Early morning tee times - How early is early?

[Swood1994]

I used to get the to course and tee off at 5:45-6:15 during the weekdays and could finish 9 holes in about an hour or a hour and 15 minutes so I could get home and help with getting the baby ready before heading into work. I prefer the earliest tee times available. I no longer have a dedicated club membership so it’s hard to make this happen anymore and the course I was at was very relaxed about certain people teeing off that early. 

A perfect scenario for me (normal course) would be a 7:30 tee time home by 11 and able to get what I need to get done around the house. I love golf but I like to have the rest of the day to do other productive things as well.

[Byrnzee]

I don't have a home course, but I definitely prefer the earlier tee times. As many others have stated, I love being able to have the rest of the day available after an early round. My last few rounds have all been around 6:30am, which is probably the earliest I go. I would go earlier, except I live in the city of Chicago and most of the courses I play are 30-45 minute drives for me. 

I typically have to wakeup before 5am to give myself plenty of time to commute to those courses and get a solid warmup in. There may be a time in the future that we move to the suburbs; if that happens you'll be seeing me on the course at the earliest available tee time!

[David Leighton Reid]

Unlike my friend @chisag, I like to play early to beat the heat during the warm summer months.  Another reason I like to play early is it gives me the rest of the day to complete the list of honey-do's my little dumpling has for me.  

Edited June 19 by David Leighton Reid

[chisag]

1 minute ago, Byrnzee said:

I don't have a home course, but I definitely prefer the earlier tee times. As many others have stated, I love being able to have the rest of the day available after an early round. My last few rounds have all been around 6:30am, which is probably the earliest I go. I would go earlier, except I live in the city of Chicago and most of the courses I play are 30-45 minute drives for me. 

I typically have to wakeup before 5am to give myself plenty of time to commute to those courses and get a solid warmup in. There may be a time in the future that we move to the suburbs; if that happens you'll be seeing me on the course at the earliest available tee time!

 

... I have probably mentioned this before but do yourself a favor and drive out to Prairie Bluff. All things considered it was my favorite Chicago course. Great staff and one of the few that still enforces pace of play. Always in good condition. Very friendly off the tee with generous landing areas. A Faux Links course on a Forest Preserve so no homes or buildings. And very reasonable prices that are lower than most. 

[Byrnzee]

24 minutes ago, chisag said:

 

... I have probably mentioned this before but do yourself a favor and drive out to Prairie Bluff. All things considered it was my favorite Chicago course. Great staff and one of the few that still enforces pace of play. Always in good condition. Very friendly off the tee with generous landing areas. A Faux Links course on a Forest Preserve so no homes or buildings. And very reasonable prices that are lower than most. 

It is on my short-list to play! Tee times all-around seem especially scarce this year with the good weather and continued increase of the golfing population in the area. I'll get out there this year, you have my word!

[Rob Person]

Playedy first early morning tee time in awhile yesterday .  It was comfortable,  but the greens kept changing depending on the sun/heat.  By the 14th hole I was getting gassed on the tee box I think because my drives were all willy nilly!

 

[OdinSnipes414]

On 6/15/2024 at 1:46 PM, WaffleHouseTour said:

How early are you Spies allowed to tee off at your home course? 
 

I’m sure it varies across the country.  I have a standing 7am tee time at my home club in Iowa.  But another club I often play at doesn’t allow play before 9am (I’m sure it has to do with a small maintenance staff). Another one in Nebraska it’s 8am. Yet when I visit my daughters in Illinois I routinely see on-line tee times available as early as 5:30am.

That 5:30 is a tad early for me, but I’d love to tee it up at 6 or 6:30. 
 

You?

My normal tee time is 5:05am here in Wisconsin as the sun comes up to the east over Lake Michigan! 

