It’s HOT. And STICKY! Summer has finally arrived with a vengeance here in New England. Now I know for those of you who live in Arizona or the deep south, a 90 degree day of golf is nothing — in fact, watching the latest national weather, it might even seem a cool, balmy day to you. But for we “weather wimps” in the Northeast… golfing on a 90+ day is not fun. Still we head out. Golf addiction is a powerful thing, don’t you agree?
I played 18 holes yesterday with a couple of friends but we came prepared. Lots of ice in a small cooler, bottles of water, and a lot of extra balls. (When it’s this hot, the golf club grips can become a bit slippery and it’s hard to hang on when you’re playing off a tough hillside lie. Balls fly off into the woods or the small pond just off the fairway. At least that’s my excuse.)
We smothered ourselves in sunscreen and I wore my Solheim Cup 2011 hat for protection. (Editor’s Note: Check out this sunscreen for golfers. We’ll be reviewing this product soon. Watch for it.) And, as a nod to the fashion gods, we each wore sleeveless tops. No sense getting one of those “farmer’s tans” this early in the season. As the season progresses I notice my left hand on which I wear a golf glove, is lighter and less tan than my right and my ankles show those tell tale marks of light skin that tell the world I’ve been wearing golf socks on a regular basis.
One great thing about playing golf in hot weather is that the course is nearly empty, especially here in the northeast where these hot days really get us down, at least early in the golf season. People cancel tee times and for those of us playing, the golf moves right along. We finished our round in under 4 hours.
But the best part of playing golf on a 90+ degree day, is the cold beer waiting at the 19th hole. Nothing beats a hot day on the course than a cold draft in the club house once the round is done.
So here’s to you, all you brave hot weather golfers. Enjoy every minute of it.
Do you play golf when it’s this hot? What do you do to keep yourself cool? Add your comment below.
I was on the driving range at the Abu Dhabi golf course today in about 104 degrees so didn’t last long – some hardy souls were playing full rounds! Had to watch out for dehydration and slippy fingers!
Congrats on your tenacity!!! Only thing worse than hitting balls in the hot sun at a driving range, is standing in the practice bunker hitting sand shots. Try that in 104 degrees and you will surely cook! 🙂
On really hot days, I wear a Blubandoo cooling visor and take 2 Contigo travel mugs of ice water–if you fill them full of ice and then add the water, you will still have ice at the end of the round.
A friend of mine freezes wet handtowels the night before and keeps them in a plastic bag. She pulls one out when she needs some cooling.
(I have no association with Blugandoo or Contigo).
We had 2 groups of lady golfers (we regularly play on Fridays) who played today. Let me tell you that IT WAS HOT! Only one lady gave up after 9, but the diehards surged forward. There was a little breeze that came up around the 16th hole, but all in all, we were glad when we finished 18. None of us are youngsters either.
Congrats Dee Dee on your endurance. I was glad we had carts to drive around. No sense pulling or pushing a golf cart and having a total collapse. 🙂
My best tip for golf on a hot day is to keep a wet tea towel around your neck and refresh it often in your cooler filled with ice. Actually I alternate between 2 towels so I’m always covered…literally!