If you have no problem spending an hour-plus in the clubhouse waiting out a frost delay, if you get excited for a sunny 45-degree weather forecast, and if your golf wardrobe includes multiple pairs of cold-weather golf gloves, chances are you're a seasoned Long Island winter golfer.
The majority of local golfers put the finishing touches on their playing season when tee times are only delayed by rain, but to the rest — the frost-resistant — a brisk January afternoon might as well be July 4th under the hot summer sun. For them, the offseason months are worth the cold extremities and watery hot chocolates at the turn if it means wide-open fairways and greens at sharply reduced rates. It's an ideal time to tune up on the course without pressure or introduce a youngster to on-course play. And until the first major snow of the winter, there's typically little, if any, fall-off in ground conditions.
With a chilly forecast ahead, it's time to consider golf under the reign of Old Man Winter. He's hard to predict from one season to the next, which is why we've been pelted with hail on one New Year's Eve afternoon at North Woodmere, and years later sat five groups deep at the first tee at Bethpage Yellow during a 65-degree heat wave on New Year's Day. Every now and then the old man drops a holiday-season blizzard that puts the squash on much of the fun.
See also: Winter Golf on Long Island overview
All but a handful of Long Island's public courses keep the lights on through the winter, and since we consider golf a 12-month sport, Golf On Long Island attempts to accommodate the like-minded by posting available discount rates and specials through the offseason. At some courses, winter rates can be as low as two bucks a hole. Some include lunch. Check back for updated specials throughout the winter.
For a full primer on offseason golf, check out the Winter Golf on Long Island page, which will feature some of this season's special rates in addition to offers from previous years.