South Carolina’s impressive flag famously features a Palmetto tree and white crescent with a history that goes back to the Revolutionary War. But if an alternate standard were to be considered, how about a golf ball set on a tee with an accompanying clubhead?
Of course, that flag business is suggested entirely in jest, but there’s no denying that South Carolina and golf have made their own history together over the decades.
Hilton Head Island Is State’s Golf Mecca
By many counts, the state has about 350 golf courses. Hilton Head Island alone is a golfer’s Mecca with 39 courses on the tranquil 5-by-12-mile strip along the Atlantic Ocean. Some of those world-class layouts feature the design work of notable course architects, such as Robert Trent Jones Sr., Pete Dye and Jack Nicklaus.
As far as professional tournaments are concerned, South Carolina’s most famous annual PGA stop is the RBC Heritage – or simply “The Heritage” – which was held this year on April 13-16 at Harbor Town Golf Links at Sea Pines Resort on Hilton Head.
In 2021, the PGA Championship was held at Kiawah Island, a barrier island resort retreat near Charleston.
May 10 Is National Golf Day
National Golf Day is May 10. So BetSouthCarolina.com, where we update you on the push for legal South Carolina sports betting, set out to determine which state most loves golf and the PGA Tour.
It was no surprise that South Carolina soared near the top of the list.
In fact, in the BetSouthCarolina.com rating system, South Carolina came in No. 2 among all 50 states. Florida managed to beat out South Carolina by only a handful of points in our calculations, based on a points system.
BetSouthCarolina.com – the home for South Carolina sportsbook promo codes when the state adopts wagering on sports – used three data points to develop a ranking of the 50 states, from most to least, for their embrace of the PGA Tour.
How We Determined The Rankings
We 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, BetSouthCarolina.com calculated which state most loves golf and the PGA Tour.
States That Love Golf and PGA Tour Most
South Carolina a Strong Second in Rankings
Florida garnered 139 combined points to lead all states, edging out South Carolina (133 points). The No. 3 state might be something of a surprise – Ohio with 130 points.
The rest of the top 10: North Carolina with 118 points, Illinois 114, Pennsylvania 109, Arizona 101, Kentucky 98; New York 96 and Georgia 93.
Stick with us to see if the Palmetto State joins other Southern states such as Tennessee, Virginia and Louisiana by signing sports wagering into law and opening the door for online South Carolina sports betting apps in the near future.
