By Bill Irwin
On a day overflowing with tradition—family gatherings, turkey and all the trimmings, parades and football—why not add a new one by making a tee time?
Playing golf on Thanksgiving Day can be one of the great underrated pleasures on the holiday calendar. Before the gravy boats come out and the remote control gets a workout, slipping in a round offers the perfect blend of fresh air, family time, and strategic avoidance of kitchen chaos. Think of it as a warm-up lap before the feast—or, depending on how many relatives are staying under the same roof, a much-needed sanity break.
Thanksgiving golf offers a host of benefits. Many golf courses stay open for something special on Thanksgiving Day, with features such as festive scrambles or Turkey Shoot shotgun starts to mark the occasion. In fact, we’ve got a full scorecard of reasons why teeing it up on Turkey Day might become your new go-to holiday tradition. So grab your favorite sweater, snag a prime morning tee time, and prepare to earn that second slice of pie. Here’s why Thanksgiving golf deserves a place at your holiday table.
Front Nine
1. Closing the book on the season
For many golfers, Thanksgiving is one of the final chances to play before winter settles in. For Canadians, who celebrate their Thanksgiving in mid-October, it often really is the last round of the season.
2. A trip back to where it all began
Thanksgiving often brings people home—and with it, the chance to tee it up on the course you grew up playing. There’s something special about walking those familiar fairways and reconnecting not just with family, but with the place where your golf story began.
