For golfers, Labor Day Weekend should not mean the end. In fact, for the savviest Central Oregon golfers, this is only the beginning of the prime golf season.

The temperatures are mellowing, the kids are returning to school, the summer crowds remain only in memories, and both Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow will remain in peak condition for the weeks to come. Sounds like a great time to play golf, no?

Black Butte Ranch thinks so, too.

With the turn in seasons, Black Butte Ranch is offering an all-new local’s special that is valid through September: $59 walking, $69 with cart for as many as eight players (golfers must book within three days of tee time). For those golfers who want to stretch the day, add another round for $30.

What makes this time so great at Black Butte Ranch?

  • September weather that is both sunny and gorgeous. The historical average high temperature at Black Butte Ranch stays well above 70 degrees through September, with the average high hitting a balmy 71 degrees on Sept. 31.

  • An unfathomably beautiful setting. With views that seemingly place you at the base of the Cascade Range, a pristine natural setting, and ponderosa pines shaping each golf hole, Black Butte Ranch always boasts a beautiful landscape. Add in the changing of the leaves of Black Butte Ranch’s aspens, which suddenly lights the golf courses with autumn’s yellows and oranges, and you have better than a postcard setting.

  • Days that remain long. Mornings tend to be cooler than in summer, so early afternoons tend to be the most sought-after tee times. No worries though. The sun does not set in September until well after 7 p.m., leaving loads of daylight to take advantage of Black Butte Ranch’s unlimited golf deals.

  • A relatively quick pace of play. With the kids back to school and the summer crowds long gone, it gets a little easier to move around Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow.

  • The course conditions are typically optimal. The crowds are smaller and the temperatures are milder, allowing the turf to heal from the hot, busy summer. Nighttime freezing is generally not an issue yet, either. It’s a perfect recipe for turf. Those conditions often last into the middle of October, and sometimes later.

Visitors will find September a great month to visit, too, with its special fall lodging and unlimited golf package for stays through Sept. 30.

For $119 per person, per night, guests will stay in premium accommodations, receive one day of unlimited golf at both Big Meadow and Glaze Meadow for each night stayed, a Black Butte Ranch logo cap, a 20 percent merchandise voucher at the Black Butte Ranch golf shops, and an accommodation microbrew amenity.

To make a tee time, call the Golf Shop at 541-595-1545 or book online. For more information on how to create a custom group golf vacation at Black Butte Ranch, call Ryan Dunning at 541-595-1292 or email him at GolfGroups@blackbutteranch.com.