I want to come over and play in the USA but.........

Soovy · May 22, 2014

[quote name='rsj1360' timestamp='1400777666' post='9347641']
Also, are you trying to kill the guy? New Zealand, if I am not mistaken, has a very temperate climate. And you are telling him to go play in 110 degree (43 celsius) heat? Why not recommend someplace like Bandon Dunes?
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Don't worry rsj, I don't think I'll die and I'd much prefer a hot quiet course over a cool but busy one.

My local course can be 100 degrees in peak Summer and we still play.

I remember arriving in Palm Springs mid-afternoon a few years ago and it was 117 degrees, I definitely wouldn't have wanted to play in that (even the hotel pool was hot!) but I assume an early morning round would have been much cooler.

I'm listening to the advice from members and browsing the 'net using your information - my word you lucky people have some extraordinary golf courses and your club houses and infrastructure are otherworldly relative to what's on offer over here.

StezzGolfer · May 22, 2014

The grass is always greener, Kiwi.

Plus, we dont have Gandolf, Bilbo and the likes by us. Been to Hobbiton lately?

highdraw69 · May 30, 2014

if you want to come to the Minneapolis area, I will be more than happy to be your golf "tour" guide and hit up several fun to play, reasonably priced courses...I want to get to NZ in a year or so, and would be interested in getting your wisdom on such a trip; I can pretty much guarantee that you will play with friendly people in a non-confrontational setting, and I can plot the courses so you don't get bogged down on a weekend muni with an overly long round (summer rounds here on a nice course will basically run 4-4 1/2 hours unless you get out at the crack of dawn)

az2au · May 30, 2014

I regularly walk and carry in AZ during the summer months. On the rare Friday I get the chance to play it will be in the afternoon and, yep, still walk and carry. Doesn't bother me at all. I have never been in a situation where it was too hot to play golf but I sure as heck have been in weather where it was too cold to play.

I've spent a few weeks in Auckland and basically it is Scotland in the Southern Hemisphere so he will likely struggle with the heat if he doesn't take some time to get used to it. Other than that, no big deal.

dirthead · May 30, 2014

[quote name='rsj1360' timestamp='1400777496' post='9347603']
[quote name='dirthead' timestamp='1400697710' post='9340897']
Come to Phoenix in July or August. You can play virtually any course here for under $50 in the afternoon and finish in about 3 - 3.5 hours.
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It was years ago, so I can't remember the specifics, but I played once in the Phoenix area. What I do remember was that 1) it was hotter than hell, 2) it was late afternoon, 3) they told me the course "close" at such-and-such hour, 4) they came and got me and escorted me off the course (around hole 13 I'd guess) at that hour, and 5) there was plenty of daylight left.

I thought that was very odd.
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It is definitely hot here in the summer. 110 plus every day. That's why the golf is so cheap. I grew up in Texas, where it was 98 to 103 and much more humid every day. I have no issue with the heat. It is actually bearable. I was in Hawaii a few years ago. 89 degrees and 99 percent humidity. MUCH hotter feeling than Phoenix in the summer. Someone coming from a temperate environment will have issues no doubt. It's hot. If you are used to heat, don't let the temp number scare you. It's not that bad, especially if you play in the morning.

Cspackler6 · May 30, 2014

Coming all that way to golf in the desert in the summer sounds like a bad idea. If u come in the summer go as far north as u can and adjust accordingly to when you travel here. If you have traveled it north/south/east/west then you should know you can find around the right temp...US is pretty big.

Soovy · May 31, 2014

[quote name='highdraw69' timestamp='1401486510' post='9398721']
if you want to come to the Minneapolis area, I will be more than happy to be your golf "tour" guide and hit up several fun to play, reasonably priced courses...I want to get to NZ in a year or so, and would be interested in getting your wisdom on such a trip;
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Thankyou Highdraw, nice offer and more than happy to reciprocate.

If you want very quiet, picturesque and affordable courses you'll love it here - but if you crave swanky club houses, swimming pools, gymnasiums and on site hotels you need to look a little harder, golf course infrastructure can be quite basic and often there's no-one on site to pay green fees to let alone rangers or cart girls.
Best time to visit is Oct to Mid December or Mid February to April, that way you miss the cold Winter and the tourist onslaught at Christmas and New Year.

To the poster that said "Auckland is basically Scotland" you're about 1000 miles out, Auckland has a much warmer climate, especially in Winter whereas 1000 miles to the south lies the the city of Dunedin and that's the one that has 'Scottish' weather.

I live in between those two cities and this weeks maximum daytime temps (Winter) have ranged between 45 and 75 depending on if the wind comes from the South (Antarctic, cold) or North (Pacific, warm).

A few days spent playing at some courses in Palm Springs in the morning to beat the heat followed by lunch, a dip in the hotel pool, afternoon nap and a few holes in the early evening is appealing to me.