To say the state of North Carolina has a footprint in both professional and amateur golf would be a significant understatement, as the Tar Heel state has a plethora of diverse course options and its fair share of pro events each calendar year.
Just last fall, the Presidents Cup came to Quail Hollow Club in Charlotte, joining a prestigious list of events to be held within state lines. That includes multiple U.S. Opens in Pinehurst (along with a Ryder Cup, PGA Championship and several U.S. Amateurs), the 2017 PGA Championship at Quail, the annual Wyndham Championship in Greensboro and of course the Well Fargo Championship also at Quail. (If you can't tell, the PGA Tour likes Quail Hollow).
National Golf Day is May 10. So BetCarolina.com, where we are all over the push for mobile North Carolina sports betting, set out to determine which state most loves golf and the PGA Tour.
It was no surprise that North Carolina came in near the top of the list.
States That Love Golf And PGA Tour Most
Tar Heel State Comes In At No. 4
In fact, in the BetCarolina.com rating system, North Carolina came in No. 4 among all 50 states.
Florida came in at No. 1 ahead of South Carolina by only a handful of points in our calculations, based on a points system. After South Carolina came Ohio, birthplace to the great Jack Nicklaus, and then North Carolina.
BetCarolina.com – the home for North Carolina sports betting apps when the state officially launches – used three data points to develop a ranking of the 50 states, from most to least, for their embrace of the PGA Tour.
BetCarolina measured World Population Review’s ranking of golf courses per capita (ranked in order with the state having the highest concentration getting 50 points, the second-highest getting 49 and so on) and Google Trends search interest of the PGA Tour over the past 12 months (again with state getting 50 points for the highest volume down to 1 point for the lowest).
Then we assigned extra points for states with the most Top 30-ranked PGA events, according to the Stadium Talk website. Once the points in each category were assigned, BetCarolina.com calculated which state most loves golf and the PGA Tour.
Breaking Down The Rankings
Florida garnered 139 combined points to lead all states, edging out South Carolina (133 points). Then came Ohio with 130 points, followed by North Carolina with 118 points.
How did South Carolina beat their neighbors to the north? Well, the Palmetto State is no slouch when it comes to the gentleman's game.
The state has its own annual PGA Tour stop in the RBC Heritage, which was held this year on April 13-16 at Harbor Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort. Recent winners include Jordan Spieth, 2022 U.S. Open champ Matt Fitzpatrick and 2012 U.S. Open champ Webb Simpson.
In 2021, the PGA Championship was held at Kiawah Island, an island resort retreat near Charleston. It turned out to be one of the most memorable majors in history, in which then 50-year-old Phil Mickelson became the oldest major champ of all time with a two-stroke win over Louis Oosthuizen and Brooks Koepka.
It would be Phil's last hurrah before leaving for the controversial LIV Golf tour the following year, but the history he made at Kiawah still likely provided South Carolina with a boost over North Carolina.
Stick with BetCarolina for more golf coverage, and stay tuned for North Carolina sports betting promos as well.
