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Record High Temperatures on the Way this Weekend in the High Country; Free Golf at Beech Mountain Club?

By Paul T. Choate

The Beech Mountain Club. Photo by Ken Ketchie

June 28, 2012. The monster heat wave from out West is moving into our area today and into this weekend. Records will be shattered across the country as temperatures soar into the 90s in the High Country and will make their way into the 100s for much of the Southeast.

According to Ray Russell’s Ray’s Weather website, the highest recorded temperature in Boone in the last 50 years for June 28 is 88 degrees. We will get very close to tying or breaking that record, with Ray forecasting 88 for the high today. Tomorrow is unlikely to see a high temperature record broken. According to Ray’s Weather, the hottest June day on record was June 29, 1936, when the high was 94 degrees.

Saturday and Sunday, however, are looking likely to be record-setting days. According to Ray’s Weather’s climate archives, the record high in the last 50 years for both of those days was 89 degrees. The forecast has Saturday’s high reaching 92 degrees on Saturday and 90 degrees on Sunday.

While the soaring temperatures abundant sunshine mean shorts and short-sleeves, sunscreen and lots of running the A/C, it might also mean some free golf over on Beech Mountain. 

On Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays, the Beech Mountain Club offers the “Summer of 79°” stay and play package. The weather typically does not reach 80 even in the hottest of heat waves up on Beech Mountain, so usually the club is pretty safe with this deal. However, Ray’s Weather is forecasting a high of 83 degrees on Saturday up at the resort that sits 5,506 feet above sea level.

Here’s how the deal works:

  • The offer is only valid on Wednesdays, Saturdays and Sundays
  • You must book a two-night stay-and-play package in one of the inns, condos or homes at the club
  • On Wednesdays and Saturdays, you must tee off after 1 p.m. to be eligible
  • On Sundays, you must tee off prior to 11 a.m. to be eligible
  • If the high recorded by the National Weather Service station on Beech Mountain exceeds 79, you will receive a refund check in the mail for your golf fee of $60 per person
Golfers teeing off at the Beech Mountain Club. Photo by Ken Ketchie

Double occupancy rates start at $79 per person, per night, in a standard room with a two-night minimum. Upgrades to condos, chalets and vacation homes are available.

“We just wanted to come up with something that was kind of eye-grabbing and free golf is usually pretty eye-grabbing,” said John Carrin, head golf professional at the Beech Mountain Club. “Historically [Beech Mountain reaching temperatures above 79 degrees] hasn’t occurred very often so we thought we’d be safe there, but we certainly don’t mind if that happens — giving some golf away. Our goal is to have a climate where people can come from just a couple of hours away where it’s 100 degrees or more and get in cool, comfortable conditions. We thought it would be a good idea to guarantee them that. If for some reason if we couldn’t match that guarantee — if it got about 79 degrees — we were going to stand behind it and give them their money back.”

Carrin said historically the Fourth of July weekend is the best weekend of the year for the Beech Mountain Club. He said he anticipates 150 to 200 golfers to tee off over the weekend. At $60 per person for a round of golf combined with the potential record highs on Beech Mountain, the club might be giving out a lot of refunds. That means lost profits that could potentially range into the thousands of dollars. Carrin, however, did not seem concerned.

“It is what it is,” said Carrin. “If we can’t match the guarantee that we have — no many how many people we have playing — they either play in 70-degree temperatures or they play for free.”

The Beech Mountain Club is a private club. You must rent member-owned vacant properties to play golf there or access any of the other facilities. To find out about vacancies and to make reservations, contact the Beech Mountain Chamber of Commerce at 800-468-5506.

For more information about the Beech Mountain Club, visit beechmtnclub.org.