Best Golf Trips in September
September is the connoisseur's month. The summer crowds thin, the north is still fully in season, and the Southeast starts its second peak. Firm turf, fewer people, shoulder rates creeping back in — a lot of folks who take one trip a year take it now.
How we rankedRanking blends a destination's typical weather and course-open window for the month with its peak-vs-shoulder season — the same read a group does when it asks "where's actually good to golf right now, and where are we overpaying for it." It's a planning heuristic, not a forecast.
Where to play in September
Monterey, CA
The bucket-list capital of American golf
Carmel-by-the-Sea, CA
Storybook village, world-class golf, and Carmel Valley wine
Palm Desert, CA
PGA West, Stadium glory, and the valley's best public courses
San Diego, CA
Torrey Pines, perfect weather, and Gaslamp nightlife
Palm Springs, CA
Sunshine, mid-century cool, and wall-to-wall desert golf
Napa, CA
Wine country golf, big-cabernet nights, and Silverado
Sonoma, CA
Laid-back wine country with public golf and a real plaza scene
Los Angeles, CA
Cliffside Trump National, sneaky-good munis, and big-city nights
Ojai, CA
A storied valley resort, mountain light, and a quiet luxury escape
Santa Barbara, CA
Oceanfront Sandpiper, Spanish-style nights, and beach-town golf
Temecula, CA
Wine country, casino nights, and value golf between LA and San Diego
Truckee, CA
High-Sierra mountain golf above Lake Tahoe
Half Moon Bay, CA
Two oceanfront 18s at the Ritz, 30 minutes from SFO
Sacramento, CA
Value golf, a real downtown, and wine country at the edges
Carlsbad, CA
North County beaches, resort golf, and the Omni La Costa
San Francisco, CA
Major-championship muni golf with a world-class city behind it
Bakersfield, CA
Cheap, year-round golf and honky-tonk nights in Buck Owens country
South Lake Tahoe, CA
Lakeside championship golf with casinos a short walk away
Aptos, CA
MacKenzie's finest work and beach-town golf above Monterey Bay
Lompoc, CA
One of California's toughest public tests in quiet wine country
Bend, OR
High desert golf with a brewery on every corner
Williamsburg, VA
Historic Virginia golf with colonial charm and championship courses
Cape Cod, MA
Coastal New England golf with lobster and ocean breezes
Costa del Sol, Spain
Marbella & Sotogrande — Valderrama, Finca Cortesin, sun and beach clubs
Pick a spot, then let the planner build your September trip — up to three full itineraries at three price points.
Plan a September Trip →