May in Richmond, VA: shoulder season for golf — playable with smart tee time selection. Best tee times: mid-morning through early afternoon.
| Average May Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 76°F |
| Avg daily low | 57°F |
| Rainy days | 14 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 10.4 mph |
A 19°F daily swing is the first thing May's stats do to your scorecard — a 57°F start stiffens hands enough to cost strokes on short putts before the round finds its rhythm, while a 76°F afternoon high means you'll be shedding layers by the middle of the front nine. The temperature lands comfortably inside the 60–80°F ideal band once the day opens up, and 10.4 mph peak wind is moderate enough that iron selection rarely shifts more than one club. The wet side of the ledger matters too. Fourteen precipitation days make May Richmond's third-wettest month of the year, so afternoon soft spots and plugged lies in greenside bunkers are legitimate concerns, not edge cases.
The payoff is that when the rain clears — and it does clear — fairways run firm enough by mid-morning to reward a bump-and-run approach, and the moderate wind keeps ball flight predictable. The interplay of 14 precip days and that mid-morning firmness window makes starting time the single most consequential decision of any May round here.
With 14 precipitation days on the books, booking a morning slot before noon gives your round the best chance of finishing before any afternoon weather moves in. Locking in a tee time midweek, when course traffic is lighter, also preserves fallback rescheduling options if the forecast shifts. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
April's 11 precip days and 11.8 mph peak wind make May the cleaner wind month by 1.4 mph, though three more wet days offset any advantage in course conditions. June drops back to 13 precip days and softens the wind further to 9.6 mph, but the average high jumps 10°F to 86°F, pushing afternoon rounds firmly past the comfort threshold. May sits between those two: warmer and less breezy than April, wetter and cooler than June.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Richmond, VA for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
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The average high of 76°F keeps temperatures in the ideal scoring range, and peak wind of 10.4 mph is manageable on most holes. The main drawback is 14 precipitation days — Richmond's third-wettest month — so rain interruptions are a real possibility rather than a remote one. Morning tee times and flexible scheduling improve the odds of a complete round.
With 14 precipitation days spread across the month, courses carry measurable moisture through most of May, and soft greens and occasional cart-path-only conditions are common after heavier stretches. The 57°F average low slows overnight drying compared to summer months, so courses in Richmond's clay-heavy areas tend to stay softer well into the morning — worth factoring in when you're deciding between an early and a mid-morning start.