May in Kailua-Kona, HI: variable for golf — mixed conditions — check the live score. Best tee times: mid-morning through early afternoon.
| Average May Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 79°F |
| Avg daily low | 71°F |
| Rainy days | 25 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 7.4 mph |
May is when the tee-sheet math shifts noticeably in Kailua-Kona. Spring break crowds have cleared, summer travel hasn't ramped up yet, and that gap creates a real window for last-minute tee times at courses that were fully booked six weeks ago. You can often secure preferred morning slots within 48 hours of play rather than planning weeks out — that flexibility is worth understanding before you build your itinerary.
The trade-off is rain frequency. At 25 precipitation days, May is the third-wettest month of the year here. The saving grace is that showers on the Kona coast are typically brief and patchy, and winds stay calm — 7.4 mph makes May the fourth-calmest month, tied with August. Temperatures hold between 71F and 79F all day, so an 8F daily swing means morning and afternoon rounds feel nearly identical. The Variable season tier reflects the precipitation uncertainty more than anything else.
The transitional lull between spring and summer travel means demand dips enough that many Kona courses open up 24–72 hour booking windows in May rather than requiring the 7–14 day advance reservations typical of winter peak season. If your schedule is flexible, hold off on locking morning tee times until you can check the daily forecast — the brief, passing nature of Kona's May showers means a 10 AM slot that looks risky the night before can clear up by first tee. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
April comes in with 21 precip days compared to May's 25, making it the drier side of this spring stretch — if rain avoidance is your top priority, April has a four-day edge. June nudges warmer by 1F (high 80F) but adds another three precip days to reach 28, so the wet pattern keeps building as summer arrives. Wind barely moves across all three months, staying between 7.0 and 7.6 mph, meaning that variable is essentially a non-factor in choosing between them.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Kailua-Kona, HI for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
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May logs 25 precipitation days, the third-highest total of any month, so rain is a daily possibility rather than a rare event. However, Kona's leeward position means most showers are brief and localized, and wind averages just 7.4 mph — within the calm-wind threshold — so rounds rarely get disrupted for long. The Variable season tier reflects that some days will be interrupted, not that golf becomes unplayable.
May falls in a shoulder window between spring break and summer, which loosens availability compared to the January–March peak; many courses see 24–72 hour booking windows open up. That said, weekend mornings at resort-style courses can still fill several days out, so a mid-week tee time gives you the most flexibility to book late and time your round around the weather.