.6 |
| Alaska | 17.6 |
| Maine | 17.8 |
| New Hampshire | 17.9 |
| Washington | 17.9 |
| Montana | 18.7 |
| Florida | 19.1 |
| Wyoming | 19.1 |
| Vermont | 19.4 |
| Deleware | 21.6 |
| Idaho | 21.6 |
Lowest average Handicap Index (men only)
Mississippi might take the title for the lowest average Handicap Index, but if we narrow our query to only include men, Oklahoma rises to the top of the list. According USGA data, the average Handicap Index among men in Oklahoma is 10.9, the lowest figure in the U.S.
Check out the entirety of the list below.
| State | Handicap Index |
| Oklahoma | 10.9 |
| Mississippi | 11.0 |
| North Dakota | 11.8 |
| Kansas | 12.1 |
| Texas | 12.1 |
| Arkansas | 12.4 |
| Georgia | 12.5 |
| Iowa | 12.6 |
| Alabama | 12.6 |
| Utah | 12.6 |
| Tennessee | 12.7 |
| Kentucky | 12.7 |
| Missouri | 12.8 |
| Michigan | 12.9 |
| Indiana | 12.9 |
| Nebraska | 12.9 |
| Ohio | 13.3 |
| West Virginia | 13.5 |
| North Carolina | 13.7 |
| Illinois | 13.8 |
| Nevada | 13.9 |
| Wisconsin | 13.9 |
| Virginia | 13.9 |
| Minnesota | 14.0 |
| Colorado | 14.1 |
| South Dakota | 14.1 |
| Louisiana | 14.3 |
| South Carolina | 14.3 |
| Washington D.C. | 14.4 |
| Pennsylvania | 14.5 |
| Arizona | 14.5 |
| Rhode Island | 14.6 |
| New Mexico | 14.6 |
| Massachusetts | 14.7 |
| Hawaii | 14.9 |
| Connecticut | 15.0 |
| Oregon | 15.3 |
| New York | 15.3 |
| New Jersey | 15.4 |
| Califonia | 15.6 |
| Puerto Rico | 15.7 |
| Maryland | 15.7 |
| Washington | 15.7 |
| Arkansas | 15.8 |
| Montana | 15.9 |
| Florida | 15.9 |
| New Hampshire | 16.0 |
| Maine | 16.0 |
| Idaho | 16.5 |
| Wyoming | 16.7 |
| Vermont | 17.1 |
| Deleware | 17.3 |
Lowest average Handicap Index (women only)
Now that we’ve sorted by men, let’s take a look at the ladies. According to the USGA, the state with the lowest average Handicap Index among women is Utah at 21.3. However, Utah doesn’t quite top the list as Puerto Rico (a territory) has a lower average Handicap Index among women at 18.7.
Check out the entirety of the list below.
| State | Handicap Index |
| Puerto Rico | 18.7 |
| Utah | 21.3 |
| Mississippi | 22.0 |
| North Dakota | 22.2 |
| Georgia | 22.5 |
| Kansas | 22.6 |
| Texas | 23.5 |
| Deleware | 23.6 |
| Kentucky | 23.7 |
| Hawaii | 23.9 |
| Washington D.C. | 23.9 |
| Arkansas | 24.6 |
| Alabama | 24.8 |
| Missouri | 24.9 |
| Colorado | 25.3 |
| Louisiana | 25.5 |
| Nevada | 25.5 |
| New Mexico | 25.9 |
| Iowa | 26.7 |
| Tennessee | 26.8 |
| California | 26.9 |
| Michigan | 26.9 |
| Ohio | 27.0 |
| Oregon | 27.2 |
| Oklahoma | 27.3 |
| Virginia | 27.3 |
| Indiana | 27.5 |
| Vermont | 27.6 |
| Nebraska | 27.7 |
| West Virginia | 27.7 |
| Pennsylvania | 27.8 |
| Alaska | 28.1 |
| Wyoming | 28.4 |
| North Carolina | 28.4 |
| Montana | 28.4 |
| Arizona | 28.6 |
| Maine | 28.7 |
| Florida | 28.8 |
| New Hampshire | 28.9 |
| Illinois | 29.0 |
| South Carolina | 29.0 |
| New Jersey | 29.1 |
| Massachusetts | 29.2 |
| Wisconsin | 29.2 |
| South Dakota | 29.3 |
| New York | 29.4 |
| Washington | 30.0 |
| Rhode Island | 30.2 |
| Idaho | 30.2 |
| Maryland | 30.4 |
| Connecticut | 30.5 |
| Minnesota | 30.9 |
