Leaning into the “Shoulder Season”

The kids may be off at Spring Break in locations such as Daytona Beach, South Padre Island and Las Vegas, but for golfers across the United States, it’s time to consider a few more rounds in areas that highlight a “shoulder season.”

If you are new to the game, this is the term used in golf to describe what many would consider the off-season, where the weather is unpredictable, the course conditions are not necessarily optimal, but the price is right with players often paying up to half off regular greens fees.

The final few weeks of March and early April fit this bill in areas the Golf Travel Wire will highlight below. First, a few things to remember before teeing it up during golf’s shoulder season:

Be flexible: An occasional frost delay may occur during this time of year, so have a coffee or hot chocolate game plan prepared while you wait. Make sure to check the weather online for your golf round before heading to bed, and have the pro shop number handy.

Be realistic: If you shoot your handicap, feel blessed. Courses are not groomed like an 85-degree June day, so roll with bad breaks you may encounter with shagging greens or spotty fairways.

Layer: Temperatures can fluctuate by as much as 20 degrees from morning to afternoon, and at times the weather can be quite unpredictable. Don’t be caught on the course wearing a short sleeved shirt when it’s 50 and the wind is blowing 15 mph. Remember, you can always take clothing off as needed. A change of socks is also recommended.

Tee times: If you’re a “morning tee time person,” you may want to consider sleeping in and pushing your start time to early afternoon when the temperatures can warm up. Golfers with a 2 p.m. tee time last week would have been hard-pressed to finish before dark, but now there is more light so take advantage of it. Courses are less crowded in March so there should be more variety on the tee sheet to choose from.