Can you go to School Year-Round at Golf Schools in Florida?

If you are considering attending a golf school or college, you may be wondering if you can go to school year-round in Florida. You'll be glad to know the answer is, "Yes, you can." Florida enjoys near-perfect golf weather the entire year. It doesn't rain much — most of the precipitation happens in the summer, if at all. The key is to find the golf college that gives you the right blend of education, degree, student life, faculty and training in addition to world-class golf facilities available year-round.

Number One Golf State

If you are interested in a golf career, Florida is a good state to get started. Winter temperatures average in the low 60s, while the average summer temperatures hover in the low 80s. The climate in the middle and northern portions of the state is humid subtropical, while the southern half is tropical savanna. It's dry from October to April for much of the state. Florida does not get much snow and ice — the northern border counties will occasionally see frost, sleet or snow, but it is rare. Setting aside extreme weather situations, you can play golf almost every day in Florida.

That's one reason why Golf magazine ranked it as the No. 1 state for golf. They mention the large number of PGA stars who live in Florida, the lack of income tax, the large number of courses — more than 1040, more than any other state — and the fantastic weather. Likewise, Golf Digest columnist Matt Ginella named Florida as one of his top ten states to play golf.

Championship Courses

So other than intermittent rain in the summer, weather is generally not an obstacle. But can you really go to school year-round at golf schools in Florida? It depends on the institution. Some golf schools have access to courses the whole year through.

For example, the College of Golf at Keiser University has access to several championship golf courses where play is available seven days a week all year. Other golf schools may have similar arrangements. Easy access to facilities is critical at a quality golf school so you can work on your game on a consistent basis.

While there are quality golf schools and colleges in colder climates, it's difficult to practice and play year-round, especially in the winter months. In Minnesota, it snows from November to March, with an extreme snowfall record of 170 annual inches. For other states like Oregon and Washington, rain is common throughout the winter and spring. Even Hawaii gets a lot of rain with 63 inches per year.

State Climates

The state that gets the most snow on average every year is Vermont, with a snow rating of just over 89 inches per year. Following close behind in average snowfall are New Hampshire, Maine, Alaska and Colorado. Each of these states gets more than 60 inches of snow annually. As you can imagine, Florida is one of the states that gets the least amount of snow. The others include Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi and Hawaii. In fact, with its favorable latitude and location in the middle of the ocean, Hawaii never gets any snow at all.

Some golf colleges may point to their indoor golf training facilities as an antidote to extreme weather conditions. While it is a plus to have a facility ready to go no matter what the weather is like outside, nothing is better than playing on real championship courses in the open air. Your game will get sharper faster when you consistently face real-world conditions such as difficult lies, shifting winds, changing pin locations, challenging greens and challenging bunkers. Indoor flat practice greens may be beneficial, but nothing will improve your putting like consistent play on world-class greens. To reach their you may need to go thought difficult terrain using off-road vehicles with tough tires.

Building Skills and Networking

There are other benefits of attending a golf college with access to championship courses that goes beyond the ability to play year-round. You can develop relationships with the management, staff and golf professionals at these courses, which gives you insight into the workaday world of a real golf operation. In addition, it builds your contacts and reputation in the industry, so when you are ready to graduate you already have ramped up your network and skills.

Florida has such a vast collection of courses, schools and colleges, driving ranges, fun-time family centers and other golf facilities that it offers many opportunities to land your first job and begin building a career in golf.