The best time to golf in Palm Springs, month by month
The best time to golf in Palm Springs, month by month: weather, overseed closures, peak and summer rates, and the events that fill tee sheets and hotels.
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The best time to golf in Palm Springs is November, from mid-month on: fresh rye, afternoon highs near 79F and shoulder rates. February and March have peak weather at peak prices and the biggest crowds. October is overseed season, and June to September is cheapest but over 100F, so golf is a dawn activity.
Picking a month in the Coachella Valley is a trade between three things: weather, course condition and price. They line up differently from the big events and the fall overseed calendar. This guide takes each month in turn, with NOAA normals, the 2026-27 overseed dates and the events that move tee sheets. Figures were checked November 2, 2026, and rates change.
Quick facts
- Best balance: mid-November to mid-December, before holiday weeks.
- Best weather: March, at about 81F, also the most crowded and expensive month.
- Peak season: January to April.
- Cheapest: June to September, highs of about 102F to 109F.
- Overseed: mid-September to late December; most courses closed a few weeks in October.
- Frost: December and January dawns in the east valley.
- Time zone: Pacific; clocks spring forward March 14, 2027.
Best time to golf in Palm Springs, month by month
| Month | High / low (F) | Rain days | Golf conditions | Prices and crowds |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| January | 70.5 / 47.6 | 2.7 | Grown-in rye; east-valley frost | Peak; The American Express |
| February | 73.7 / 49.7 | 3.1 | Prime condition | Peak; busiest for snowbird golf |
| March | 80.6 / 54.4 | 1.9 | Prime; best weather | Peak; most crowded |
| April | 86.7 / 59.1 | 1.1 | Good; windiest spell starts | Rates step down; festival rooms at record highs |
| May | 94.7 / 65.9 | 0.5 | Rye thinning, patchy | Shoulder and summer rates |
| June | 103.6 / 72.7 | 0.0 | Bermuda; dawn golf | Cheapest |
| July | 108.6 / 79.4 | 1.0 | Some summer closures | Cheapest |
| August | 108.1 / 79.8 | 0.7 | Some summer closures | Cheapest |
| September | 101.8 / 74.4 | 1.0 | Overseed closures begin | Cheap; lowest hotel occupancy |
| October | 91.1 / 64.5 | 0.9 | Many courses closed or cart-path-only | Reduced overseed rates at open courses |
| November | 78.7 / 53.4 | 1.3 | Fresh rye; late reopenings | Shoulder |
| December | 69.2 / 46.2 | 2.7 | Good; frost and short days | Shoulder, holidays priced like peak |
Normals are NOAA 1991-2020 at Palm Springs airport. More detail on temperatures, wind and rain is in Palm Springs weather by month.
January
About 70F afternoons and high-40s dawns at Palm Springs airport, but the east valley is much colder at first light: Thermal's normal January low is 39.0F, so frost delays hit the La Quinta and PGA West end more often. Peak rates begin. The Palm Springs International Film Festival (January 7-18, 2027) fills downtown hotels, and The American Express (January 21-24, 2027) closes the PGA West Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses to public play for tournament week and setup. Desert Willow Firecliff is back from its late overseed (it reopens December 26, 2026), so both Desert Willow courses are in play.
February
Mid-70s and about three rain days, the wettest month by count and still mostly sunny. February is the busiest stretch for snowbird golf, with peak rates and the tightest tee sheets. Modernism Week (February 11-21, 2027) fills Palm Springs itself, the Date Festival runs in Indio, and Presidents' Day weekend is February 13-15, 2027. The BNP Paribas Open starts February 28.
March
About 81F and drying out: arguably the best weather month and certainly the most crowded. Snowbirds, spring breakers and the two-week BNP Paribas Open in Indian Wells (to March 14, 2027) stack up, so tee times and rooms are hardest to get and highest priced. Easter is March 28, 2027. If March is your month, book tee times the day windows open. More in Palm Springs golf in spring.
April
High 80s and nearly dry. Snowbirds leave through the month and many courses step down from peak rates, but April is also when the wind picks up, peaking with May at about 9 mph average at Thermal. Three festival weekends in Indio, Coachella on April 9-11 and 16-18 and Stagecoach on April 23-25, 2027, send valley-wide hotel and rental prices to their highest of the year and jam I-10 and Highway 111. Courses stay open and are often quiet. Golf midweek between the festival weekends can be good value; avoid booking rooms near Indio on festival weekends.
May
Mid-90s and bone-dry. Most courses move to summer rates during May, and the rye begins to thin as the bermuda takes over, so some courses are patchy. Play mornings. Memorial Day weekend brings Southern California drive-in visitors.
