Midwest Region US Best In State Rankings 2014

March 13, 2014

Midwest Region US Best In State Rankings 2014

Phase two of our revised and updated US Best In State rankings for 2014 is complete

13th March 2014

We are pleased to announce that the second phase of four Regional updates is now complete, detailing our latest biennial US Best in State rankings.

The Midwest Region of the USA, as defined by the US Census Bureau, comprises of twelve states, the East North Central states of Indiana, Illinois, Michigan, Ohio and Wisconsin; and the West North Central states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota and South Dakota. For the purpose of grouping our Best in State updates, we have decided to implement the rollout in four regional phases (Northeast, Midwest, South and West).

A large element of the Midwest incorporates the Great Plains, so it’s unsurprising to hear that the West North Central Region has very few American Top 100 Golf Courses located in this area. Only four layouts from this region made the current national Top 100, but two are truly stellar courses. Bill Coore and Ben Crenshaw’s Sand Hills in Nebraska is the highest ranked course in the entire Midwest Region, but some think Prairie Dunes in Kansas is even better. It just goes to show that world-class golf courses can be built on the prairies of the Great Plains.

The East North Central states form part of the Great Lakes region and Chicago is the most densely populated city in the Midwest. Sixteen courses from the East North Central states feature in the US Top 100 and Chicago Golf Club in Illinois and Crystal Downs in Michigan are perennial national Top 20 layouts that invariably knock on the door of a Top 10 ranking position. However, Ohio leads the way with five courses in the national hundred with Muirfield Village currently leading the way.

One fifth of the nation’s Top 100 Golf Courses are currently located in the Midwest Region which is an impressive percentage given the physical geography of this vast low lying area.

We’ve extended most of our Best in State ranking lists since our first iteration some two years ago. Illinois, Michigan and Ohio now feature a Top 40 for the first time and Minnesota and Wisconsin now profile a Top 30 and a Top 20 respectively. We’ve also extended our tables for North and South Dakota to Top 10s.

The latest revision of our Best In State rankings is simply work in progress, as we know there are many unheralded golf courses that we still need to feature. If you’re passionate about your home state’s golf courses and would like to help us further develop our Best In State initiative by shining a light on a hidden gem, then please send an email to info@top100golfcourses.com. We’d love to hear from you.

To find out more about our revised Best in State rankings for the Midwest region, please navigate to the dedicated US state pages by clicking on any one of the following links:

The Top 100 Team