I was listening to a podcast while making the rounds Thursday morning — dropping off a few items at several of our member clubs — when something was said that I could not believe. 

The podcast was The Golfer’s Journal with likely, the second most famous voice in golf, Jimmy Roberts, and somewhere in the conversation he casually mentioned that there are more golf courses in the United States than McDonald’s restaurants. 

That couldn’t possibly be true… could it? 

Now, I may be uniquely qualified to investigate this claim because I frequent both establishments with some would say impressive regularity — one generally before sunrise, the other periodically throughout the day depending on how chaotic the schedule becomes. 

So naturally, I went down the gopher hole. 

I consulted the modern-day oracle — whichever AI flavor happened to be judging humanity that morning — and started digging. 

And somehow, incredibly, the claim turned out to be true. 

The United States currently has roughly 15,000 golf courses and golf facilities, depending on how you count 9-hole layouts, municipal tracks, resorts, and multi-course properties. 

McDonald’s? Around 13,500 to 14,000 U.S. locations. 

Meaning America has built more places to play golf than places to buy hamburgers. 

At first glance, that feels impossible. 

McDonald’s is everywhere. Interstate exits. Airport terminals. Walmart parking lots. Tiny towns. Massive cities. It’s one of the most recognizable brands on Earth and perhaps the greatest symbol of American scale and convenience ever created. 

Golf, meanwhile, is often portrayed as niche. But the numbers tell a much deeper story about golf in America. 

Because golf in this country was never only about exclusivity. 

It became embedded in communities through municipal courses built during the New Deal era, military-base courses developed after World War II, public tracks in working-class suburbs, and small-town clubs where generations learned the game together.