Labor Day weekend. BBQ’s watermelons and family. Those things pretty much go hand in hand to signal the end of summer for most of us around the country. For many golfers in the northern half of the country, that first weekend in September also marks the last gasp for those great summer playing conditions that we’ve all enjoyed over the past few months. In a matter of weeks, courses will start to soften up and winter rules will start coming into play. That drive that rolled out to 290 during the summer will plug in the fairway at 250. Those speedy greens become thicker and softer in an effort to keep them alive through the winter. Of course, even though playing conditions get a bit rougher during the dreaded ‘off season’ it doesn’t mean you should stop playing all together.
With the rise of the poor weather comes something called the ‘off season rate’ at most courses. Again, speaking for those of us on the northern side of the country, we are easily able to enjoy rounds through Thanksgiving without too much loss of feeling in our bodies. For those that are brave enough to endure the elements for a round, look for your favorite courses to offer a 10%-25% discount over their peak summer rates during the off season. You basically get a great price on some of those courses you really wanted to play, but were out of your budget. The other added benefit is that you can really start to dial in your approach shots and carry distances without adding the additional summer bounces and rolls to them. It’s a great time of year to get things dialed in for next season while still enjoying some decent weather before winter sets in.
Of course, you don’t want to keep hard scores during poor weather rounds. You will really just want to enjoy the game and try a few new things, like working on that punch shot or possibly breaking in that 3 wood that has never been used. Remember, you won’t get that roll on your driver, so maybe it would be a good time to play with the lofts to see what gives you the best carry distance. You might even want to try playing a round from the shorter tees and leaving your woods in the car. You’d be amazed what your local course looks like from the front tees with no woods in the bag. I know weather varies greatly, but fall golf in the northwest is all about getting a day where it’s not raining and going out and having a great time. If you accomplish that and still get a nice walk and a few swings in, you can consider the day a success.
Check with your local course for when their off-season rates kick in and ask about setting up a regular tee time based on what works for you. Most of the time, courses allow one week in advance, but you’d be surprised what courses will do if you are willing to play off-season. It’s also a great time to check on off-season unlimited golf passes. Most of the time, passes take between 5-10 rounds to pay off per month, but if you are getting out that much, it’s well worth it. Just two rounds a weekend is usually enough to cover the cost, and then some.
For in-season and off-season deals, make sure to check out the Golf18Network online as well. Their discounted tee times and $25 first tee time credit can really save you on weekend rounds as well.
No comments:
Post a Comment