June to September
The heat months: about 104F in June, 109F in July, 108F in August and 102F in September, with lows near 79F to 80F in midsummer. These are the cheapest green fees and resort rates of the year, with tee times from first light. Desert Willow's summer estimates are $50 to $95 for prime times, and the Indio Golf Course par-3 was $40 walking from April 6 to October 27, 2026, with lights for evening golf. Some courses close or cut days: the Westin's Pete Dye course was closed May 1 to August 27, 2026 for greens work, and Shadow Hills South closes for summer. July to September can bring monsoon humidity, dust and the odd thunderstorm. Ride, carry far more water than usual, and finish by late morning. See Palm Springs summer golf.
Overseed closures start in the second half of September; Desert Willow Mountain View closed September 21, 2026. September also has the lowest hotel occupancy of the fall: 50.7 percent at a $164.08 average daily rate in September 2025, per STR data quoted by Visit Greater Palm Springs.
October
Low 90s and dry, and the overseed month. Many courses are closed, on temporary greens or cart-path-only, while two-course facilities stagger so one stays open. Reduced overseed rates are common at the courses that are open. October 2025 hotel occupancy was 59.4 percent at a $202.14 average rate. For a golf trip, either build carefully around the open courses or wait. Off the board, Rams Hill in Borrego Springs no longer closes for overseed. See Palm Springs golf overseed.
November
High 70s, dry, with fresh rye: one of the best golf months, at shoulder rates below the January-April peak. Clocks fell back November 1, 2026. Most courses are open by mid-month, but some reopen late: the Stadium on November 9, Indian Canyons South on November 17 and Tahquitz Creek Legend about November 25, while Firecliff is closed November 9 to December 25. Expect cart-path-only weeks after each reopening. Greater Palm Springs Pride (November 6-8, 2026) fills Palm Springs hotels that weekend, and Thanksgiving is November 26. See Palm Springs golf in October and November.
December
About 69F afternoons and the coldest dawns of the year: 46.2F at Palm Springs airport and 37.7F at Thermal, so east-valley first tee times can wait on frost. Short days compress tee sheets. Rates are shoulder until the holidays; Christmas-New Year weeks are busy and priced like peak. PGA West Norman reopens December 7. More in Palm Springs golf in winter.
The best time for your kind of trip
- Buddies trip on a budget: mid-November to mid-December, midweek. Fresh rye, shoulder rates, and the overseed reopenings behind you.
- Best conditions, price no object: February and March. Book early and avoid American Express and BNP Paribas weeks if you want quiet.
- Snowbird season: January to March, with November and April as the shoulders.
- Lowest cost: June to September at dawn.
- Rams Hill day trip: December to February, its cheapest window on the published table.
For fees by season, see Palm Springs golf rates. Event dates and their effect on prices are in Palm Springs events. The Stadium course guide, Mountain View course guide and Rams Hill course guide show how one course's year plays out. Comparing desert towns? See the best time to golf in Tucson.
Plan it on the map
Open the Palm Springs golf map to see every course with its overseed dates and seasonal fees. The $30 plan builds a day-by-day trip for your dates, steering around closures and event weeks, or a weekly rotation for a winter stay.
Courses in this guide
Questions golfers ask
What is the best month to golf in Palm Springs?
November is the best balance: high 70s afternoons, fresh rye and shoulder rates below the January-April peak, once the late overseed reopenings are past mid-month. March has the best weather of the peak season but is the most crowded and expensive month.
When is peak golf season in Palm Springs?
January to April. Courses are fully grown in after overseed, snowbirds fill the tee sheets, and green fees are at their highest. The busiest stretch is the 'March crush', when snowbirds, spring break and the BNP Paribas Open overlap.
When is golf cheapest in Palm Springs?
June to September, when highs run about 102F to 109F at Palm Springs airport. Courses that stay open run their lowest rates of the year with tee times from first light; the PGA West Stadium was about $95 in summer against about $235 from January to April on a user-contributed tracker.
Is October a good time to golf in Palm Springs?
Not for a first trip. October is overseed month: many courses are closed, on temporary greens or cart-path-only, though staggered pairs keep one course open. Check each course record, or wait until mid-November.
Is Palm Springs too cold for golf in December?
No, but mornings are chilly. December normals at Palm Springs airport are 69.2F highs and 46.2F lows, and the east valley around La Quinta and Indio drops to 37.7F at dawn, so frost delays are more common there. Short days also compress tee sheets.
Which weeks should golfers avoid in Palm Springs?
The American Express (January 21-24, 2027) closes the PGA West Stadium and Nicklaus Tournament courses to public play for tournament week. Coachella (April 9-11 and 16-18) and Stagecoach (April 23-25, 2027) send room prices to the year's highest, though courses stay open.
Is it windy in Palm Springs in spring?
More than in winter. At Thermal, average wind is about 4.5 to 5.6 mph from December to February and peaks at about 8.6 to 9 mph in April and May. North and west Palm Springs, near the San Gorgonio Pass, can be windier than the mid- and east-valley courses.
Keep reading
SeasonsPalm Springs golf overseed: 2026 fall closures course by course, and how to plan around themPalm Springs golf overseed dates for fall 2026, course by course: closures, reopenings, cart-path-only weeks, staggered pairs and courses that stay open.7 min read
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