It was obvious to me when I moved to California from Minnesota in 1998 that golf was much less popular here than where I grew up. Here's proof that my hunch was correct - according to the National Golf Foundation, cold weather states have more golfers per capita. Golf is also not an "uncool" sport in my high school in Western Wisconsin. We had the captain and QB of our football team and our best hockey player on our varsity golf team. At my sons high school in California, the football players would never even consider playing golf.
I believe it's because golf is like a forbidden fruit in cold weather states. I was always super fired up for golf after a 5 month forced layoff every year. What do you guys think?
QUESTION: What state has the most golfers per capita? Florida? South Carolina? Maybe California?
Nope. It's Minnesota.
Well, to be fair, it was Minnesota. After four years at the top of the heap, Minnesota has dropped to No. 3, according to the annual survey of the National Golf Foundation. But don't jump to any conclusions. The two states that edged it out were North Dakota and Wisconsin.
It seems that when it comes to golf, the colder the climate, the more popular the game. Rounding out the top nine are such golfing hotbeds as Utah, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Michigan, and Illinois. You have to drop to No. 10 Arizona before a warm-weather state pops up. California is 30th, just ahead of Florida and South Carolina. Only 11.3 percent of South Carolinians play the game. In Minnesota, it's 19 percent; in No. 1 North Dakota, it's 20.2 percent.
Why is golf so popular here?
"We only have six months to play golf," says Don Kortus, who's just finished whacking away on the driving range of a suburban St. Paul, Minn., course. Minnesotans - especially senior citizens - take every opportunity to play, he adds. "You will see those guys playing out there when it's really cold."
I believe it's because golf is like a forbidden fruit in cold weather states. I was always super fired up for golf after a 5 month forced layoff every year. What do you guys think?
QUESTION: What state has the most golfers per capita? Florida? South Carolina? Maybe California?
Nope. It's Minnesota.
Well, to be fair, it was Minnesota. After four years at the top of the heap, Minnesota has dropped to No. 3, according to the annual survey of the National Golf Foundation. But don't jump to any conclusions. The two states that edged it out were North Dakota and Wisconsin.
It seems that when it comes to golf, the colder the climate, the more popular the game. Rounding out the top nine are such golfing hotbeds as Utah, Iowa, Montana, Nebraska, Michigan, and Illinois. You have to drop to No. 10 Arizona before a warm-weather state pops up. California is 30th, just ahead of Florida and South Carolina. Only 11.3 percent of South Carolinians play the game. In Minnesota, it's 19 percent; in No. 1 North Dakota, it's 20.2 percent.
Why is golf so popular here?
"We only have six months to play golf," says Don Kortus, who's just finished whacking away on the driving range of a suburban St. Paul, Minn., course. Minnesotans - especially senior citizens - take every opportunity to play, he adds. "You will see those guys playing out there when it's really cold."
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