Health & Environment

Is Golf exercise? Does walking the course help keep you in shape? Can you golf eco-friendly? What are courses doing to help the environment? You've got questions, we've got answers.

Should You Golf During COVID-19?

March 26, 2020 | By Greg D'Andrea | 12 Comments

Some golf courses are open. Learn the precautions they are taking; what you should consider before playing; and a potential silver lining post-pandemic.

Golf Courses are feeling the effects of Covid-19 too, but post-pandemic could see an industry boon — *Golf courses are feeling the effects of COVID-19 too, but post-pandemic could see an industry boon (photo by Greg D’Andrea)*

After a couple weeks of being stuck at home due to COVID-19, I can hardly blame you if you’re going a bit stir-crazy.

This virus has us all on-edge. And with the milder spring weather rolling-in across the country, playing a round of golf sounds pretty amazing right about now.

To that end, I received an email from a local golf course yesterday announcing they were open for business!

My fingers couldn’t tap on that email fast enough.

It wasn’t a joke – they are really open. Albeit with the following guidelines that included:

Stay home if you’re not feeling well
Book your tee-time and pay online (the clubhouse is not open to the public)
Please walk if you can (just 1 person per cart)
Maintain social distancing with other players and course workers on all areas of the course
Holes have a foam insert so golfers do not have to touch flagsticks or reach into the cups
No scorecards or pencils – the course suggests downloading and using the digital scorecard on their app
Ball washers, rakes, benches and water coolers have been removed for safety
There is now 10 minutes between groups teeing-off (normally 8 minutes) to help avoid close contact on the course

It sounds like they put a good deal of thought into keeping people safe out there. And to be honest, I’m wrestling with the notion of actually grabbing my clubs and going to play!

But I won’t.

As much as I’d like to support local businesses – especially golf courses, that little voice in my head is telling me “now is not the time.”

There is just too much uncertainty for me, a family man with young kids, to venture out for several hours where others, whom I don’t know, are also occupying space (albeit from at least 6 feet away).

Of course your situation might be different and you’ll need to use your own judgement based on several things including your risk-factor and local laws and mandates. At the very least, I would definitely check to see if your local course has taken specific safety precautions first.

As for me, I’ll be staying home and I apologize in advance to my local golf courses.

However, there is a silver lining in all this for golf courses and golfers in general.

Once COVID-19 dissipates and life begins to return to some sort of normalcy, golf is going to be an extremely viable recreation activity in a post-pandemic world.

To begin with, golf is outdoors and in groups of no more than four. So social distancing shouldn’t be too much of an issue.

With booking online, you’ll never have to walk into a crowded clubhouse. And the foam hole thing is a great idea. With the aforementioned “rules” listed above, you could probably play an entire round without ever getting within 6 feet of another human or touching something that doesn’t belong to you.

I’d venture to say golf might even experience a little boon later this year.

So hang in there – things will get better and when they do, golf should be at the top of your list!

UPDATE! (as of November 2020)

I ended up playing a couple of rounds over the summer when the virus calmed-down a bit here in the northeastern US.

I actually scored my best round ever the first time out this season (what a crazy year this has been) and then back to normal on my second outing. Either way it was great to get out there and play!

That said, it wasn’t totally comfortable. For example, I did have to enter the clubhouse to pay – and the person behind the counter wasn’t wearing a mask (I was). And we were paired-up with a twosome who kept getting within 6 feet (I get it, it’s so hard to remember to follow the social distancing rules – especially when you are doing something familiar – it’s simply force of habit to get within a few feet of someone on the putting green for example).

But I surmise folks will get better the longer we live with this pandemic (and it does seem it will be with us well into next year at least). Overall I’m glad I got out there and played and glad the game I love is a viable option during this surreal time.

Before you go play, I echo my sentiments from this post: Call the course first to see what their COVID-related rules are and once on the course, don’t assume every golfer will follow them; wear a mask (I did pull my down when no one was nearby, like walking in the fairway or rough); keep your social distance; and stay safe!

How To Stay Protected Out On The Golf Course

July 10, 2017 | By Greg D'Andrea | 3 Comments

Golfers are more at-risk for sun-related diseases. Do you apply sunscreen before and during each 9- or 18-hole round? If not, you should and here’s why.

