Yes, golf courses will let you play alone at the right time of day. Golfers should not show up on a Saturday or Sunday morning or another busy time of day and expect to play alone.
Golf is a great game and provides an excellent opportunity to get away from the stresses of everyday life while getting some decent exercise outdoors.
The scenery can be beautiful, the weather can be perfect and you get to challenge your golf game to see if you are getting better.
Why golf is the best sport! (11 Reasons)
Will Golf Courses Let You Play Alone?
If you are looking to play golf alone, there are several keys to follow to increase your chances of not getting paired up with another golfer or a group of golfers. These keys include:
- Time of Day
- Time of Year
- The Golf Course
Key #1: Time Of Day
As we touched on briefly above, the time of the day that you show up at a golf desiring to play alone is the number one key. Several Don’ts:
- Don’t show up on a Saturday or Sunday morning during the busiest times.
- Don’t show up during an afternoon/evening league and expect to play alone.
- Don’t just show up, instead call ahead to avoid being turned away completely.
The great news for golfers is that with websites like golfnow and others that book tee times, a golfer can see the tee sheet for many golf courses. If you are heading to a golf course during a busy time, getting on a golf course whether by yourself or with a group of other golfers is going to be difficult.
Your best options that we have found are really early on weekday such as the 6am tee time or during the evening hours on weekends, especially Sundays or during the NFL season golf courses seem to slow down.
My favorite time to play golf alone is on a late summer evening around 6:15pm, where I can still walk and get 18 holes in before the sunsets! Or I play a lot of golf at 6am on a summer morning during the weekdays without any issue.
How to play golf for cheap (11 Tips)
Key #2: Time of Year
Months like May, June and July are often the most crowded for many golf courses in the United States. Of course as you get south into the Carolinas or into Florida, the business months are usually during the spring months due to golfers visiting from around the country on spring golf trips.
If you want to play golf alone, visiting golf courses during these times of the year isn’t advised. Instead, the best times for many golf courses not only for playing alone, but at a reduced rate are early spring or late fall.
Another option throughout any time of year is when the weather is below the expected levels. If it is rainy, cold, or hot you increase your chances of being able to golf alone. Weather can be a major factor in keeping the masses away in certain conditions.
Key #3: The Golf Course
If you try showing up at a popular, high in demand golf course and expect to play alone, you are going to be disappointed. If you live in a certain area, make sure you know which courses are your best option to play alone. Oftentimes, it will take a course a little bit away from heavy population such as a course off in the country or a course that might not be in great condition.
If your goal is to simply get an enjoyable stress free round in, picking the right golf is key. If you show up at Pebble Beach, Bethpage or another highly popular, tough to get on to course, you are not only going to get rejected, but the thought of playing alone is crazy.
Get your list of courses in your area and know what you are looking for before you head to the course. When you can match up the time of day, time of year and the right golf courses you can play alone and enjoy your round.
Golfing in cold weather (5 Tips)
Other Key: Patience
If you show up looking to play alone understand there are some factors that might negative impact your round. Most golfers don’t want to let the single player play through. So while you might be looking to get a quick round of golf in, many golfers will look at you and simply ignore you as you catch up to their group.
Be prepared to be patient and work on your game throughout the round. If you are looking for the solo, quick round of golf, the time of day is essential!
Is carrying a bag good exercise?
Showing Up To A Golf Course As A Single Player
You might be surprised, but the most popular golf courses will often slot a single player with a threesome to maximize their profit for their tee sheet that day. If a golf course can get a 4th golfer added to a group that equals more money.
If you are a single player showing up at a popular course, you might actually increase your chances of getting on that course, but you will be paired with 3 strangers, which can be awkward for some golfers.
My Secret To Golf Improvement
Let’s face it, in order to get really good at golf, we must practice frequently. About three years ago, I made the leap and invested in a golf simulator build for my garage. I went with a SkyTrak Launch Monitor and the TGC software and can now play over 100,000 courses including Augusta, Pebble Beach, Bethpage Black, Whistling Straits. St. Andrews and many other of the top 100 courses in the world.
This golf simulator setup, which is more affordable that you might imagine, has been a game changer. I can now play golf everyday of the year regardless of rain, snow, cold weather or time of day. I can practice or play rounds of golf. I can stand in the 11th fairway at Augusta and with the auto-rewind feature I am able to practice my approach shots from various differences.
It is worth checking out through Rain or Shine Golf as they offer some incredible packages along with financing offers that are difficult to beat.
Some direct links to Rain or Shine Golf for pricing and financing:
Take Action – What You Can Do Today to Get Better
What does this mean for you? I believe in the following recipe to get better:
1 – Improve your motion in the golf swing by identifying a golf instructor. Here are some options:
Here is a list of golf instructors that we have reviewed:
2 – Train to swing faster and improve your swing speed. Here are some options:
Looking to gain more Speed and Distance in your swing. Two Options:
3 – Understand course strategy and work to break through your next barrier. Here is a series on breaking through:
We have provided guides on how to break 100, 90, 80 and 70. Check out more below, if interested.
4 – Practice Frequently
Did you know that I build a golf simulator in my garage and have played over 500 rounds of golf on my SkyTrak system? It has been a game changer and one worth checking out. Here are some of my other posts on golf simulators frequently asked questions:
- Is a Golf Simulator Worth It?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator?
- What is the Best Golf Simulator?
- Golf Simulator Accessories?
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for under $7000
- Top 11 Reasons to Buy a SkyTrak
- How to Build a Golf Simulator for Under $1000
- Why Build A Golf Simulator?
- What Space is Needed?
- Can A Golf Simulator Improve My Game?
- How Much Does A Golf Simulator Cost?
- Don’t Forget to Check out our 15 best golf swings of all time.
