Where to Golf in January

Unless you want to take part in a snow-golf tournament, the best places to golf in January are the southern states, where the temperature can range from warm to chilly. In January southern courses are blessed with fast greens, clear air and – unless it's a coastal course – minimal winds. There are several southern locations where you can golf for an entire week on the same challenging course or experience several fine courses. If you are a northerner, winter golfing in the south is likely to bring back fond memories of the joys of playing summer rounds at home. Book a golf rental and you'll have easy access to the green.

San Diego, CA

Top of the list of where to golf in January must be San Diego. With over 80 courses just minutes away from the beach and downtown, there are plenty of excellent options to keep an avid golfer completely happy for an entire month.

Among the most popular of the San Diego courses is the Maderas Golf Club . Located in Poway just about 30 minutes from Pacific Beach, it is constantly rated the best course in San Diego County. This par-72 beauty, with a maximum yardage of 7115, is not to be missed. The club offers complete service, including a 25-station driving range and several putting greens. If you want the exercise you can even walk the course, which will also allow you to soak in the wonderful environment created by the landscape architect Robert Muir Graves.

The great city of Los Angeles gets all the publicity for having great weather, but the best year-round weather in California – and possibly the world – is in San Diego. You will not believe that it's January.

Palm Springs, CA

Winter vacationers can't go wrong with the golfing in Palm Springs. Of the many courses serenely situated in the natural beauty of this

mountain-ringed desert oasis, one of the best is Desert Dunes Golf Club . The course makes ample use of the natural sand dunes and native desert vegetation. In January as you are meeting the challenges on the greens and fairways in 80-degree comfort, you are surrounded by brilliant snow covered mountain peaks reminding you what it's like in the northern states at this time of year.

The 6,614 yard, par-72 course has some serious challenges, but it is also suitable for the intermediate golfer. Try to get out early in the morning to enjoy the desert wildlife, including rabbits, foxes, coyotes, and birds. They are active at this time of day, as are the greens that can be quite fast before the sun heats them up.

Scottsdale, AZ

Golfing in the Sonoran Desert in January is a golfer's dream. The temperatures are perfect and the raking light of the clear early morning air turn the rock formations and the desert vegetation into one of the most dramatic backdrops for golf anywhere. Selecting which desert course to play first is a challenge, as there are dozens from which to choose.

You can't go wrong by starting at Troon North , as it is the picture-perfect desert course. Their two 18-hole courses pass through the ravines and foothills of Pinnacle Peak .
Troon's desert experience begins right from the first tee, as your first drive must sail over a landscape of desert rocks and vegetation. If you hit a perfect shot and land in good fairway position, it's just up and over some bright bunkers to a fast and flat green. Each hole is breathtakingly beautiful and, to be honest, sometimes frustrating to the golfer who is used to wide and forgiving fairways.

You may think it would be hard to play the other courses after being spoiled by the beauty and challenge of Troon North, but Scottsdale's other courses will not leave you disappointed, as each offers a unique experience of desert golfing. As you mull over the choices of where to golf in January, Scottsdale must be one of your considerations.

Fort Myers, FL

Like many golfing destinations in the southern states, Fort Myers is home to enough courses to keep a golfer satisfied

for an extended period. One of the best is the par-72, 6,500 yard championship course at Eagle Ridge Golf Club . It is laid out among pine and cypress trees with lots of lakes and waterways to work around. For example, on the par-3 sixth hole you must be accurate, as you play along a narrow fairway bordered on one side by a lake from tee to green.

Fort Myers is one of the most popular of choices of where to golf in January. There are a large number of winter residents and short-term vacationers on the courses, so plan ahead when you book tee times for your winter golfing experience.