The best parts of fall golf, ranked

Fall golf has its downsides. Dwindling daylight means there's less time to play. Winter will be here before you know it. You constantly fear frost delays, aeration and a tee time behind a high-school match, a pace that makes a bad weather day at the Open seem like a sprint. Some of the PGA Tour's fields can be confused for 84 Lumber Classic reruns (shoutout to the perseverance of Kevin Stadler and J.J. Henry), and the Masters feels years away.

And yet, despite all of that, fall golf remains the best type of golf. Here are 12 highly unscientific reasons why:

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More weekend availability

College football and the NFL remove the casuals from the equation, meaning more tee times and less on-course traffic. Plus, you don't have to drive Junior to their Little League game. You probably have him enrolled in some type of fall baseball academy, but that's on you.

The weather sweet spot

In our not-so-humble opinion, 55 to 65 degrees—what connoisseurs consider the sweet spot for wine storage—applies to golf as well. No wonder Jim Nantz is a master of both. (Ed note: Chris Powers wanted to make sure "Overcast days are the G.O.A.T." was mentioned. No argument here.)

Ammo reloads

Autumn leaves get a bad rap for causing their share of lost balls, but with fescue and weeds thinning out, it is an great time to hunt around nooks and crannies for previously-MIA pellets. Sure, they're caked in mud and God knows what else, but they'll be perfect for your shag bag.

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(Less) great expectations

If you're an amateur, you shouldn't be too worried about your score in the first place. But we also understand the pressure and anxiety of playing well at the club championship, member-guest or your buddies' trip. Those worries can snuff out all the joys of the game. With these events now done for the season, average golfers can focus on the only thing that matters: having fun.

The trusty leaf rule

An errant tee shot in the spring or summer is a penalty. Post September, no matter how wild the drive, your opponent is likely to chalk up your ball's vanishing act to that pesky foliage. We would love to see the PGA Tour adopt a similar policy for its fall schedule. Guys would be swinging for the moon off every tee.

Walking off the 18th green right in time for noon kickoff on Saturday

The best tailgate of them all.

Speaking of foliage ...

Sure, lush greenery is nice, but it pales in comparison to the autumnal rainbow of fall. The views from each course's hilltop explode. Sunset and sunrise rounds are bathed in golden light. Hell, things even smell better ... or is that your thermos of pumpkin spice coffee in the cart?

Fantasy football talk

This is a fine line. Too much is a bad thing, but when you're playing with your father-in-law or paired with a random single, nothing breaks the ice like chatting about where you drafted Bijan Robinson. Of course there's always the chance you find out you're playing with one of those Superflex weirdos. Yuck.

Slower greens

Aeration complaints aside, the putting surfaces aren't subject to the summer buzzcuts, making them more forgiving. Go ahead and gun it.

Pro-shop sales

OK, there's a reason that Tabasco-logoed straw hat remains on the rack. Still, there are bargains to be found as club pros try to offload equipment and apparel before next season's shipments arrive.

Nicer starters

The drill-sergeant routine drops as the fog of war dissipates. They aren't overly friendly—they still have a job to do, dammit—but it's no longer 'Full Metal Jacket' on the first tee.

Cider at the turn

And at the 19th hole, spiked of course.