PALM DESERT, Calif. — The weeks after the summer solstice tend to be not that friendly for golf in the Coachella Valley.
Temperatures of 110 and even 120 degrees are not that uncommon in the desert in late June and early July. And that means golf, a great outdoor sport in the winter, spring and fall, might not be on your list of things to do in the next couple of months. There are reasons for that of course, ranging from sun stroke to the potential for skin cancer without proper sunscreen or clothing coverage.
Admittedly, golf in that kind of heat might not be the smartest thing to do. But no dedicated golfers want to just hang up their clubs for the next three months waiting for the temperatures to come back down. There remain ways to keep your golf game on the course and not just on the carpet of your living room hitting putts into a coffee cup.
Play early in the morning
Okay, this isn’t earth-shattering information, but some of you may think playing in the morning means fighting for a tee time with everybody else in the desert. But the truth is a lot of golfers are snowbirds and are gone for the summer. That means there are tee times available through about 10 a.m., still giving you a chance to get in 18 holes before the true heat of the day.
Play a new golf course
Maybe you have a favorite course you play, or maybe you are a member at a private club that will be shut down for the summer (more on that in a minute). But this could be a chance for you to explore the desert and find a new course. Traditionally, golfers love being tested at new golf courses, seeing what other designers have designed, and where other golfers enjoy the game. The summer, with its empty tee sheets, is the best time to do that.
Take your game to the range
Even in the summer, a fast round of golf is probably going to be somewhere around 2 ½ to 3 hours. And perhaps your favorite golf course is one of the dozens that are shutting down for part or all of the summer for capital improvements. Maybe a better option is to spend an hour working on your game at your local driving range. Identify that one area of your game you’d love to improve and focus on it. Even if it’s just an hour a week, you may come back to the golf course in the fall with a better game. And you won’t spend as much time in the sun.
A lone golfer braves the afternoon heat to hit balls on the range at The Lights at Indio Golf Course in Indio, California. (Jay Calderon/Desert Sun)
There are plenty of high-caliber golfing options within a 90-minute drive of the Coachella Valley. And it’s generally going to be 10 to maybe 20 degrees cooler in those locations. Again, you may be finding a new golf course that you’ve never seen before. Combine that with a more comfortable temperature, and you may find a very pleasant day.
Take some lessons
Maybe just standing on a driving range hitting 5-iron after 5-iron isn’t necessarily going to get your game better, especially if you don’t know what the problem is. Yes, a lot of teaching pros in the desert are not here in the summer. But you certainly can find a teaching pro at driving ranges or resort golf courses who would be more than happy to fill their empty hours in the summer trying to help you with your game. And again, it’s not three or 3 ½ hours on the golf course.
Don’t think that some looming 120-degree temperatures mean your golf game has to be shut down for three or four months. If you’re smart, and you know what you’re looking for, summer golf with its cheaper green fees might still be a great place for you to play.
