Playability Score: 100/100 — Elite
Current conditions: 75°F, wind 3 mph, 1% chance of rain.
Updated July 9, 2026
The DC metro area offers golf from March through November. Spring cherry blossom season and fall bring ideal conditions. Summer humidity and afternoon storms are common. Potomac River courses can get breezy.
July logs 19 precip days — the wettest month on DC's calendar — and May, July, and August all hit 17 or more, with June close behind at 16. That frequency keeps fairways soft through peak season, and it means firm, fast turf is more of a fall phenomenon than a summer one.
November is the genuine outlier: just 9 precip days, the fewest of any month, paired with highs around 57°F and winds that have backed off from the 12.2-mph peak of March. September and October also stay relatively dry at 14 and 12 precip days respectively, and temperatures land squarely in the 69–79°F range. After a summer of saturated layouts, that fall stretch — where precip days drop from July's 19 down to 14, then 12, then 9 — is when DC-area courses tend to drain and firm up, particularly along the Potomac corridor where lowland layouts are slow to shed standing water.
March is the windiest month of the year at 12.2 mph average peak, and it brings 13 precip days on top of that. April adds 15 precip days with a 20°F daily swing between lows of 46°F and highs of 66°F — pack layers. Temperatures are fine for golf by mid-April, but expect soft lies and plugged approaches well into May.
July averages 19 precip days — the wettest month in DC's calendar — and May and August each log 17, with June at 16. Highs reach 85–88°F and lows barely dip below 69–70°F, so heat and humidity compound the waterlogged conditions. July sees rain on roughly 61% of its days, so booking an afternoon tee time means accepting a real chance of suspension; morning rounds cut that exposure significantly.
September through November is the firmest stretch of the year, with precip days falling steadily from 14 to 12 to just 9. Highs in October and November stay at 69°F and 57°F respectively — comfortable for walking 18. Wind stays moderate at 10.6 mph in November, sitting in the moderate range rather than approaching calm.
December through February each log 12–13 precip days, and January lows average 28°F — cold enough to freeze greens and make early morning rounds unplayable. Average highs only climb to 43–49°F in those months, sitting below the ideal 60°F threshold. Golfers who do head out should plan for firm, frost-hardened turf rather than the soft summer fairways.
These three months post the lowest precip-day counts of the year — 14, 12, and 9 respectively — giving fairways the best chance to firm and drain after a saturated summer. Temperatures in September and October average 79°F and 69°F at the high, landing inside the 60–80°F ideal band. November's 9-rain-day average is an outlier low that makes it DC's single most reliable month for uninterrupted tee times.
November is the driest month with just 9 precip days, and September–October are close behind at 14 and 12. After July's 19 wet days keep turf saturated all summer, the fall drainage window is real and noticeable. If firm, links-style conditions are the priority, plan for late September through November.
Bad enough to build around. June through August each log 16–19 precip days, and the region's humid continental pattern means convective cells build fast on summer afternoons. Morning rounds — starting before noon — significantly cut exposure to delays and suspensions. Courses along the Potomac corridor are especially exposed to open-sky storm approaches.
Temperatures can cooperate — highs average 56°F in March, which is below ideal but manageable in layers. The problem is that March is DC's windiest month at 12.2 mph average peak, and 13 precip days keep courses soft. Playable, yes; comfortable, inconsistently so. Mid-to-late April brings highs of 66°F, but winds remain at 12 mph — well above the site's 8 mph calm threshold — so don't expect a dramatic improvement in playing comfort.