December in Cleveland, OH: cool / cold season for golf — expect distance loss and stiff muscles. Best tee times: midday when temperatures are warmest.
| Average December Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 41°F |
| Avg daily low | 32°F |
| Rainy days | 20 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 16.8 mph |
December marks the sharpest drop in playability on Cleveland's golf calendar. Coming out of November — which averaged a 50°F high and 16 days of precipitation — December lands at a 41°F high, 32°F low, and 20 precip days, making it the wettest month of the entire year. That 9-degree daily swing means mornings at the freezing mark and afternoons that barely clear it. Peak winds hit 16.8 mph, tied for second-windiest of the year.
Golf in Cleveland in December is genuinely difficult to recommend on most days. Courses that stay open will be soft, cart-path-only at best, and afternoon windows are narrow given limited daylight. If you're committed to playing, you're watching short-range forecasts closely and treating any dry afternoon above 38°F as a small gift.
With 20 precip days and a freezing overnight low, book nothing in advance — December in Cleveland rewards flexibility over planning. Check conditions the morning of and target the 11 AM–2 PM window when temperatures are closest to their daily peak of 41°F. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
November, at a 50°F average high and 16 precip days, is meaningfully more playable — the 9°F drop in temperature and four additional wet days coming into December represent the steepest single-month decline Cleveland sees heading into winter. Moving into January, the high falls another 6°F to 35°F and the low drops to 24°F, though precipitation days tick down by one to 19 and winds increase only slightly to 17 mph. In short, December is the transitional gut-punch between a marginal November and a largely unplayable January.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Cleveland, OH for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
← November in Cleveland, OH • January in Cleveland, OH →
Some public and private courses stay open through December on a weather-permitting basis, but with 20 precipitation days and highs averaging only 41°F, closures and cart-path-only restrictions are frequent. Call ahead the day you plan to play rather than relying on posted hours.
The drop from November is significant — the average high falls 9°F to 41°F and precipitation days jump from 16 to 20, the most of any month in the year. Fairways will typically be soft and slow, and peak winds averaging 16.8 mph make club selection harder than it looks on the scorecard.