Stymie Research

Golf data worth checking—and citing

Original analysis from Stymie’s course and equipment records. Every study carries a dated snapshot, inclusion rules, limitations, source links, and a downloadable copy of the table we published.

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Published research

Use the article for context and limitations. The CSV contains the published table only, so readers can inspect or chart the same rows without scraping the page.

Editorial aerial view of a challenging golf hole with fairways, greens, bunkers, and water hazards

Course and tee records analyzed August 12, 2026; access classifications corrected August 13, 2026

Twenty U.S. Golf Courses Hit the 155 Slope Ceiling

There is no single hardest U.S. golf course by slope rating. In Stymie's corrected snapshot, 20 course records reach the maximum slope of 155. Four are publicly accessible or resort courses and 16 are private clubs. Course rating relative to par adds context, but it does not turn the tied slope result into an official overall ranking.

Read the analysis →Download published table (.csv)

Suggested citation: Stymie Research. "Twenty U.S. Golf Courses Hit the 155 Slope Ceiling." Stymie, updated August 13, 2026. https://stymie.golf/blog/hardest-golf-courses-in-america-by-slope-rating

Editorial golf-course landscape combining coastal, pine, desert, and parkland scenery

8,609 open course records across 46 qualifying states; analyzed August 13, 2026

The Hardest States for Golf, Recalculated

South Carolina ranks highest in this controlled snapshot, averaging a 133.9 slope across 175 open-course records. North Dakota ranks lowest at 119.2 across 61 courses. The result describes sampled tees nearest 6,500 yards across access types; it does not declare that every golfer will score worst or best in those states.

Read the analysis →Download published table (.csv)

Suggested citation: Stymie Research. "The Hardest States for Golf, Recalculated." Stymie, updated August 13, 2026. https://stymie.golf/blog/hardest-and-easiest-golf-states-by-slope-rating

Editorial golf-course composite showing several teeing grounds stepping back from a fairway toward a distant green

5,496 open U.S. course records analyzed August 13, 2026

What Moving Back a Tee Really Costs

Across 5,496 qualifying open U.S. course records, moving from the shortest to longest comparable men's tee adds a median 1,239 yards. The median course-rating increase is 5.8 strokes and the median slope increase is 14 points. That is a scorecard comparison—not a promise that an individual golfer will shoot exactly 5.8 strokes higher.

Read the analysis →Download published table (.csv)

Suggested citation: Stymie Research. "What Moving Back a Tee Really Costs." Stymie, updated August 13, 2026. https://stymie.golf/blog/what-moving-back-a-tee-really-costs

Editorial technical illustration of a generic adjustable driver head with weight tracks and hosel components

24 current 2026 drivers across seven brands; checked August 12, 2026

Why 2026 Drivers Have So Many Adjustments

Adjustability is now a mainstream design choice, not a niche tour feature. Sixteen of 24 current 2026 drivers in Stymie's verified set publish movable-weight positions. Of the 14 models with an explicit hosel-setting count, 13 publish at least eight. More settings create fitting options; they do not prove more distance or forgiveness.

Read the analysis →Download published table (.csv)

Suggested citation: Stymie Research. "Why 2026 Drivers Have So Many Adjustments." Stymie, updated August 12, 2026. https://stymie.golf/blog/why-2026-drivers-have-so-many-adjustments

For media and publishers

Need a number, chart, or local angle?

Email [email protected] with your deadline and the geography or equipment category you are covering. We can explain the published method, check a table row against its frozen snapshot, and identify relevant slices of the existing data.

Publishers may quote the findings and reproduce a reasonable excerpt of a published table or editorial chart with clear credit to Stymie Research. A link to the original study helps readers inspect the method and limitations. Contact us before republishing a complete article, complete table, or underlying database extract.