GolfStinks

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Lightning Strikes: How at Risk are Golfers?

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Lightning golf course
Credit: NOAA

We’ve all heard stories of golfers being stuck by lightning out on the course – heck, we may have even known someone who was hit. And with thunderstorm season upon us (May-September, peaking in July) it might be a good time to remember we golfers are at a higher risk.

But the good news is, we seem to be more conscientious of this fact than those participating in other outdoorsy-type activities. According to a recent study from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), 64 percent of lightning fatalities occur while folks are partaking in leisure activities. Of those activities, golf places 5th behind fishing, camping, boating and (of all things) soccer for lightning-related deaths.

From 2006-2012, there were only eight reported fatalities due to a lightning strike on the golf course. According to NOAA, this represents a 75 percent drop for golf-related lightning deaths. NOAA attributes the drop to their awareness campaign specifically targeted to golfers.

The vast majority of lightning victims are men ages 20-29 and this indicates some sort of “machismo” thing going on. “The dark clouds are way over there” or “That thunder is miles away.” But NOAA likes to remind everyone that lightning can strike up 10 miles away from where the storm is. And if you’re standing in an open field with a metal stick in your hand, trust me, you’re at a higher risk.

NOAA theorizes fisherman and boaters might react too slowly toward a gathering storm, which is why their fatality percentage is higher. Once the storm is over them, they don’t have enough time to make it ashore.

Golfers need to remember to react quickly too. You might be several hundred yards from shelter at any given time, so NOAA recommends suspending your play the second you hear thunder. And of course, standing under a canopy of trees isn’t going to cut it. Golfers should get back to the clubhouse or find an on-course rain/lightning shelter till the storm blows by.

I’m sure we all love being out on the golf course, but the lone exception should be during a T-storm. It seems nowadays many golfers are well-aware of that fact – let’s keep up the good work!

I’m Singing In the Lightning Shelter

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Rain and wet golf course
Rain at The Ranch Golf Club – Massachusetts, USA (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

Much like in Springtime, Autumn in New England can be rather wet. Here we are in my favorite month, October. It’s my favorite because of the cooler temps, the fall colors and how great it is to be out on the golf course in those conditions.

But, it tends to rain a bunch.

For example, the average amount of precipitation in Hartford, CT in October is 4.1 inches, which is higher than any other month. In fact, as I pen this post on October 2nd, it’s raining…and it’s supposed to continue raining for the next 5 out of 6 days.

Even Seattle has less rain in October (3.4 inches on average) – their wettest months are when golf is over: November, December and January. Very convenient. New England? Well, convenience isn’t really our strong suit.

But we press on – heading out to the course under threatening skies and hoping to get in at least 9 holes before it comes down. Sometimes it begins to rain and we pretend not to notice. We nonchalantly put the cart’s windshield up and pull down the rain hood over our clubs and casually stroll to our balls.

“Should I get the umbrella out? Nah, it’s too much trouble to take it off my bag, remove the sleeve cover and carry it around. By the time I do that, this will probably blow over. Plus, I have a hat on – so I’m good.”

It’s funny, we all have these humongous umbrellas on our bags but rarely use them out on the golf course (though they seem to come in handy while walking the dog on a rainy afternoon)!

You finish the hole but the rain hasn’t let up. In fact, it’s coming down even harder now. So you sit in the cart for a little while, figuring the heavy stuff will pass soon enough. Oh, and as an aside, you will inevitably have a great game going to boot. Caddyshack was spot-on, wasn’t it?

By now, it’s raining so hard you’re getting wet inside the cart. So you find the nearest lightning shelter and crowd in there to wait it out. But it’s not letting up. After about 10 minutes, everyone sort of looks at each other. “Should we call it a day?” No one wants to be the one to throw in the towel.

And there’s no reason to. I mean, you’ve blocked out the time to play – I say wait it out. Who knows, maybe it will let up enough to get back out there. In the meantime, enjoy watching the rain – after all, you’re still on the golf course, hanging out with your pals – light up a cigar and enjoy the wait.

We’ve always said here at GolfStinks that golf should be more about your enjoyment than about your score – and sometimes you don’t have to be actually playing golf to enjoy just being out on the course.

But remember, if it starts to lightening, get the f@#k out of there ASAP!

Golf, Rain and Big Umbrellas

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golf in the rain
Stinky Golfers Chris (left) and Greg putting those giant golf umbrellas to use!

The good thing about springtime is golf season starts again. The bad thing is it tends to rain…a lot. It seems almost cruel that you’ve been waiting all winter for the snow to melt, the ground to thaw and the temps to warm just enough to begin the season and then BAM – a perfectly good golfing day is ruined by April (and many times May) showers.

But as I was looking at my golf bag the other day, I noticed the rather large (60″ spread) umbrella attached to it. It’s not as if I’ve never noticed it before, I mean, I’ve been playing this game for over 20 years and my golf bag has ALWAYS featured a golf umbrella (actually, they keep getting larger and I’m already eyeing a 68″ one for my next bag).

The ironic thing is, I rarely use my golf umbrella on the course. Unless I get caught in the rain (which hardly ever happens), the umbrella stays sheathed and fastened along the side of the bag. In fact, all my old golf umbrella’s end up being used far more frequently off the course – usually when I walk the dog in the rain.

Interestingly, despite the infrequent use, golf umbrella’s are massive compared to other models – it’s as if we golfers melt when we get wet (as long as one guy is carrying a big golf umbrella that can protect several people, the foursome can be saved)! Think about it though, some golfers try to avoid rain like it’s the plague. For example, if there’s even a hint of mist falling before a round, my phone will light-up with the inevitable text from Stinky Golfer Chris: “Rain. I’m out.”

Shoot man, I wouldn’t mind still trying to get the round in! I mean, I’ve got the big umbrella. Ah, but have you ever tried to carry a golf umbrella for 18-holes? Believe me, it gets annoying. But I’m willing to muddle through if it means playing the game I love. Of course, if it’s pouring, the course becomes a swamp – and that’s no fun either.

And then there’s the thunder storms. OK, these are more of a summer phenomenon than spring, but this is one time I don’t want to be on the course (my dad actually knew someone struck and killed by lightning while on the course). But if it’s not an electrical storm and as long as it’s not coming down in buckets, I’m game – let’s put that behemoth umbrella to use!

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