Mr.TinDC / CC BY-ND 2.0)
Monday afternoon, stinky golfers Greg, Pete and I were making our way through a round of 18. We’re somewhere on the back nine when Pete, after pushing a putt left of the cup, exhaustively states “It’s too hot to miss.”
Too hot to miss. That statement got a chuckle out of Greg and I. But, after I thought about it for a second, I came to realize that, at the time, truer words had never been spoken.
Here in Connecticut, we are in the midst of a record-breaking heat spell. We’re talking triple digits here. I’m not sure what the “official” temperature was, but I know the thermometer in my car hit 100 around 4:30 that afternoon, and the thermometer outside a local bank read 102 about the same time of day. So what could the temp have been around 1 or 2 o’clock? Bottom line, it’s hot. So, as far as Pete’s comment, is it too hot to miss…maybe it’s simply too hot to golf?
There comes a time every golf season when the mercury drops a bit too far down the ladder for golf. It’s an individual preference, but for me, that point is about 50 degrees. Once the temp drops below that 50 degree mark, golf will not happen that day for me. But I never thought about the other end of the spectrum. At what point is it too hot for golf?
Normally, I don’t take a cart. I like to walk the course. But I’ve made a personal rule; at 90 degrees, I take a cart. At that mark, I’ve decided, it’s too hot to walk. However, I’ve never set a mark where it’s just too hot to golf at all. Though I may have reached that point yesterday.
Riding the course sure does take a load off. But on a 100-degree day it made almost no difference. By the time I was midway through the back nine, I was toast. I stayed hydrated – two 20 oz. Gatorades and three 20 oz. waters – but I would immediately sweat out everything I put in. The only cure would have been an IV. But has anyone ever tried teeing off with a tube in their arm? Me either, but I’d imagine it’s pretty challenging.
So I’m implementing a new personal rule. I now have a 50 degree temperature range within which the sport of golf will occur in my life. I’ll call it “The 50-degree rule.” When the temperature drops below 50 degrees or rises above 100 degrees, I will not golf that day.
Does anyone else get this idea in their head? At what point is it too hot or too cold for your golfing preference? Or, does it not matter to you? Will you play in freezing temps if the opportunity is there? Would you carry a personal air conditioner if you could just to play golf that day?
Let us hear from you. How does the temperature affect your golfing decisions?
I’ve actually played in Palm Springs in July. We teed off at 9:00 am and it was 98. By the time we finished it was 114. We kept hydrated, stayed in the shade as much as possible, and kept spraying on the sunscreen. We also drove a cart, of course.
The best part was that there was only one other group playing. It was an awesome round!
And that’s why they invented beer. I played last year down in South Carolina and it was a very hot day. Those beers just kept going down. At the end of the 18, it just didn’t matter.
I think 100 is the practical limit for me too. I played on Monday and it was maybe 99 degrees or so and I probably could have tolerated a little more, but Tuesday it was 103 and I wasn’t even going to try it.
Humidity has a little to do with it too. In New Jersey, the humidity was like 28% which is pretty low for us, but it’s not like in the desert where it’s usually below 10%. When we get into the 30-40+% range, it’s unbearable when it’s that hot.
Just played 9 holes after work today in NY in 106 degree heat. I always carry my clubs and today was no exception. Sweat was pouring off me after 3 holes and I hit a 47 from the back tees. Normally hit around 44 there and I think I lost 4 shots due to the club slipping in sweaty palms. My playing partner normally hits a 45 and he suffered badly and hit a 63. Doing 18 would have been too much without a art but am planning that for Sunday starting at 08:40.
I live in Dubai. In the summer it gets really hot. My limit is 130 deg with the heat index. Temp is between 107-114. We get that every day from mid June to mid Sept. Early morning is just as bad, more humidity and no wind. Best time is the 3 hours before sunset. Then there is a breeze and not to humid. Except Aug when it is the most humid month. And yes you have to ride or you would collapse. 12 to 15 bottles of water and 2 sports drinks. And I wear a rain glove, as it is the only glove that works wet. Regular gloves are soaked after 1 hole. Unless you rotate 4 or 5.
I don’t have a cut of temperature but if it’s hot I try to always follow the following to make it more bearable:
Keeping hydrated, staying in the shade and keep applying the sunscreen. Taking a cart is also a must.