What is the best time of day to play golf?

When is the best time of day to play golf? Of course it depends upon the weather and your schedule, but all things being equal, i.e. if you had perfect weather for golf and you had a whole day free to schedule your game whenever you wished… when is the best time of day for you to play golf?

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My preference is early morning. I don’t like getting up at the crack of dawn and dragging myself out of a warm bed into crisp fall air… but if it means being one of the first on the course for the day, I’ll do it. Playing that early in the day can be a great advantage in playing a round in under 4 hours. If you play much later in the day there is always the chance you’ll be behind a slow group and the round can stretch out to five hours or more.

I’ve experienced both extremes this season. I played one day with a woman in my club whose pace is almost equal to speed golf! We finished 18 holes in close to 3 hours, and we were walking and pushing our own golf carts the whole time. At the other end of the time continuum is the nearly six hour round I played in a scramble-style tournament. I had to quit playing after the 16th hole as I had an appointment in the next town I could not miss. But that round became one for the books.

If you get out early enough, there’s a lot to appreciate on the course. The quiet, the birds, the silence of the wind and sun. It can be quite a beautiful thing. This blue heron showed up at the small water hazard that lines the 3rd hole at my home course. He must be familiar with golfers playing through as he paid us very little attention.