Now Is the Time to Golf in Wisconsin

I’ve been spending an awful lot of time at the golf course lately. In my off hours from the textbooks, I’ve been scampering to the Legend at Bergamont, a nice track located in Oregon, Wis. The only thing is, almost all of those hours have been spent working in the golf shop on Fridays and Sundays instead of on the course, playing.

Even though I haven’t been playing, I’ve been observant. The increased time around the golf course this fall has taught me one thing: now is the time to golf in Wisconsin.

My busy schedule only allows for golf in spurts, so most recently it came in the form of nine holes late last Tuesday evening. I finished Tuesday classes, threw on my white slacks, grabbed a roommate and teed off around 6 pm.

The sun was setting over the course and its fairways, lined with luxury upon luxury of houses and cars parked out front. It was warm enough for us to play in polos, but cool enough where we weren’t sweating. Besides the darkness rendering our shots near invisible by the final hole, the golf was 100 percent enjoyable, even without a single birdie.

Three days later, on Friday, I was back to working, this time as a starter for the first time in my life. I sat on the first tee in my slacks and shirt as the wind turned and the temperature dropped. I sent off countless players wearing golf shorts and windbreakers; not your typical combination.

As blustery as it may have been, from what my eyes could gather, the golf was still enjoyable, even if a majority of the tee shots trended toward fescue instead of fairway. It was much colder than Tuesday evening, probably 15 degrees or so, but it was still warm enough to whack the ball around without losing the feeling in your fingertips.

It was the last day of summer, and right on cue, it felt like fall in Wisconsin — crisp but comfortable. Part of it may have been watching others golf, but I couldn’t help but think the conditions were absolutely ideal. I wanted to play so badly, but was limited to a club-less rendition of my swing when no one was watching.

The weather on that Tuesday and Friday represented a lot of what golfers will find throughout September and October in Wisconsin. School might be back in session and the leaves will turn from green to yellow, but the golf course won’t be changing for the worse. In fact, the golf course will likely even be more open, offering more spontaneous rounds and opportunity to zip around the course at any pace.

The start-time temperature might be a bit chillier, but could never be too cool for Wisconsinites. The wind might be a bit gustier, but all it would do is litter the course in color as those leaves fall into the rough.

The day starts later and it ends earlier, but if you can grab one of the tee times in between, you’re bound to enjoy it. Welcome to my favorite golf time of year.