The short answer: Polo season in the United States follows the weather. Winter belongs to Florida, the California desert, and arena leagues in Texas. Summer moves north to New York, New England, the Midwest, Wyoming, and the Pacific Northwest. Spring and fall are prime time in places like Aiken, South Carolina, and the Houston area. I learned the calendar the hard way, by trying to visit every polo club in America in 2021 and 2022.
Every season below comes from a club I visited, played at, or heard back from on that tour. Dates shift from year to year, so always check with the club before you book a flight.
Winter (roughly December to April)
Florida. The big winter season. I trained at Sarasota Polo Club from late winter until the season ended in May, when it gets too hot for the horses. Wellington's high-goal season runs into April. I watched a 22-goal Sunday game there in mid-April 2022.
The California desert. Clubs around Indio play roughly January through March. One Houston-area club told me its players take their horses to California for an active winter league with El Dorado Polo Club from January until late March.
Texas arena polo. Houston-area players keep playing through the winter in arena leagues at Brookshire Polo Club and the Houston Polo Club.
Indoor arenas up north. Michigan State's polo team plays two-on-two in an indoor arena right through the winter, and some Michigan club players keep going in January.
Spring (March to May)
Texas. Pecan Acres, outside Houston, told me its spring season runs from mid-March to mid-June. Traveller's Rest near Sealy plays from the end of April into early November.
Aiken, South Carolina. Aiken has a spring season too. I played four chukkers there on two different occasions on my way north in 2021.
Alabama and Tennessee. Point Clear Polo Club in Alabama told me its season starts in April. Nashville and Franklin close for the winter and start back up in mid-May.
Northern California. Menlo Polo Club plays from May through July. Wine Country Polo in Santa Rosa reopens in May.
Summer (June to August)
The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic. This is when clubs from Virginia to Vermont are busiest. In 2021, Congressional Polo Club in Maryland held practice chukkers on Tuesday and Thursday evenings with matches on weekends.
The Midwest. Wisconsin, Michigan, Ohio, and the Chicago clubs play through the summer and start shutting down in the fall.
Wyoming. Jackson Hole plays July and August only. Players trailer up from Texas for two months of polo. Big Horn Polo Club plays from the first week of June through Labor Day, with free Sunday games in July and August.
The mountains of New Mexico. A mountain club I contacted plays arena polo from June until mid-August, when monsoon season arrives. People trailer up from Texas and Arizona when it's too hot to play at home.
The Pacific Northwest. Bend plays only in summer, and by fall most Northwest clubs are winding down.
Fall (September to November)
Aiken. When I reached the Midwest and Plains in the fall, club after club told me the same thing: everyone is in Aiken now.
Texas. Pecan Acres' fall season runs from mid-September to December 1. Midland Polo Club's season ended on October 31.
The North winds down. In Minnesota I missed one club by a single day: the horses were being turned out for the winter. In Oregon, a club told me its ponies were in full winter fur and not practicing.
Argentina. The country's high-goal season peaks in the spring of the Southern Hemisphere. The Argentine Triple Crown starts with the Tortugas Open, usually sometime between September and November.
Year-round
A few places play most of the year, especially arena clubs with mild weather. Sutter Buttes near Sacramento has an outdoor arena that runs all year, and the UC Davis team practices there. Hawaii's clubs have their own rhythm: during my tour, the Honolulu Polo Club was coming back from a break with practice chukkers on Wednesdays and Fridays and games on Sundays.
How to use this calendar
Follow the club on Instagram. Many clubs post schedules there and nowhere else.
College clubs keep the school calendar. In summer, most college teams are out of season.
Weather can cancel anything. I lost games to rain on Long Island, in North Carolina, and in Detroit.
Planning your own polo trip? Read how to play polo when you travel, and see my club-by-club notes from every region.
One app that shows when and where the games are, wherever you are: that's PoloFlow. Polo, wherever you are. Join the waitlist.
