March in Des Moines, IA: shoulder season for golf — playable with smart tee time selection. Best tee times: late morning to early afternoon after dew burns off.
| Average March Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 50°F |
| Avg daily low | 31°F |
| Rainy days | 12 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 14.3 mph |
Most golfers eyeing a March tee time in Des Moines expect something close to early spring — cool but manageable. The reality is more complicated. The average high reaches 50°F, which looks playable on paper, but the low drops to 31°F, meaning morning rounds can start with frost on the greens and near-freezing fingers. That 19-degree daily swing demands layering in a way most golfers underestimate.
The wind is the other surprise. At 14.3 mph peak, March is the second-windiest month of the year — nearly every shot plays longer or shorter than the yardage marker suggests. Add 12 precipitation days, making it the fourth-wettest month, and you're dealing with a month that punishes the underprepared despite its modest temperature headline. Afternoon windows are real, but they're narrower than the calendar implies.
Book afternoon slots — ideally after 1 PM — to let the temperature climb away from the near-freezing morning lows and give any overnight frost time to clear. Midweek tee times in late March give you the best odds of catching the warmer end of that 50°F average high without weekend cart-path-only restrictions from saturated fairways. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
March delivers a dramatic 14°F jump in average high compared to February's 36°F ceiling, which makes it feel like a significant thaw — and it is, relative to midwinter. But it comes at a cost: precipitation days climb by three over February, and peak wind ticks up slightly to 14.3 mph. April adds another 10°F to the high and only one more precip day, making it a meaningfully more comfortable month to play despite the similar wet pattern.
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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Many courses in Des Moines target an early-season opening, though the exact timing varies depending on whether the ground has thawed after winter. With an average high of only 50°F and 12 precipitation days, expect cart restrictions and some temporary greens early in the month, particularly after rain or overnight freezes.
The average overnight low is 31°F, so early morning tee times frequently start at or below freezing. Even by early afternoon, temperatures may only reach the mid-40s on overcast days, and the peak wind of 14.3 mph — second-highest of any month — makes the effective feel considerably colder than the thermometer reads.