The Mount Rushmore State of South Dakota is situated in the Midwestern region of the United States. With a population of less than one million people living within its 77,000 square mile territory, it’s one of the least densely populated states in the country. South Dakota is probably most famous for the Mount Rushmore National Memorial that was carved out of the granite rock of the Black Hills near Keystone between 1927 and 1941, hence its adoption as the state nickname.

The South Dakota Golf Association has been organising competitions for golfers in the state since 1921. In the modern era, it’s now responsible for overseeing the golfing activities of over 100 clubs, from Lemon Country Club in the northwest to Dakota Dunes in the southeast of the state.

For a decade, Arnold Palmer and Ed Seay’s 1991 design at Dakota Dunes was undoubtedly the top track in the state then along came a couple of new courses in 2003 to shake things up a little at the top of the rankings. Both the Ron Farris-designed Red Rock course in Rapid City and Graham Marsh’s Sutton Bay layout near Agar are fine recent additions to the golfing landscape in South Dakota with the latter, in particular, now gaining deserved national recognition.

Our South Dakota Best In State Rankings were last updated in October 2020. Click the link to read the story.