[LinksgolfFever]

A lot of the Northern CA courses during summer are between 6-7 depending on the venue, but I have a couple of courses I play late June through July have 5:15 tee times.  I will play as early as I can, if you tell me it’s a 5a start I will be there.  Slow play really does no favors to my game.  The handful of courses I play regularly I can get a round in (going out first) in 2 1/2-3 hours, comfortably playing and with other like minded players.  One of the courses I play in Monterey has a 0$ replay, so on a Saturday or Sunday I’ll tee off at 5:30 or so, finish by 8 or 8:30 have breakfast with my friends who sleep in and drag them out for 18 and be done by 12:30 or 1.  With a full afternoon and evening for whatever else sounds good (or the honey-do list….)

Edited June 20 by LinksgolfFever

[Rob Person]

1 hour ago, OdinSnipes414 said:

My normal tee time is 5:05am here in Wisconsin as the sun comes up to the east over Lake Michigan! 

5 am???  Holy cow that would be awesome!!!

[OdinSnipes414]

6 minutes ago, Rob Person said:

5 am???  Holy cow that would be awesome!!!

As of right now the earliest is 520 for 1 person

[MmmmmmBuddy]

The first spot on our sheet this time of year is 7:00am. During the winter, its 8:00am. 

For me, there is no such thing as a "Early Time". I am up every morning at 4, and ready to play by 4:15.  

I really like getting to the club early and flying around the course. Played my first 18 last Sunday morning in 1:40. The 2nd loop was 4:15.  That's playing solo vs in a Men's Group outing. 

If I didn't have any responsibilities, I'd prefer to play late in the day. Twilight Golf is just spectacular.

[OdinSnipes414]

7 minutes ago, MmmmmmBuddy said:

The first spot on our sheet this time of year is 7:00am. During the winter, its 8:00am. 

For me, there is no such thing as a "Early Time". I am up every morning at 4, and ready to play by 4:15.  

I really like getting to the club early and flying around the course. Played my first 18 last Sunday morning in 1:40. The 2nd loop was 4:15.  That's playing solo vs in a Men's Group outing. 

If I didn't have any responsibilities, I'd prefer to play late in the day. Twilight Golf is just spectacular.

I was the same way! I have a 4YO and a 2YO so I like to go early and get my round in and get home before there is any commotion! First one to the course usually before the clubhouse attendant gets there! 

[PrismFlopper]

I’ve been playing a biweekly 9 holes at 7am before work. Honestly it’s usually dead on the course so we won’t even tee off till 730 after having a small breakfast. But I have been trying to get my friends to start a weekly 8am during NFL season cause we can play 18 and still have time to shower, cleanup and then head to whoever’s house to watch the game. There is a local church league(I also played in their Wednesday night hockey league) that I was asked about interest in playing in. I’m not a churchy person but Ik the pastor as he is my friend’s dad and that was a fun group to play in. They still had like bible conversations so I did learn a by being in the vicinity. Very wholesome group never tried to push their views on me. 

[fozcycle]

I play in a small league (12 to 16) every M/W/F at 7:30. They only let us book for a month so sometimes it’s 7:45 or 8:00 but the Starter usually gets us out early. It’s important to get out early in the Florida summer.

[ejgaudette]

As others have said as early as possible. I just went and played a course Wednesday where I had a 6 AM tee time I think it was the pro was moving a green said just go out and pay when your done. It was the best, and there were plenty of other people out on the course so it seems that the first tee time is a very loose thing. I would love to be less than 50 minutes away so I could play there more as I think I could go out at 5 am and be done by 7 (the course is small with limited walks to tees) That is my dream, be a member at a place that does not care how early I go out. I always loved the course I played last year was 6:30 start and they were strict because maintenance staff was still out there. Though I would go out at 6:30 by myself and still run into the crews since I played in 2:30 or less, always made me chuckle.

[rkj427]

For about 7 years I played in a Saturday Sunrise Singles League, where we would tee off between 5:30 and 6:00AM.

Now, most courses here don't open until 6:00AM, and if I play during the week, I usually have to wait for the employees to arrive before teeing off.

