Scottsdale is ranked (again) as the best golf city in America. Here's why
By Greg Barr
These are the Valley's most challenging golf courses for 2023
It’s no secret that Arizona is a mecca for golf, with its lush, scenic courses and lure for winter vacationers.
A new ranking of 200 cities nationwide, based on six broad and inclusive criteria, not only confirms the state’s status among golf aficionados, but it shows that Scottsdale is the No. 1 golf city in the country.
Based on six ranking measures — from course quality to number of amateur golf tournaments — Scottsdale had an overall score of 64.82, 14 points ahead of second-place Orlando and 22 points ahead of the third-place Las Vegas.
It’s the second straight year that Scottsdale finished No. 1 overall in the ranking, compiled by LawnStarter. Tucson saw a big gain in this year's rankings, moving into the top 10 for the first time at No. 6 in the country.
LawnStarter found that St. Louis, Missouri, was the top 25 city that saw the biggest jump in the rankings from 2022, from No. 68 to No. 11, while Sacramento, California saw the biggest overall jump (125 spots) to No. 32.
The rankings were based on the following data: public courses per 100,000 residents; number of golf resorts; indoor and virtual golf facilities per square mile; total reviews for all courses (course quality); number of amateur golf competitions and tournaments; and historical average monthly percentage of sunshine.
Not only did Scottsdale finish on top in the overall ranking, but the city finished No. 1 nationwide in multiple individual measurements, including golf course quality and number of public and premium courses.
Speaking of premium courses, TPC Scottsdale, the home of the WM Phoenix Open, is already deep into preparations for the 2024 version of the tournament to be held Feb. 8-11.
While the 2024 WM Phoenix Open is a little more than four months away, the annual construction projects for “The People’s Open” are already underway,
Scottsdale ranked No. 1 in public courses per 100,000 residents (9.47); No. 1 in private courses per 100,000 residents (12.36); and No. 1 in PGA golf coaches per 100,000 residents (7.41). Scottsdale was No. 2 overall in number of golf resorts (8); and tied at No. 2 for total number of amateur golf competitions and tournaments (16).
Eight other Arizona cities made top 200 ranking
Arizona and California were the only states to have five cities in the top 25, but California did have the edge in the top 50 cities, with nine compared to six in Arizona. See the full rankings for all 200 cities here.
Here are the overall national rankings for the other five Arizona cities that cracked the top 50 list:
Tucson (No. 6 - 36.76 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 9 for number of amateur golf competitions and tournaments;
Phoenix (No. 18 - 31.79 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 10 for number of amateur golf competitions and tournaments;
Surprise (No. 22 - 31.34 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 5 for public course access;
Mesa (No. 24 - 31.31 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 22 for number of amateur golf competitions and tournaments;
Peoria (No. 47 - 28.99 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 18 for premium course access.
And here are the rankings of other Arizona cities ranked at No. 51 or lower:
Chandler (No. 57 - 28.36 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 24 for public course access;
Tempe (No. 96 - 25.17 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 40 for PGA golf coaches per 100,000 residents
Glendale (No. 126 - 23.70 score) - highest individual category ranking, No. 36 for PGA golf coaches per 100,000 residents