Don't panic. Now's the time to book your winter trip to your favorite warm-weather golf destination

Now’s about the time of year I start to panic.

I shouldn’t. There’s still plenty of great fall golf to be played over the next two months. If this entire year was any indication, us northerners could be teeing it up well into November. The weather has been exquisite since this spring.

But all good things must come to an end. I’m already dreading the end of the golf season in the Midwest, that depressing time when the clubs start to gather dust in the garage as the temperature dips and the days get shorter.

I’ve got a solution to the problem. Book your winter golf trip now. Whether it’s over Thanksgiving, Christmas, Spring Break, whatever. Just get it on your calendar.

That will help break the winter blues. Having something to look forward to helps keep me motivated, energized and focused.

I’ve discovered some amazing warm-weather destinations over the past 12 months. There’s no reason to fear Mexico. Consider checking out Riviera Maya near Cancun (click here and here) or Los Cabos (click here, here, here and here). Iberostar (click here) and Starwood Hotels and Resorts (click here) are great choices anywhere, but especially at these places.

A trip to the Caribbean virtually guarantees good weather. I’ve fallen hard for the island life on St. Kitts (click here and here), Providenciales in Turks & Caicos (click here and here) and Bermuda (click here and here). Yes, Bermuda isn’t in the Caribbean, I know, but it’s still a great island getaway, especially the Fairmont Southampton (click here) or Rosewood Tucker’s Point (click here). Ocean Club Resorts (click here) has two great properties on Grace Bay Beach in Provo.

For those without a passport, both Naples (click here, here and here) and Scottsdale (click here) are two of the country’s best winter golf destinations, littered with courses. Scottsdale’s resort scene (click here) is particularly impressive. See a photo of the Phoenician above (click here for a resort review).

Miami is another hotbed of golf when the snow flies, especially now that Donald Trump owns the Doral Golf Resort & Spa (see photo of the Blue Monster’s 18th hole below). Don’t forget Amelia Island (click here and here for the Ritz-Carlton, Amelia Island reviews) and Jacksonville (click here, here and here) in northwest Florida, either.

Golf packages are always good, but be sure to check TravelGolf.com’s tee times page before you book. There’s some good deals to be had in some great warm-weather destinations this winter.