The Labor Day holiday is often associated with the end of the summer travel season. It’s also a time when a Tour Championship trophy is handed out, college and NFL football games begin in earnest, and thoughts turn to cooler temperatures around most of the country.
But I’m here to inform you that it’s not quite time to put the clubs in the corner of the garage. The month of October can offer some of the year’s best golf if cards are played correctly.
Maybe more than the summer months, proper planning of your fall golf vacation can be as important as avoiding a three-putt. Here are the top five October golfing tips and recommended locations.
TIPS
- Avoid the coastal areas of Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. The peak Hurricane season runs through mid-October and it’s just not worth the weather risk.
- A pricing deal is a deal for a reason. Don’t be lured into an inexpensive golf packages on the tail end of a shoulder season, which means steer clear of locations whose golf season runs April-October. There is a better than even chance you’ll experience poor weather conditions — either cold, wind, rain — or all three.
- Leaf relief. While some areas of the country produce stunning fall color backdrops for golf, I for one have spent way too many hours looking for my ball that’s a foot or two off the fairway under a pile of colorful leaves. So the Northeast and some densely wooded areas of the South may not be a good option in October.
- Dodge college football towns or NFL cities. Why? Well, for starters hotels and resorts near these venues charge higher rates, and most restaurants and bars are jam packed. It’s not worth the hassle.
- If possible, travel during the weekday. Weekend tee times are at more of a premium in October when the days are shorter and additional family obligations, such as kids in school, shrink travel windows.
WHERE TO PLAY
- San Diego, California: The weather is always perfect in San Diego, correct? While that may be true, October is particularly attractive with an average high of 74 degrees and a low of 61 with just one day of rain. The PR folks claim the area has more playable days than anywhere in the United States. And the variety is unmatched with more than 70 courses to enjoy in every conceivable setting from oceanfront to desert to mountains. A must play is Torrey Pines, which has hosted two U.S. Opens in the last 16 years, and is arguably the best municipal course in the nation.
- Las Vegas, Nevada: After a series of 100-degree days in the summer, the average high in October drops to 83 degrees with just one day of rain. While the airport is busy with 5.47 million people arriving and departing in October 2023, it also means there are tons of flights and options to pick from. And when you’re off the course, there is no other city — shy of the Big Apple — that offers such a vast array of top-notch entertainment and food. If you strike it big at a casino, head for a round at the ultra pricey Shadow Creek or Wynn Golf Club.
- Palm Springs, California: The second California location on this list, there is a guarantee of no precipitation here if you hit the links with zero days of rain on average each October. And you can still work on the tan with 350 days of sunshine each year. The spectacular scenery of Joshua Tree National Park, with a 4.8 rating from over 20,000 Goggle reviews, is just an hour away. Desert Willow Golf Resort is the pick to play with 36 holes of desert and mountain golf and a restaurant with a patio dining setting that is ranked among the best in the country.
- Orlando, Florida: With an inland location, this area isn’t as prone to severe hurricane conditions as some of Florida’s coastal regions. It’s still worth purchasing some golf insurance and venturing here for some of the nation’s best golf conditions each October. The average number of rain days drops from 11 in September to just five in October as the hot, rainy season comes to a halt. And the crazy theme park traffic is less hectic with kids back in school. Orlando has the second most hotel rooms to Las Vegas, so finding a post-summer deal is likely. Champions Gate Resort, with two Greg Norman-designed courses, is worth seeking out.
- Austin, Texas: Arguably one of the most underrated golf locations in the nation, pick a non-football weekend in October and enjoy an 80-degree day. U.S. News & World Report ranks Austin as the 10th-best food city in the country ahead of such locations as Boston and Atlanta. Horseshoe Bay Resort is located just 45 minutes away on more than 7,000 acres along the spectacular shores of Lake LBJ. It features four championship golf courses designed by World Golf Hall of Fame members Robert Trent Jones Sr. and Jack Nicklaus.