December in Des Moines, IA: 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 | 39°F |
| Avg daily low | 24°F |
| Rainy days | 9 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 13.4 mph |
Golf in Des Moines in December translates to one number that controls everything: a 39°F average high. That sits 21 degrees below the lower edge of the ideal playing range, which means slower greens, a near-certain loss of distance off the tee (expect 10–15 yards less carry as the ball compresses poorly in the cold), and fingers stiff enough to make consistent putting feel like a different game. The 15°F daily swing from high to low matters too — an early tee time near 24°F plays like a different round than a late-morning start.
The silver lining in the numbers is real, if modest. December ties for the fewest precipitation days of any month at 9, so dry windows exist. Peak wind at 13.4 mph lands in the moderate range and is actually the 5th calmest of the year. When a calm afternoon lines up with a rare push into the low 40s, the conditions become playable — just not comfortable. Scoring expectations should drop a few strokes from your summer baseline; cold, firm turf and slower ball flight are unavoidable.
Book the latest available tee time — a 10 or 11 AM start gives the thermometer its best chance to climb toward the day's 39°F high and lets frost clear from greens and fairways, which many Des Moines courses require before they'll open in December anyway. Midweek slots are easier to secure than weekends given thin December demand, so flexibility on day of the week matters more than it does in peak season. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
December's 39°F average high is a sharp 10-degree drop from November's 49°F, which crosses a meaningful threshold — November can feel brisk but manageable, while December consistently sits in ball-flight-robbing cold. Looking ahead, January is worse still, falling another 8 degrees to a 31°F high and adding one extra precipitation day, making December the more playable of the two winter months by a clear margin. Wind is essentially flat across all three months, hovering between 13.4 and 13.6 mph, so temperature is the decisive variable separating them.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Des Moines, IA for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
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Some public courses stay open through December as long as the ground isn't frozen and frost has cleared, but hours shorten considerably and closures on short notice are common when overnight lows hit the mid-20s. Calling ahead the morning of your round is standard practice in December; don't rely on a booking made days earlier to reflect actual conditions.
At a 39°F average high, a typical golfer can expect to lose roughly 10–15 yards of carry compared to a warm summer round, as cold air is denser and the ball compresses less efficiently. Factor in that the 13.4 mph peak wind is likely to be into your face on at least some holes, and playing one full club longer than normal on approach shots is a reasonable adjustment throughout the round.