Which US state has the lowest average golf handicap?

Home to mud pies, slugburgers and the nation’s largest supply of catfish, Mississippi was the 20^th state to join the United States of America but it comes in first when it comes to the average golf handicap of its residents, according to a ranking index that was recently released by the United States Golf Association. (In 2022, the USGA reported the average handicap in the U.S. for men was 14.0 and 28.0 for women.)

Per the USGA, the average handicap for golfers in Mississippi at the conclusion of 2023 was 11.6. Four of the direct neighbors of The Magnolia State, which is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Alabama to the east, the Gulf of Mexico and Louisiana to the south and Louisiana, Arkansas and the Mississippi River to the west, also rank in the top 10 of the USGA’s index. Rounding out the top 10 are Arkansas (12.8), Louisiana (12.9), Oklahoma (13.0), Alabama (13.1), Washington, D.C. (13.2), Tennessee (13.5), North Dakota (13.5), Texas (13.8) and Georgia (14.3).

The best of the best! Where does your state stack up to the rest of the country?

See the full list below 👇 pic.twitter.com/WWyZyQFobP
— USGA (@USGA) December 29, 2023

Mississippians must have had a lot of time to hit the links last year, as the average handicap cap in the state actually fell from a nation-best 11.8 in 2022. The same cannot be said for North Dakota golfers, who ranked second-best in the U.S. in 2022 (12.4), but couldn’t crack last year’s Top 10. Though they weren’t quite as good as in ’22 (third in the U.S. at 12.8), Oklahomans held fairly steady to their ranking (and their clubs) last year.

Though the rankings don’t indicate why Mississippi ranks so much better than golf hotbeds like Arizona, Florida and California, one possible reason is that there are fewer golfers in general and even fewer submitting their scores so the average is more representative of players who are serious about their games. Of course, it could always just be chowing down on mud pies, slugburgers or catfish before hitting the links.