The Best Golf Destinations for Thanksgiving Week
The long Thanksgiving weekend lands right as the warm corners of the golf map hit their stride. The desert season opens, Florida dries out, and the resorts of Mexico and the Caribbean glow. Here are the eight destinations we send groups to for the holiday week, what makes each one work in late November, and how to turn a long weekend into a proper golf trip.
Photo: TPC Scottsdale via Google, by TPC Network.
How we chose
Thanksgiving week rewards one decision above all: go where it is warm and dry. We weighted late November weather first, because nobody books a holiday golf trip to play in the cold, then layered on the quality and depth of courses, the ease of gathering a group over a holiday weekend, and the value on offer before the deepest winter peak. The result splits into two kinds of trip. The warm Sun Belt of the United States, led by the desert Southwest and Florida, is reachable, reliable and stacked with great public golf. Just beyond it, the resorts of Los Cabos and the Caribbean trade a slightly longer flight for oceanfront drama and all inclusive ease.
A word on timing. This is the start of peak season in every destination below, and it is one of the busiest travel weeks of the year, so flights, lodging and tee times all need booking well ahead. Every rate moves with the calendar, so treat any pricing as indicative and always confirm directly before booking. These are our editorial picks, ordered for the traveling golfer chasing the surest combination of weather, quality and a good time over the holiday.
The eight best Thanksgiving golf destinations
Scottsdale and Phoenix, Arizona
Thanksgiving is when the Arizona desert truly switches on. Temperatures settle into the comfortable seventies, the humidity is gone, and the fairways run firm beneath the saguaros. Scottsdale offers the deepest stack of resort and daily fee golf anywhere in the country, from the Stadium Course at TPC Scottsdale to the dramatic desert layouts in the McDowell foothills, which makes it the natural pick for a group that wants quality, variety and easy logistics.
It is our first choice for a buddies trip over the holiday: short transfers, world class courses and lively dining. See our best golf courses in Scottsdale and Phoenix, the Scottsdale and Phoenix hub, and build it with a Scottsdale buddies golf trip.
Florida
Florida is the easy answer for a reason. By late November the summer heat and storms have passed, leaving warm, settled days across the peninsula and the largest concentration of golf courses on the planet. Orlando suits families combining golf with the theme parks, Naples and the southwest coast bring a quieter, more upscale resort feel, and Palm Beach delivers the polished East Coast version. Direct flights from almost everywhere make it the simplest holiday trip to pull together.
Explore golf in Florida, the Naples and southwest Florida hub, and put it together with a Florida golf holiday.
Pinehurst and the Carolina Sandhills
For a more traditional Thanksgiving, the Carolina Sandhills are crisp and beautiful in late November once the summer humidity has broken. Pinehurst is the home of American golf, its village built around a clutch of storied courses led by the restored No. 2, and the whole resort is made for a multi day, multi course pilgrimage. Days are cooler than the desert or Florida, so pack a layer, but the firm sandy turf and the sense of history are unmatched.
See our best courses in Pinehurst and the Sandhills, the Pinehurst hub, and a Pinehurst golf holiday.
Los Cabos, Mexico
If you want to cross a border for guaranteed sun, Los Cabos is the standout. Late November on the tip of Baja is close to perfect, warm and rainless, and the golf is genuinely world class, with desert meeting ocean on signature designs strung along the Sea of Cortez. It is a short hop from the southern United States, the resorts are superb, and a holiday week here feels like a true escape while keeping travel times manageable.
Browse the best golf courses in Los Cabos, the Los Cabos hub, and a Los Cabos golf holiday.
The Caribbean
The Caribbean turns reliably gorgeous as Thanksgiving arrives, with the wet season fading into warm, breezy days. The Dominican Republic leads for golf, headlined by Casa de Campo and the cliff hugging Teeth of the Dog, and the all inclusive resorts make it an effortless trip for couples and families as much as golfers. Pick an oceanfront course, a good resort and let the week unfold at island pace.
See the best luxury golf resorts in the Caribbean, golf in the Dominican Republic, and an all inclusive Caribbean golf trip.
