What’s The Weather REALLY Like In Naples?
(And How Will It Affect Your Golf Game?)
Curious about Naples weather? I have officially lived in Southwest Florida for a year now, so here is my personal take on a full trip around the sun in Naples! More importantly, I’m going to let you in on how it might affect your golf game.
Now I’ll be honest, as a former desert dweller (Phoenix is home), one of the things that I was most worried about prior to moving was the Florida weather. Could I handle the humidity? Is it really as hot as many people say? What about hurricanes? Granted, everyone handles heat, humidity and the threat of natural disasters a little differently, but I’m here to tell you, I have been pleasantly surprised with Naples’ tropical-weather year round, EVEN in the summer.
In a nutshell, Naples sees on average around 264 days of sunshine per year, 54 inches of rain, average highs range from the mid-70’s to mid-90’s, and average lows from the mid-50’s to the mid-70’s, depending on the month. Yes, there is humidity, but that’s just a fact of life in Florida. Other than that, not too shabby.
Here’s a look at the average weather in Naples, Florida by month.
January
– Ring in the New Year in absolute paradise and near-perfect golf weather! January is on average the coolest month in Naples coming in with a brisk average high of 76 degrees. Some early morning rounds might call for a beanie and cart gloves but other than that, you’ll often find many golfers teeing it up in the middle of the day in shorts, a polo, and maybe a light jacket (the native Floridians will probably be a little more bundled up)! Your round won’t start too early though because sunrise in January is around the 7:15 AM mark and sunset is around 6:00 PM, just enough time to squeeze in that E-Nine!
Average High: 76*
Average Low: 53*
Average Precipitation: 2.1 in
February
– Just another fantastic month in the “Golf Capital of the World.” February is a lot like January with regards to golf weather, perfect. Because of the phenomenal winter weather, courses are obviously at their busiest, so it might be necessary to plan your tee times well in advance. Also, if it starts to get a little slow, just remember, you could be shoveling snow. Yes, that rhymed. Okay moving on…On average, February sees a little more precipitation than January so occasionally you might need to toss your rain gear in your bag, but other than that, enjoy!
Average High: 78*
Average Low: 55*
Average Precipitation: 2.4 in
Hold up. It’s the middle of winter, are there frost delays in Naples?
The winter weather in Naples is darn near perfect but of course there are going to be those days that are unseasonably cold, hot, rainy, windy, humid, etc. There are even the occasional frost delays. Inland Naples, generally East of 75 and or Collier Blvd. is a little cooler on average than the “City of Naples” and will typically have 1-5 soft frost delays per winter. Rarely do we ever see back-to-back frost delays though! Okay moving on to March…
March
– By the time March rolls around, your handicap hopefully has gotten lower from getting so much golf in! March brings more fabulous weather and a little more warmth as the average high temperature now has an “8” in front of it! We will also see daylight savings time on March 12th of 2017, so the days start to get longer, perfect for getting EVEN MORE golf in!
Average High: 80*
Average Low: 58*
Average Precipitation: 2.3 in
April
– April is one of my favorite months because the chaos of “Season” starts to slow down. Historically, snowbirds tend to leave town after Easter, which falls on April 16th in 2017. The courses are a little less crowded, not to mention it’s not too hot, not too humid, and there’s still very little rain! You sold on Naples yet?
Average High: 84*
Average Low: 62*
Average Precipitation: 2.3 in
May
– You have officially made it to the “Off-Season.” Most of the snowbirds have cleared out but there is still relatively nice golf weather to be had. The average high is still below 90 and the average precipitation remains on the lower side, I’ll take it. Now through October is when almost all of the public courses drop their rates and if you are member at a club, there’s a good chance your club participates in Naples’ reciprocal golf program. May is the perfect month for those that like to tee off a little earlier or later because the days are longer. May 15th you are looking at a 6:41 AM sunrise and 8:07 PM sunset. However, in between rounds, might I suggest you start planning that summer golf trip…
Average High: 89*
Average Low: 68*
Average Precipitation: 3.4 in
June
– Alright, I’ll be honest, you might really start to feel the burn in June as the average temperature is now in the nineties plus that little thing called humidity is back with a vengeance. In addition, your rain gear should now be a permanent staple in your bag because the average precipitation more than doubles from May! This is the time the afternoon showers start rolling in like clockwork, usually anywhere from noon and on! So basically you want to try to get your golf game in early because the afternoons are usually hit or miss. The good news is, if the rain clears in the afternoon and you are able to tee it up, the rain does cool things off a bit, keyword, a bit.
Average High: 91*
Average Low: 73*
Average Precipitation: 8.9 in
July
– July is the hottest month on average and the rainiest. This equates to steamy and rather uncomfortable for most. Yes there are the troopers that play, but you know that golf trip I mentioned earlier you should start planning? I hope you planned it for July. Here’s an idea, The Open Championship falls on July 16th – 23rd at Royal Birkdale in the U.K. Moral of the story, if you have the opportunity to get out of town in July, take it!
Average High: 93*
Average Low: 73*
Average Precipitation: 9.2 in
August – September
– I’m lumping these months together because they are basically the same, you could almost call them evil twins. Okay I’m being dramatic, they really aren’t THAT bad. They are very similar to July though, hot and rainy. Sure playing golf in these months is bearable (for most), there are some great golf deals, and you will most likely have the course to yourself, but might I suggest you take advantage of the local restaurant deals Naples is famous for in the “Off-Season” or just go float in the gulf or the pool, and maybe don’t come out until October.
August
Average High: 93*
Average Low: 74*
Average Precipitation: 9.0 in
September
Average High: 92*
Average Low: 74*
Average Precipitation: 8.7 in
October
– Hooray, you survived June through September and made it to our so-called “shoulder season.” FINALLY the temps are starting to trend back down, Not to be a dream killer but you aren’t totally in the clear yet. I probably should have mentioned that hurricane season is technically June 1-November 30, so there’s that. On the positive side, the average high temperature is back in the 80’s and the rain average is less than half of what you saw in September. If you’ve been hiding from the heat and rain, time to start practicing because the official golf season is just around the corner!
Average High: 88*
Average Low: 69*
Average Precipitation: 3.8 in
November
– It’s officially golf season in Naples! From here on out, the next 5 months give reason to why so many golfers choose to winter in or call Naples home. This month you’ll see the LPGA Tour come to Naples with the CME Group Tour Championship. You’ll also see lower temperatures, lower humidity, and hopefully for you, lower scores!
Average High: 83*
Average Low: 62*
Average Precipitation: 2.1 in
December
– It’s the most, wonderful, time of the year! Check the stats below. Enough said. I’m keeping this one short because I’ve got an 8:00 AM tee time tomorrow and I need to be there with bells on. Guess what tomorrow is? December 15th. Guess what the forecast is? Sunny with a high of 79 degrees. Boom, I’ll take it. Night night.
Average High: 78*
Average Low: 56*
Average Precipitation: 1.7 in
