Christmas morning on Long Island, there are a great many local golfers opening up new "toys," whether it be a box of balls or a new putter, looking forward to the spring when they can debut them on the course. Then there's the small subset of local golfers scrolling through five-day forecasts and tee-time lists to see how soon they can take that brand-new, freshly unwrapped driver for a test...drive.
Winter golf is a thing on Long Island, to the surprise of the warm majority who take a pass at golf below 50 degrees. But if you can tolerate cold, there is a whole season of golf to enjoy, complete with open tee times, clear fairways, reduced rates, two-and-a-half-hour rounds and hastily slurped hot chocolate staining the front of your new quarter-zip.
Here's a brief overview -- while many Northeast golfers pack the clubs away around the time rakes come out, there is a hardy set of players who carry on from January through March. And there are plenty of local courses that are happy to accommodate them. Long Island's handful of seasonal golf courses typically close sometime between Thanksgiving and Christmas and reopen around St. Patrick's Day, but the rest remain open year-round as the weather allows.
It's not all sunshine and birdies, though. Besides the cold and wind, you've got to deal with frost delays, some temporary tees and greens (less so now than in years past), and typically sloppier and muddier conditions as the elements take their toll later in the season. Some years, if the bad weather arrives early and often, the winter season can be a complete dud.
This late fall and winter have been good to players so far, and generally, conditions hold up as long as heavy snow holds off. After a couple of snow melts, the experience tends to become a bit more unpleasant. But through the years we've seen it all -- playing nine at North Woodmere through hail on New Year's Eve; a hazy 65 degrees at Bethpage Yellow on New Year's Day; frozen hazards and greens at Middle Island in late November; and winds that never cease during dozens of winter rounds at Lido.
Like last year, factor in the pandemic when venturing out to play. Some courses are operating near full speed, while others might just be offering 18 holes without any of the trimmings -- no bar, no grill, no coffee at the turn. Check ahead if that is important to you.
Golf On Long Island regularly posts information on winter rates and other course offerings throughout the offseason. Keep up by checking out GOLI's Winter Golf on Long Island overview. Also be sure to follow local courses on social media for the latest on weather closures, frost delays and more.
Comments