San Diego and the Southern California coast
Southern California keeps its mild, sunny temperament right through the holiday, and San Diego is the pick of it for golf. The clifftop muni at Torrey Pines is a genuine United States Open course anyone can book, the coast is dotted with resort layouts, and the city itself is one of the most pleasant places in the country to spend a week. Daylight is shorter than in summer, so favour earlier tee times.
Read our guide to Torrey Pines tee times, the San Diego hub, and plan a San Diego golf holiday.
Texas Hill Country
The Hill Country west of Austin and San Antonio is an underrated holiday option, with mild late November days, rolling limestone terrain and a cluster of excellent resort courses anchored by the big stay and play properties. It pairs golf with barbecue, live music and Texan hospitality, and it tends to offer better value than the marquee destinations while still delivering serious golf for a group.
Explore golf in the Texas Hill Country, the wider Texas golf scene, and a Texas Hill Country golf holiday.
Las Vegas
For a group that wants golf by day and a city humming by night, Las Vegas at Thanksgiving is hard to beat. The desert courses play cool and crisp in late November, the layouts range from sculpted resort designs to genuine high end statements, and everything else, the dining, the shows, the nightlife, is wide open over the holiday. Daylight is short and mornings are chilly, so book early times and warm up properly.
See the best golf courses in Las Vegas, the Las Vegas hub, and a Las Vegas golf holiday.
Selections are the editorial view of the GolfForKings desk, weighted for late November weather, course quality and ease of a holiday trip. Seasons and pricing change; always confirm current rates and tee times directly before booking.
Choosing between them
For the surest weather and the deepest golf with the least hassle, start with Scottsdale or Florida. For an overseas escape that still feels easy, Los Cabos and the Caribbean are the standouts, trading a little flight time for oceanfront drama and all inclusive comfort. For a classic, history rich golf pilgrimage, Pinehurst is the one, just pack a layer. And for golf wrapped in a bigger week away, San Diego, the Texas Hill Country and Las Vegas each blend fine courses with a city or a region worth lingering in.
Whichever you choose, the holiday week books up fast. Tell us your group, your dates and your priorities and we will match you to the right destination and handle the tee sheet, the lodging and the logistics, so the only thing left to plan is the dinner.
Plan a Thanksgiving golf trip
Tell us your group, your dates and your priorities, and a concierge matches you to the right warm weather destination, secures the tee times and books the lodging, costed to the head with no obligation.
Thanksgiving golf questions
Where is the best golf for Thanksgiving week?
Thanksgiving week is one of the best golf windows of the year for the warm corners of the United States and the resorts just south of it. Scottsdale and Phoenix in Arizona are at their finest as the desert season opens, Florida is warm and dry, and San Diego, the Texas Hill Country, Las Vegas, Pinehurst in the Carolina Sandhills and the resorts of Los Cabos and the Caribbean all play beautifully. Match the destination to your group and book early, because this is the start of peak season and tee sheets fill fast. Always confirm current rates before booking.
Is Thanksgiving week good for a golf trip?
Yes, if you head somewhere warm. Late November is prime season in the desert Southwest, Florida, Southern California and the Mexican and Caribbean resorts, with comfortable temperatures, low humidity and firm conditions. The long holiday weekend makes it an easy time to gather a group, though it is also a busy travel week, so book flights, lodging and tee times well in advance.
Are golf courses open on Thanksgiving Day?
Many resort and public courses in the warm weather destinations stay open on Thanksgiving Day itself, often with holiday tee times, while some private clubs close. Demand is high around the holiday, so reserve ahead and confirm the course is open on the day and the rate that applies, as policies and pricing vary by club and change without notice.
Where can you play warm golf overseas at Thanksgiving?
For warm golf just outside the United States at Thanksgiving, Los Cabos on the Baja peninsula and the Caribbean resorts such as Casa de Campo in the Dominican Republic are excellent, with reliable late November sunshine, dramatic oceanfront courses and all inclusive options. Both are short flights from the southern United States. Always confirm current rates and tee times directly before booking.
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Researched and written by the GolfForKings editorial desk. Destination weather windows and course context verified June 2026 from recognized golf travel sources; all pricing indicative and seasonal. Last reviewed June 2026.