Quick quiz: which American state has the most avid golfers?
It's not any of the usual-suspect golf hotbeds of Florida, California, Texas or the Carolinas.
If you go by frequency of Google searches related to golf (a pretty good indicator of how often people are thinking about the game), it's Minnesota, which kind of makes perfect sense.
With long, cold winters and a relatively short but mostly glorious golf season - balmy weather and long daylight hours abound - Minnesota is the type of place where golfers are especially eager to play tons of golf.
And you could argue no one has taken better advantage than 74-year old Dick Montroy. KARE, an NBC affiliate in the Twin Cities, reports Montroy recently completed his lifelong quest to play all 582 golf courses in the Land of 10,000 Lakes.
Montroy plays all 582 golf courses in Minnesota
Montroy is in good company. Fellow Minnesotan Art Hennington completed a similar quest of his own in 2014.
There's a bit of a discrepancy here: Montroy's course number is 582 while Hennington's is 526. Hennington was going off of the Minnesota Golf Association's directory, and such lists can count 27-hole facilities differently or leave out executive or pitch-and-putt-courses. Also, both men would have played (or not made it in time to) a number of courses that no longer exist. Nevertheless, theirs is a shared accomplishment that puts them in rarefied air, even among the most passionate players.
Minnesota is not the only state with golf course completists. Just next door, Wisconsin's own H. John Krueger earned recognition last year for playing all of the Badger state's 547 courses. Vic Nunan, of Kennebunk, Maine, completed his 137-course quest in 2013. In 2016, Tennessee's Colin Brathwaite rounded out his own pursuit of the Volunteer State's 235 18-hole courses, which represent just a fraction of the more than 1,600 courses he's played worldwide.
I recently started backfilling a list of courses I've played in my life, and I've just surpassed the 400-course mark. I know of 64 courses I've played in Connecticut where I grew up, leaving me still more than 100 courses short of completion. My current home state of Florida is home to more than 1,000 courses; I'm not optimistic that I'll play them all, but I do anticipate building substantially on the 86 Sunshine State courses I've played in the coming years.
My colleague Jason Deegan has an impressive resume in his own right. A native of Michigan, he's played more than 200 courses in the state where he grew up, "which probably puts me in the top 5-10 for Michiganders," he says.
My friend Sean Ryan for his Master Thesis this summer set up to playing every golf course in Montana and than writing a book on his experience. He played 115 courses, which was one short because a private course would not let him on. His wedsite is montanalongestdrive.com
I myself started my quest to play every course in Montana in 1993. I have played a 123 courses with 6 1/2 left. There ended up being 131 courses over my time with some becoming extinct and others being built. One became extinct before I played it. Out of the 6 1/2 I have left I played nine on one course before other nine got built and now need to play other nine. Four are 18 Hole private course and 2 are 9 Hole par three’s. Will hopefully complete the 6 1/2 courses by end 2019.
Gerry Veis
1210 19th Street
Havre, MT 59501
406-262-3915
Fellas,
Just completed my 2000th career course at Royal Ka’anapali in Maui. I have played in all 50 states and 12 countries on three continents and completed the 2003-2004 Golf Digest Top 100 Courses You Can Play List .I am presently working on three other Top 100 lists where I am up in the seventies of courses completed. Keep hitting em straight.
Fellas,
Just completed my 2000th career course at Royal Ka’anapali in Maui. I have played in all 50 states and 12 countries on three continents and completed the 2003-2004 Golf Digest Top 100 Courses You Can Play List .I am presently working on three other Top 100 lists where I am up in the seventies of courses completed. Keep hitting em straight.
Thanks for the vine. I play 9 holes once a week, 20 some ish times a year, at Greenwood Golf Course, Clarence Center, NY State. I holed an eagle 51ft. Putt on #7 last time out. I also had a 300 yard drive ( with the wind, rock hard conditions earlier this season. Quantity is fine, but I prefer balance in my life, and memories of good, forget the bad motto. To each his own. I'm 67years old. Life is very short in this system of things. God, family, life and then things like golf as the creator made us.
I am an avid golfer who happens to be Deaf. I've played over 600 courses all over the world.... my goal is to play at least 5 top public courses in every state. So far Ive played at least 15 states. In Vermont where I used to live, Ive played almost every public course. In Northern California, Ive played all but 14 public courses. Hope to reach 1000 courses before I turn 75 (I just turned 70 two weeks ago).
I have played 218 courses in my home state of Ohio including at least 1 course in every county that has/had one (87 of 88), and am up to 590 courses overall in 29 states and Canada.
I played all of Indiana's regulation 18 hole public golf courses in 1997-1998. My book, 'Mom Should I Quit My Job and Play Golf'?' sold 1,000,000-999,965 copies. And of those 35 that were sold, 25 were purchased by family members. Maybe I should have included some porn in the book to boost sales. But it was a best seller according to my kin. And it was a hell of a lot fun.
In 1997-1998 I played all of Indiana's 18 hole regulation public golf courses. My book, 'Mom, Should I Quit My Job And Play Golf' sold 1,000,000 - 999,965 copies (25 of those 35 were purchased by family members so it was a best seller according to my kin). Maybe I should have included some porn in the book to increase sales. But hey..I had a great time!
I think I've got him beat. In 2013 I completed my mission of playing all the public and resort courses in Michigan. I haven't been able to play all the private courses yet, but have been able to play dozens of them. I currently winter in the Phoenix area and have been able to.ay close to hundred in Arizona.
I've played 302 of the 18-hole courses in Georgia and there are 36 more that I have at least a remote chance of playing. There is of course one that I have no chance of playing - you only get one guess!
The next closest that I know of is Gary Dunsmore with about 255.