May in Chicago, IL: variable for golf — mixed conditions — check the live score. Best tee times: mid-morning through early afternoon.
| Average May Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 65°F |
| Avg daily low | 50°F |
| Rainy days | 16 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 15.3 mph |
May's numbers look reasonable on paper — 65°F average high, 15.3 mph peak wind, mid-50s overnight — but they translate to the scorecard in specific ways worth knowing before you book. That 15-degree daily swing means a morning round at Medinah or Cog Hill can start in a 50°F jacket-weather feel and climb into comfortable shirt-sleeve territory by the back nine. The wind, while the 5th-calmest month Chicago posts, still averages 15.3 mph at peak — firmly in the moderate range — so club selection on exposed lakefront and prairie-style layouts will be affected on most rounds.
The bigger scorecard factor is the rain. Sixteen precipitation days ties May as the wettest month of the year alongside April, July, and August. That's roughly every other day with some precipitation event, which means soft fairways, slower greens, and a real chance of a weather delay mid-round. Cart-path-only conditions are common at many Chicagoland courses through mid-May. Plan for that, and the improving temperatures make it genuinely playable — just not cleanly so.
With 16 precipitation days spread across the month, early morning tee times tend to front-run afternoon convective showers that build as temperatures rise. Weekday morning slots also give you first access to greens before they soften further from mid-day foot traffic on what are often already saturated surfaces. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
April and May share the same 16 precipitation days, but May's average high jumps 11°F to 65°F, which meaningfully changes how wet rounds feel — cold mud versus manageable damp. Heading into June, that high climbs another 12°F to 77°F and precipitation drops by one day to 15, making June the cleaner, warmer round by a measurable margin — and the 12°F jump from May to June is larger than the 11°F gain from April to May. Wind eases slightly in both directions — May sits 1.7 mph calmer than April and 0.9 mph windier than June — so the wind trend is gradual, but the temperature jump into June is the more pronounced of the two monthly gains.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Chicago, IL for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
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Most Chicagoland public and private courses are open by early May, but conditions vary considerably. With 16 precipitation days and 50°F overnight lows, fairways are often soft and cart restrictions are common through mid-month, so expect cart-path-only signs at many layouts until the ground firms up in the back half of May.
May averages a peak wind of 15.3 mph, which puts it in the moderate range and means it will affect club selection on most rounds — particularly on courses with little tree cover near the lake or on open prairie-style designs. It is actually Chicago's 5th-calmest month of the year, so conditions are improving, but you should still plan for at least one to two clubs of wind influence on exposed approach shots.