I like the discussion. It's all subjective. But I am shocked that not one person has included Florida in there top Five? Is Florida not a true serious golf state?
Lindsay, you are on the verge of instigating us to beat the dead horse! Matt is right about Florida's quantity - over 1,000 courses. And he's right about the quality - there just aren't many worse selling your sister to play. Probably 20.
What he was wrong about in the past is that Florida courses are all the same - overbuilt housing tracts enveloping mediocre, flat golfing tracks.
For great golf you should head to the Northeast, not the Southeast. In fact, the state of South Carolina probably has better modern courses than Florida if you are going head-to-head with the Top 25.
Florida a golf state? Let's see, I've lived here 15 years. Participation is actually pretty low, mainly because women don't play here. (Rarely do you see a group of women on a daily-fee in the Orlando area.) Weather is lousy. Too hot in the summer with lots of rain. When it isn't hot there isn't a lot of daylight. Courses are, for the most part, too flat to be much better than 'pretty good'.
What Florida does have is a year-'round golf climate that is beneficial for those wishing to dedicate themselves to the sport. Competitively it is very strong with exceptional depth. (With surprisingly little success in USGA events, probably because so few are held on 'Florida-style' courses.) And it has affordable access. Compared to the rest of the country golf is downright cheap in many places.
I'm a big advocate for the great Florida courses. There are some. Just not as many as you may think.