Mid Winter Golf Blues Take A Road Trip South

By: Richard Kelley on 12/01/08 08:49 PM

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We all knew that winter would eventually get here, it may have been slow coming, but there is no doubt about it, now it's cold. December and the beginning of January were a real treat, with most courses remaining open, and with no snow cover, we were all out there getting in some great late season rounds. Now that the clubs are sitting out in the garage, covered for that annual layover until the weather breaks, it may be a good time to look into that mid -winter road trip you have been thinking about.

The most common misconception about golf travel is if you don't plan early it is too expensive. Each day on a multitude of websites there are great travel deals to numerous to mention, and yes many of them are in south Florida locations where the weather is now the best in the country. Daily temperatures averaging 70 degrees in mid Florida to the mid 80's in South Florida through most of February, March, and April, so what are you waiting for?

There are a few short cuts for travel that make getting there easier, and far less expensive. Be flexible, travel on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays is almost always a better deal with more available flights at lower rates. A trip from Wednesday through Saturday or Sunday will give you 4-5 days of golf in sunny warm weather. It is the perfect break for those mid winter blues, and when you get off that plane the 80 degree weather will just make it all come together. As I am writing this article, in just two weeks, there are some great deals to both Tampa and Ft. Lauderdale on three different carriers out of Providence R.I. and Boston, Mass.

If you want to fly to Tampa and head south to play Bradenton or the Sarasota areas, flights on Southwest and Spirit are currently running at about $250.00 round trip non- stop out of Providence. If Ft. Lauderdale is your choice, flights on both Spirit and Jet Blue out of Boston are available at just $225.00 round trip, also non-stop. So that gets you there, now there are the hotels, which are available in both markets from $100.00 to $150.00 per night at many of the national chains. So lets talk golf to wrap up this package.

The second most common misconception is that golf in South Florida is way too expensive in the high season months of January through April. Remember there are more golf courses in Florida, than the number of players that can play them all on any given day. This time of year is their high season when they make most of their money; they want your business, and there is plenty of competition for your golf dollar. Even the most exclusive courses have openings every day, remember that word flexible.

A few simple tricks will give you a distinct advantage and allow you to play some of the best courses in the state without getting hosed. In the Sarasota area there are great facilities that are both public and semi-private courses that range from $50.00 to $75.00 right now; basically, the same prices you would pay here in New England in mid -summer.

The conditions are excellent and the greens as of my last trip one week ago, were all running at about 10 on the stint meter, Great stuff!! In Ft. Lauderdale you are going to have to be a little craftier to find the best golf deals. You can play at dozens of golf courses throughout the Miami and Ft. Lauderdale areas for around $100.00 to $135.00 per round with pre set tee times through dozens of websites that offer tee times online. For that price you are not going to get on the best of the best.

I have found a great website for last minute tee times that I subscribe to. They send me daily tee time deals online each afternoon for some of the best facilities in South Florida at reduced rates. You may subscribe to this site by going to www.lastminutegolfer.com.

It is simple; just enter your preferred areas and course choices you would like to play. It is a free service that handles openings at courses throughout the state of Florida each day. You will receive daily e-mail updates each afternoon on openings the next day at many of the best facilities in the state at greatly reduced rates. Here is an example of the update I received today for golf on Friday February 23rd in the Miami / Ft. Lauderdale area.

Times Available Friday February 23rd at South Florida Course Through LMG

The Diplomat Country Club
Rate $175.00
LMG Rate $119.00
2 tee Times Available

Bonaventure Country Club
East Course Rate $125.00
LMG Rate $59.36
2 Times

Bonaventure Country Club
West Course Rate $125.00
LMG Rate $39.32
2 Times

Doral Resort Country Club
Blue Monster Rate $325.00
LMG Rate $175.00
2 Times

Doral Resort Country Club
Great White Rate $325.00
LMG Rate $175.00
3 Times

TPC At Heron Bay Golf Club
Rate $185.00
LMG Rate $81.62
2 Times

Pal Beach National Country Club
Rate $275.00
LMG Rate $66.46
1 Time

Hill Creast Country Club
Rate $175.00
LMG Rate $59.00
3 Times

So there you have it, great golf at reasonable prices and flights and hotels well within reach of any golfer's budget. The beauty of this entire scenario is that you are going from 20 degrees to 80 degrees; this in itself has a real magic to it. There is nothing like stepping out for a golf match in light clothing on a beautiful South Florida day when up north it is freezing.

The weather, the conditions, the golf, and the great nightlife make this all a no brainer. Take some time to call a few of your golfing buddies and get them on the same page with you on this one. It will be June before we will see these conditions on golf courses in New England, and that is just too long to wait to play. So take your game on a road trip," for the good of your game"!