OSTEGO, Minn. – Usually December in Minnesota brings thoughts of shoveling snow – again – and checking whether the current temperature has a minus sign in front of it. A leisurely day on the golf course? Dreams for a summer day.
But not this December. The weather pattern has been so mild across the North in recent weeks that some golf courses in Minnesota have reopened.
“2023 has been amazing weather for Minnesota and Minnesota golfers,” golf course owner Chris Sauer told FOX Weather on Saturday.
Sauer and his wife operate three golf courses just outside Minneapolis. He said their Riverwood National Course has already reopened for a four-day stretch in early December, and it’s reopened again for four days this week through Sunday. The golf season typically runs from April through October before Mother Nature puts Minnesota into the deep freeze and forces golfers to throw in the towel.
This year has been anything but typical. Minneapolis has had just 1.8 inches of snow so far this season, and temperatures during the first half of December are running more than 8 degrees above average.
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Since Nov. 29, Minneapolis has only had two days with a high temperature below freezing, and just one day with a low under 20 degrees. Four days in December have reached over 45 degrees, including a high of 52 on Dec. 14. The average high at this time of year is 29 degrees.
“We’ve been very fortunate to be open in December,” Sauer said. “We had a little bit of a late start this spring, but certainly, being open in December has made up for things.”
He said his courses have had record numbers of rounds played this year, ranging from 36,000 to 38,000.
“It’s been a great year for Minnesota golfers,” he said.
He said the bonus winter golfing has been popular. He said he was expecting a group of 50 to come to one of his courses Saturday, even with the threat of a little light rain or snow in the forecast.
With the ground still cold, he said the courses need only minimal attention. His crews raked the bunkers Friday, and they left the tee areas unmarked in the hopes golfers would spread out their initial shot to keep down wear on the course.
“The ground is still slightly frozen, so there’s not a whole lot of maintenance to do in Minnesota in December,” he said.
The long-range forecast showed that continued above-average temperatures are expected to be par for the course in the Upper Midwest.
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“We’re playing it by ear, day to day, to see how long we’re going to stay open,” Sauer said.