December in Knoxville, TN: shoulder season for golf — playable with smart tee time selection. Best tee times: late morning to early afternoon after dew burns off.
| Average December Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 53°F |
| Avg daily low | 36°F |
| Rainy days | 12 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 9.6 mph |
December splits golfer types pretty cleanly. A traveling golfer weighing a Knoxville trip this month will find the conditions workable but unforgiving — highs averaging 53°F, lows at 36°F, and a 17-degree daily swing mean morning rounds demand real cold-weather preparation. The 12 precipitation days are actually tied for the third-driest stretch of the year, so dry windows exist. Wind averages 9.6 mph at peak, nudging into moderate territory on blustery afternoons.
For the local regular, December is simply part of the winter rotation — a month you play when the calendar and forecast align, not one you build a schedule around. The cold is manageable in layers, and the relative lack of rain compared to January (two fewer precipitation days) gives locals enough playable days to stay sharp. Neither crowd nor cost are obstacles; the real variable is temperature, and that belongs entirely to the morning tee-time column.
Book afternoon slots — ideally 11 AM or later — to let temperatures climb closer to the 53°F average high before you tee off, since the 36°F low lingers well into early morning. December's 12 precipitation days are spread enough that a 3-to-4-day window mid-week, checked within 48 hours of arrival, is your best hedge against a wasted round. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
November is noticeably friendlier, running 7°F warmer on average highs at 60°F with one fewer rainy day and winds a full mph lighter — if your trip has flexibility, November wins on comfort. December sits in the middle of a cold slide, and January continues it another 5°F colder with 14 precipitation days and virtually the same wind at 9.7 mph. December's slight edge over January is modest, but two fewer rainy days matter when you're planning a week of golf.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Knoxville, TN for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
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It depends on your cold tolerance. Highs reach only 53°F and lows drop to 36°F, so mornings are genuinely cold rather than just cool. On the upside, December is tied for the third-driest month of the year at 12 precipitation days, which gives a visiting golfer realistic odds of finding multiple playable rounds across a long weekend.
Peak wind averages 9.6 mph in December, making it the fourth-windiest month of the year — just above the 8 mph threshold that starts affecting shot shape and club selection. Afternoon rounds tend to catch more wind than mornings, so if calm conditions matter to you, an earlier tee time (once temperatures have climbed a bit) is the better trade-off.