April in Sioux Falls, SD: shoulder season for golf — playable with smart tee time selection. Best tee times: late morning to early afternoon after dew burns off.
| Average April Weather | |
|---|---|
| Avg daily high | 56°F |
| Avg daily low | 36°F |
| Rainy days | 13 / mo |
| Avg peak wind | 17.2 mph |
April in Sioux Falls is a month that sorts golfers into two clear camps. The local regular, starved for months of frozen ground, finds April entirely playable — 56°F highs feel like relief after a 45°F March, and getting back on grass outweighs any complaints about cold fingers or gusty stretches. For the traveling golfer planning a dedicated trip, though, the numbers tell a more complicated story: 13 precipitation days (second-wettest of the year), peak winds averaging 17.2 mph (the highest of any month), and lows that still drop to 36°F mean conditions demand real flexibility.
That 20°F daily swing — from a chilly 36°F morning to a more tolerable 56°F afternoon — is the practical detail that shapes how you schedule your round. Early tee times can feel more like late March than spring. Wait for midday and the experience changes considerably, assuming the wind cooperates, which in April it often does not.
Book afternoon slots — 12 PM or later — to let the low of 36°F burn off and approach the day's 56°F high before you tee off. With 13 precipitation days spread across the month, a refundable or same-day booking option is worth paying a small premium for in April specifically. See how conditions rate hour by hour on our playability scale.
March to April brings the biggest temperature jump in the shoulder run — highs climb 11°F to 56°F — but precipitation days increase by three and peak wind rises another 1.5 mph to 17.2 mph, so the warmth comes with more unsettled conditions. May is the better all-around month: highs jump another 14°F to 70°F, wind drops 2.7 mph, and precipitation adds only one day, putting temperatures closer to the 60–80°F ideal range. April sits between a winter that is nearly over and a spring that has not quite arrived.
Climate normals show the long-term picture, but day-to-day weather varies. Check today's live golf weather score for Sioux Falls, SD for the current playability rating, hourly wind, temperature, and the recommended tee time window.
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Most public courses in the Sioux Falls area open in late March or early April once frost is consistently out of the greens, so tee sheets are generally available by mid-April. That said, cart path restrictions and temporary greens can linger early in the month given lows still averaging 36°F. Calling ahead or checking the course's conditions page before you drive out is worth the two minutes.
April is the windiest month of the year in Sioux Falls, with peak winds averaging 17.2 mph — well above the 8 mph threshold that starts affecting ball flight noticeably. That level of wind reliably adds strokes to approach play and makes club selection genuinely difficult, particularly on exposed parkland-style layouts. If wind is a dealbreaker for you, May's 14.5 mph average offers a measurable improvement.