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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!

What Keeps Me Off The Course.

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raindrops-828954_1280
Rain – the killer of many golf rounds…

Inclement weather and prior obligations, unless there is a way to avoid them. Speaking of inclement weather, this morning I woke up to the sounds of winds whipping around my house. It gave me flashbacks of last year’s super storm Sandy and Irene the year before. Considering this is the anniversary of Sandy, I did not embrace the unseasonably warm tropical weather today.

Here’s why; it’s November 1st and it’s almost 70 degrees here in the New England. Golf right? Not so fast, how about some 50 mph winds and a little rain? I swear someone is messing with us. I guess it could be worse. We could be in a deep freeze and windy. It’s time to look at some indoor activities.

Let’s see, we can surf the net, maybe some golf betting if that’s your cup of tea. Break out the golf video games and play every top 10 course in the world, twice. Cook up some hot dogs and burgers just like the 19th hole. Crack open a couple brews and voilà, you got your own golf course and club house.

Sounds like a plan to me. All I have to do is adjust this job schedule thing to better suit my new position as golf club owner and we’ll be golden! First order of business, hire the Mrs. as a groundskeeper…hmmm…maybe not so much groundskeeper. I got it! Director of Organization and Floriculture. Sweet, it’s starting to come together…

Hit’em long…yell FORE!!!

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!

I’m Swingin’ In The Rain!

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wet and rainy golf
A rare rainy day appearance for Stinky Golfer Chris

OK, so it doesn’t quite have the same ring to it as “Singin’ in the rain,” but you get the picture. But as I look at the title now, I think to myself…nothing could be further from the truth.

I’ve mentioned before that I have certain weather conditions in which I will not play golf. One is when the temperature drops below 50 degrees. Also, when the temperature rises above 90 degrees, I’ll skip the round. Although I will consider playing in the excessive heat as long as I’m riding. But as Stinky Golfer Greg and I are making plans for our next round, I look at the weather forecast and see there’s a 60% chance of showers. But in my book, that’s equivalent to a 60% chance that I’m not playing.

I understand there are plenty of golfers who will play in any weather condition. There can be a hurricane blowing through and they’ll still be out there. But I’m not one of those guys, and I can’t understand the rationale behind it.

The funny thing is, I’ll go outside and play basketball in a light rain. I’ll throw the baseball around with the boys even if it’s drizzling a bit. As a matter of fact, I’ve even come to the point of argument to keep one of my softball games going in the rain! But when it comes to golf, forget it. I don’t want to play in any type of rain. I even start getting leery if there’s a chance of rain that day!

So what’s my problem? Why will I play basketball, baseball and softball in the rain…but not golf? The only reason I can come up with is…money.

See, all of those other sports cost me nothing to play. But golf? I have to drop a few hard-earned bucks every time I want to hit the links. So if I’m going to spend my money to play this game, then why wouldn’t I do it under optimal conditions if I have the choice?

Not to mention, the rain simply takes the fun out of the game. Trying to stay dry, dealing with an umbrella, wet hands and deteriorating course conditions all sound like a waste of money to me. It would probably be a different story if I was playing for free or being paid to play like a PGA Tour pro…but I’m not. As a matter of fact, it’s exactly the opposite – I’m paying them! I feel like I’m wasting the money that I could just spend another time, and I just can’t get past that feeling.

So as we get closer to our next day out on the course, I’ll keep a close eye on the weather and hope for the best. But as Stinky Golfer Greg already knows…I can’t make any promises.

Swing ’til you’re happy…and stay dry doing it!

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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