Locals speak about W-S high ranking
According to a study performed by SmartAsset, Winston-Salem ranked Number 4 in the country for best U.S. Cities for golfers to live in.
The ranking was based on criteria such as number of golf courses and country clubs, weather, income after housing costs and property crime rate. Smart Asset is a financial technology company that helps people make personal finance decisions.
A.J. Smith, vice president of financial education for SmartAsset, said North Carolina as a whole did well as a state during its study.
“When we approach these studies, we try to think about what are those important factors for each thing we are trying to study for, and then we look at the date associated with that,” said Smith. “We use data to answer a lot of financial questions, so we are always looking at data and crunching numbers. If being able to golf is truly important to you, then this information is quite relevant.”
Julius Reese, instructor at the Ernie Morris Golf Academy at the Winston Lake Golf Course, said he was somewhat surprised at the ranking the city received during the study. He says Winston-Salem does have a rich golfing history.
“Any accolade that the city of Winston-Salem receives like that this golf course will proudly represent,” he said. “It is a lot of history here and this course has been around since 1954 and it was built for minorities. It’s 2017 and the reality is that we have to pass that torch on to the kids.
“We put kids first, and that’s what started us up with the Ernie Morris program,” he continued. “A lot of the guys around here have been here since the course was only nine holes and they are filled with history and knowledge.”
Reese said he figures North Carolina ranked so well because of the relatively cheaper costs to play a round of golf versus other places that are more expensive. He also touched on the milder climate that the state is blessed with as another reason.
Director of the Ernest Morris Camp, James Allison, said, “Accessibility is probably another reason for the high ranking. People have access to this golf course and they do not have to play astronomical prices to play a round of golf. Many courses around the area are under $30 to play a round of golf.
“Many of the historical black golfers came through this location,” Allison went on to say. “This course is on the historical black registry and there is a lot of history here.”
The study also revealed that smaller cities tended to have more golf courses per capita than larger cities. Conversely the five largest cities in the nation, measured by population, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Houston and Philadelphia all ranked in the bottom 30 for best cities for golfers to live in.
Smith said her company does these kind of studies because they get people thinking and talking about financial topics. She said its good to open lines of communication because it helps people “put their money where their goals are.”
For more information and the complete list of cities in the study please visit https://smartasset.com/credit-cards/the-best-places-for-golfers-to-live-in.