Regular group likes to play at noon on the weekends, although that makes for a long day with courses crowded and slow play.

Lately, I have also been doing later afternoons with SWMBO coming along, knowing it will be slow, but getting done for dinner afterwards.

[Pat W]

I have a standing tee time of 7:30 3 times a week. We usually get off earlier than that.  We get our 18 in, home by noon and have the  rest of the day for whatever.

[RetiredBoomer]

My gang at the club are really beginning to annoy me.

We should have been playing every day this week because the weather is so good,
but my fellow geriatrics are complaining that it's too hot.  We ride.  I don't think anybody's going to melt.

Maybe I should find some lonely housewives to play with while my buddies play gin in the air conditioned clubhouse.

I don't feel like playing alone, but later on, I'll go to the club to bang some balls and release my frustration.

It did reach three figures F. at the club yesterday, but we're playing golf, not working on a chain gang.

I suppose that I should admit that come late fall, I'm the first one to complain that it's too cold, though.

 

 

 

Edited June 21 by RetiredBoomer

[No3Putts]

At the course I played in my former town, they let us tee off before they were even open -- just told us not to run over the mowers and pay when we finished.  We would start around 6:15-6:30 and be done by 9:30 (4 walkers). They even put two buckets of range balls in the trash can underneath the liner, so we could warm up.  Best service ever!!

Edited June 21 by No3Putts

[ebaileymershon]

First light is fine with me. Try to get finished before 90* 

[RetiredBoomer]

3 minutes ago, No3Putts said:

At the course I played in my former town, they let us tee off before they were even hope -- jus told us not to run over the mowers and pay when we finished.  We would start around 6:15-6:30 and be done by 9:30 (4 walkers). They even put two buckets of range balls in the trash can underneath the liner, so we could warm up.  Best service ever!!

I guess that everybody doesn't watch late night television. 

[BMDubya]

I feel like you can never get out there too early! But….. the ideal time is that 2nd tee time! If you can get out then, you will score better! Especially with dew present! Seeing the breaks on the greens, with dew present, is like next level cheating! lol! That and not a lot of traffic on the greens early! Really does make a difference, imo. Only saying this, bc 2 out of my 3 lowest rounds, had been early in the am. And both happened to be the 2nd group off, 1 in a tournament.

[JeremyD]

If I was allowed to tee off at 6 am or and could pay after, I would. The two 9 hole courses around here open at 8 am. it's awful. Back home, I could get out at 530 and be home and get ready for work when I was a member of a course

[RetiredBoomer]

I see that we don't have too many night owls around here--unless they play golf BEFORE they go to bed!

[EMacK1961]

The guys I play golf with tee off around 8am. You can go as early as 7 but that doesn't give me the warm-up time that I need.

[shutermclovin]

Tee time is whatever time sunrise is. Our Saturday money game has 3-8 players, will be allowed to go off as a 5 some, and the longest we've played as such was 3.5 hrs, no gimmes, no rushing, handicaps ranging from 3-25. Ready golf, 1 practice swing. I don't like getting up that early, but I also don't like spending 5+ hrs on a golf course, waiting on every shot. I wish courses would grow backbones and enforce pace-of-play. 

[Robo729]

On the weekends my group is the 1st tee time out at the course. We are done in 3 to 3 1/2 hours. Weekends are way too busy to go any later. 
during the week I usually go out between 12&1 after the clubs have gone out and before the get out of work early wave. 
 

[UDUB1861]

Not a big fan of getting out early, but could get out at 6:30 if I could wake up

[Dr Tee]

we tee it up at 5:30 by necessity in Arizona's summer months !

[NJ Teacher]

Earliest I've teed off is 7AM but that's only because I can never snag any of the super early tee times! It's the best feeling to be out there early. Courses look gorgeous, greens are rolling slow from the morning dew and pace of play is fast. In July and August when temps get into the triple digits it's the best time to play.