Playing Golf Alone (And Why You Should)

I want you to try something this week.

Book a tee time. For one.

Not because your buddies bailed. Not because you couldn't find a fourth. On purpose. Deliberately. Tell the pro shop it's just you, and don't apologize for it.

The first time I played alone, I felt weird about it. Like going to a restaurant solo or seeing a movie by yourself — it shouldn't feel transgressive, but somehow it does. Golf is supposed to be social. Four players, two carts, trash talk, side bets, someone always telling you the putt breaks left when it clearly breaks right.

And golf is social. That's a huge part of why we love it. But there's another version of the game that most weekend golfers never experience, and it's the version where nobody is watching.

The Performance Anxiety You Don't Know You Have

Here's something you won't admit: you play differently when people are watching.

Not just on the first tee — that anxiety is well-documented and universally shared. I'm talking about the subtle performance pressure that exists throughout an entire round with your group. The tiny, constant awareness that someone might see your shot.

You step up to a 150-yard par 3 over water. With your foursome watching, you're thinking about result. Will it clear? Will they see me chunk it? Should I hit one more club to be safe? What if I blade it over the green — that's worse than dunking it because at least water is nature's fault.

Alone? You're thinking about process. You pick your club. You commit to the shot. You swing. If it goes in the water, nobody saw it. If it stiffs the pin, nobody saw that either. The outcome doesn't carry social weight. It just... happened. And you respond to it and move on.

That removal of social consequence changes everything. You start experimenting. You try the flop shot you'd never attempt in front of your group because shanking a flop shot is the most embarrassing thing in golf. You play the aggressive line over the bunker instead of the safe bail-out because there's no one to witness the failure.

And something funny happens: you start playing better. Not because you're magically more talented alone. Because you're finally playing without a governor on your instincts.

The Pace of One

A solo round takes about two hours if the course is empty. Two hours.

Let that sink in. The round that normally takes four and a half hours — because someone in the group ahead is lining up their 8-foot putt for a snowman like it's the US Open — takes two hours when it's just you.

You walk to your ball. You hit it. You walk to where it went. You hit it again. There's no waiting, no "you're away," no group deliberation about whether that was actually out of bounds or just on the line.

Weekday afternoons are golden for this. Most courses are happy to send out a single, especially after 2 PM when pace slows down and gaps open up. You'll often get waved through by slower groups who see you're alone and moving fast. Some courses even have single-friendly tee time policies.

Pro tip: Call the pro shop directly and ask when they typically have openings for singles. Tuesday and Wednesday afternoons are almost universally the emptiest slots. Some courses will even discount the rate for a single because you're filling a slot that would otherwise go empty.

What You'll Actually Work On

Without the social structure of a group round, you get to decide what this round is for.

Want to play two balls on every hole? Go ahead. Nobody's waiting. Hit your normal shot, then try the aggressive option. Compare results. You'll learn more about your game in one solo round with two balls than in five regular rounds.

Want to spend 20 minutes on the practice green between nines? Do it. Putt until your stroke feels grooved. There's no group waiting to tee off behind you.

Want to skip a hole because the green is backed up and play the par 3 twice instead? Your round, your rules.

This is where solo golf becomes something more than just "golf without friends." It becomes practice that doesn't feel like practice. You're on a real course, with real lies, real wind, real pressure — but with the freedom to experiment and repeat.

I've broken through more swing plateaus during solo rounds than I ever have on the range. The range is artificial. Solo golf is real golf with a sandbox mentality.

The Meditation Thing (Without Being Annoying About It)

I'm not going to tell you golf is meditation. Every golf writer does that, and it's become a cliché that makes the whole thing sound like a Headspace ad.

But I will say this: walking 18 holes alone, with no conversation and no phone buzzing, for two and a half hours on a weekday afternoon, is one of the last places in modern life where your brain gets to be quiet.

Not "mindfulness quiet" where you're actively trying to think about nothing, which is just thinking about thinking about nothing and is exhausting. Actually quiet. Where you're walking on grass, looking at trees, smelling whatever that one flower is on the 7th hole, and your only decision is whether to hit 8 or 9 iron.

Your brain will resist it for the first three holes. It'll want to compose emails, replay arguments, plan tomorrow. By the 5th hole, it gives up and just... watches the ball flight. That's the good stuff.

The Social Contract

Some people will think it's weird. Your spouse might ask why you're going to play golf alone when you could be doing literally anything else. Your golf buddies might give you a hard time.

Ignore it. Or don't — just go play and don't announce it.

There's an unspoken assumption that golf requires a group, that the point of the game is the company. And most of the time, that's true. Your Saturday morning foursome is sacred. The buddy trip is non-negotiable. The member-guest is a highlight of the year.

But solo golf isn't a replacement for social golf. It's a complement. It's the round where you remember why you started playing this game before it became about handicaps and bets and who's buying at the turn.

You started because hitting a ball and watching it fly is, at its core, deeply satisfying. And somewhere in the middle of group dynamics and scorecards and the constant measuring of yourself against your friends, that simple satisfaction can get buried.

Playing alone digs it back up.

How to Do It

Booking: Call the pro shop. "Hi, I'd like to book a tee time for one." That's it. They do this all day. Some online booking systems make singles difficult — a phone call is easier.

When: Weekday afternoons, especially Tuesday through Thursday. Late morning on weekdays works too. Avoid Saturday and Sunday mornings — you'll get paired with strangers, which defeats the purpose. For more on timing your rounds, check out the best time to play golf.

Walking vs. Riding: Walk if you can. The rhythm of walking is half the experience. If it's July in Florida and the course is 7,200 yards with no shade, take the cart and don't be a hero.

Two balls: Highly recommended. Play your "real" ball for score and a second ball for experimentation. Drop the second ball score at the end — your handicap only needs the one.

Phone: Leave it in the bag. Seriously. Check it at the turn if you must. But the point of this round is to not be reachable for two hours. The world will survive.

Headphones: Controversial. Some solo golfers love music or a podcast on the course. I'd say try it without first. If silence feels unbearable, throw something on. But give quiet a chance. You might be surprised how little you miss the noise.

The First Time

Your first solo round will feel slightly uncomfortable. That's normal. You'll be hyper-aware that you're alone, especially if you see other groups. You might rush. You might feel self-conscious.

By the 4th or 5th hole, that fades. By the back nine, you won't want it to end.

And when you rejoin your foursome the following Saturday, you'll notice something: you're playing a little looser. A little more confident. You tried some things during your solo round that worked, and now they're in your bag — literally and figuratively.

Your buddies will ask what changed. You don't have to tell them.

Or tell them everything and watch them book their own solo round by Wednesday.

If you're struggling with the idea that golf should always be social, read how to enjoy golf when you're not good — it's a mindset shift that pairs perfectly with solo rounds. And if you find yourself booking solo tee times multiple times a week, you might want to review the signs you're addicted to golf.

Either way — go play. Just you and the course. See what happens.

updatedAt: "2026-03-15"

Solo rounds are the perfect time to work on your game. Bring a 5-minute warm-up, pick the best time to tee off, and if you're in the Orlando area, here are the best public courses in Central Florida.