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If the stars never seem to align for you on the golf course, your chance to see it happen in the astronomical sense is just around the corner.
On April 8, 2024, a total solar eclipse makes it way across America for the first time since August of 2017, and the last time until August of 2044.
In 2017, the eclipse was perfectly timed and oriented for golfers, tracing a path from Oregon gradually south and east through parts of Georgia and the Carolinas. Golfers looking to take advantage of the 2024 solar eclipse will need to rely a little more on a better-than-average early-spring forecast, especially in certain parts of the route.
Nevertheless, the event will draw millions of visitors to locations all along a southwest-to-northeast path from Mexico up into Canada. In the United States, millions will be treated to at least a partial solar eclipse, while the path of totality - the 115-mile-wide band that will witness the moon crossing completely in front of the sun - will fall across parts of 13 states. In order of timing, totality will occur in select slices of Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Missouri, Illinois, Kentucky, Indiana, Ohio, Pennsylvania, New York, Vermont, New Hampshire and Maine.
Dozens of golf courses fall somewhere along the route the 2024 solar eclipse will take across North America and, with a little cooperation from the weather, thousands of golfers will go home that Monday evening with a rare golf memory.
Many facilities are gearing up for the eclipse by putting together special events. “[We are] excited to have our resident golfers and members join us for an exhilarating solar eclipse 'path of totality' watch party on our back patio and driving range," said Tony Trevino, general manager of Heritage Ranch Golf & Country Club in McKinney, Texas. "The day promises plenty of golf, delicious food, and fun, all while witnessing the eclipse from 12:23 to 3:02 pm.”
Firestone Country Club in Akron, Ohio will host its own eclipse soirée for members and guests, with multiple viewing spots and the unveiling of a new beer from local brewery Missing Mountain named after Tiger Woods' famous "Shot in the Dark" en route to winning the 2000 WGC-NEC Invitational. Firestone now allows stay-and-play visits from non-members, who may find themselves in the middle of the eclipse action, too. Chances are someone is going to get to replicate Woods' shot on the South Course's 18th hole in darkness, but in the mid-afternoon.
Some golf resorts have found themselves booked up ahead of the event - Horseshoe Bay Resort near Austin, Texas, is hosting hundreds of astrophysicists who will be observing the event. Of course, they're likely to be studying the eclipse rather than filling the tee sheets, so players at all four of Horseshoe Bay's golf courses - Apple Rock, Ram Rock, Slick Rock and the private Summit Rock - will get a front-row seat to the event. They will also be given ISO-certified glasses before teeing off to protect their eyes from exposure to the intense light that emanates from the sun during an eclipse.
Horseshoe Bay sits just a few miles from the center of the path of totality, so golfers there will witness four full minutes of complete obscuration from 1:34 pm to 1:38 pm local time. The entire eclipse will be visible from 12:16 pm to just shy of 3:00 pm local time.
Solar eclipse 2024: These 2 golf courses sit directly on the center of the "path of totality"
Tracing the entire path of the solar eclipse using this great interactive Google Map reveals just two American golf courses that touch the very center of the path of totality, meaning the sun will be covered up for the longest time.
Arrowhead Park Golf Course
Minster, Ohio
Partial eclipse time (all times local): 1:54 pm - 4:25 pm
Totality: 3:09 pm - 3:13 pm
Watertown Golf Club
Watertown, N.Y.
Partial eclipse time: 2:10 pm - 4:35 pm
Totality: 3:22 pm - 3:26 pm
A third North American golf course also sits on the path of totality for the 2024 solar eclipse: the Club de Golf Lac Megantic in Quebec.
13 other golf courses and resorts where golfers can glimpse the 2024 solar eclipse
The overall path of totality covers dozens of golf courses, including some significant resorts and beloved public layouts. Here are 11 more golf courses and resorts across the United States that will experience some amount of totality - weather-willing - during the 2024 solar eclipse:
Stonetree Golf Club
Killeen, Texas
Partial eclipse time: 12:18 pm - 2:59 pm
Totality: 1:36 pm - 1:40 pm
Heritage Ranch G&CC
Fairview, Texas
Partial eclipse time: 12:23 pm - 3:02 pm
Totality: 1:41 pm - 1:45 pm
Hot Springs Hotel & Resort
Hot Springs, Ark.
Partial eclipse time: 12:31 pm - 3:10 pm
Totality: 1:49 pm - 1:53 pm
French Lick Resort
French Lick, Ind.
Partial eclipse time: 1:48 pm - 4:22 pm
Totality: 3:04 pm - 3:07 pm
The Pfau Course at Indiana University
Bloomington, Ind.
Partial eclipse time: 1:49 pm - 4:22 pm
Totality: 3:04 pm - 3:08 pm
Brickyard Crossing Golf Course
Indianapolis, Ind.
Partial eclipse time: 1:50 pm - 4:23 pm
Totality: 3:06 pm - 3:09 pm
Purgatory Golf Club
Noblesville, Ind.
Partial eclipse time: 1:51 pm - 4:23 pm
Totality: 3:06 pm - 3:10 pm
Firestone Country Club
Akron, Ohio
Partial eclipse time: 1:49 pm - 4:29 pm
Totality: 3:14 pm - 3:16 pm
Manakiki Golf Course
Willoughby, Ohio
Partial eclipse time: 1:59 pm - 4:29 pm
Totality: 3:14 pm - 3:17 pm
Seneca Hickory Stick Golf Course
Lewiston, N.Y.
Partial eclipse time: 2:05 pm - 4:32 pm
Totality: 3:18 pm - 3:21 pm
Lake Placid Club
Lake Placid, N.Y.
Partial eclipse time: 2:13 pm - 4:36 pm
Totality: 3:25 pm - 3:28 pm
Champlain Country Club - Swanton, Vt.
Partial eclipse time: 2:14 pm - 4:37 pm
Totality: 3:26 pm - 3:29 pm
Sugarloaf Resort
Carrabassett Valley, Maine
Partial eclipse time: 2:18 pm - 4:39 pm
Totality: 3:29 pm - 3:32 pm
Are you planning to play golf along the path of the 2024 total solar eclipse? Let us know where you're headed in the comments below.
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