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Review: Leatherstocking Golf Course (Part 1)

Most people who visit Cooperstown, New York, are going to see the National Baseball Hall of Fame. It is the obvious reason to visit the town...

Wednesday, May 17, 2023

What's The Best State For Public Golf Accessibility?

Good news for South Dakotans: Your state officially has the best public golf course to golfer ratio in the United States. At just 633 golfers per golf course (the U.S average is 2,200 per course), South Dakotans have lots of public golf (95% of courses are public) to choose from. Is any of it any good? Well ... I know absolutely nothing about golf in South Dakota, which doesn't exactly speak well, but hey, an empty golf course is an empty golf course. And that's better than what I'm dealing with here in Maryland.

This is the real reason I'm making this post. Okay, technically Maryland isn't the worst state for public golf accessibility. New Jersey is officially the worst, crowding nearly 5,000 golfers onto each public course (courtesy of nearly half its courses being private). But Maryland isn't far behind at 4,400 per course. So, if you're ever wondering why I go so far afield to review golf courses – like my current sojourn up to Albany – this is why. Okay, it's not the only reason, but Maryland is really, really bad when it comes to public golf. Even with Atlantic City Country Club going fully private, New Jersey still has Rock Spring, which beats any of Maryland's public golf options. There are other public-access Golden Age–era designs floating around New Jersey (like Brigantine and Seaview), which Maryland lacks. So while Maryland courses are slightly less busy, the quality is worse, and I think we have a compelling argument for worst public golf in the country. Good job Maryland!

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