SKIN Sunscreen GOLF — A golf bag necessity: Use sunscreen both before and at the turn of every round!

Now be honest, do you liberally apply sunscreen before every round of golf? I certainly didn’t. My first decade on the links was largely sunblock-free.

My neck suffered the most. It would inevitably burn at some point during the summer and then turn a deep tan. And once it had tanned, I figured, why should I apply sunscreen now?

Most of us who enjoy the game end up having the “golfers” tan. You know; your arms from the elbows down; neck; and legs from the knees down to our ankles are tan but nothing else. We joke about it, but it’s no laughing matter.

The Facts Are Scary

A 2014 PGATour.com article highlights how golfers are at a greater risk for sun-related diseases:

Golfers spend a significant amount of time outdoors so they’re definitely at a higher risk than the average person…We see a lot of golfers and tennis players. They have signs of more damage than the average patient and it manifests itself at an earlier age…Treatment of non-melanoma skin cancers increased by nearly 77 percent between 1992 and 2006 and one in five Americans will develop some kind of skin cancer over the course of their lifetime.

The Solution – Apply Sunscreen!

Just after we tied-the-knot, my wife shared similar stats around the dangers of prolonged sun exposure and sunblock quickly became part of my pre-golf routine. And I urge you to do the same.

Because golfers are at a higher risk, there are sunscreens specifically for them. As such, the good folks over at SKINSunscreen GOLF sent us some samples to try-out. Their formula is non-greasy; sweat and water resistant; provides UVA/UVB protection; and is Oxybenzone free.

From their website:

As we demonstrated the need for awareness for sunscreen to young golfers and their families, it became apparent to us that this proactive measure – applying sunscreen — is every bit as important to the outdoor athlete as is the warm up on the driving range or stretching before your round.

I can apply SKIN Sunscreen GOLF to my neck, ears, face and arms right on the first tee and not have any greasy residue left on my hands to mess with my grip. They even sent along a sunscreen lip balm to boot! And the stuff really works – at spf30+, it keeps you protected while you’re out on the links (doctors recommend reapplying all sunscreen brands every 90 minutes – or if you’re like me, just reapply at the turn).

One of the great things about golf is it’s a game you can play well-past retirement age. Protect yourself and get the most out of it!

Hit ’em Long; Yell FORE; Apply Sunscreen Liberally!

POLL: Is Golf a Sport?

January 27, 2017 | By Greg D'Andrea | 11 Comments

Can something so picturesque really be a sport? (photo by Greg D’Andrea)

The dictionary defines “sport” as: “an activity involving physical exertion and skill in which an individual or team competes against another or others for entertainment.” The dictionary defines “golf” as: “a game played on a large open-air course, in which…”

Notice I stopped in the middle of golf’s definition. Some will tell you there’s no need to read any further – that my question (is golf a sport) has been answered. Right there, after the indefinite article “a” is my answer – it’s the word “game” and that, they will tell me, is what golf is.

Well, I beg to differ.

You see to many, golf couldn’t possibly be a sport…Where’s the physical contact? Where’s the offense and defense? And, perhaps the most commonly cited reason why golf is not a sport: You can be out of shape yet still play it. There you have it – apparently to play a sport, you must be physically fit.

Again, I beg to differ.

Let’s examine the definition of “sport” a bit further. The dictionary uses the phrase “an activity” to describe it. To be sure, golf is also an activity, isn’t it? And it does involve a fair degree of “physical exertion and skill” does it not (see The Truth About Walking The Golf Course)? And would I be incorrect to suggest you play golf as an “individual or team” and you compete “against another or others for entertainment”???

Hmmm, that sounds exactly like what golf is to me. It doesn’t say anything about having to be in shape. And it says nothing about bashing each others brains in, let alone an offense and defense.

This all being said, could it be that society has come to think of sports as all physical exertion and very little skill? As if machismo is the only requirement – that the physical exertion part has to include some sort of impact with another player. Perhaps this is why so many are quick to exclude golf from the “sport” bucket? Golf to these folks is far too benign to be a sport.

But in my opinion, golf transcends the term “sport” and the term “game” – it meets all the defined criteria of a sport, yet includes no physical contact with other players (actually, it’s quite the opposite: It encourages camaraderie with your fellow competitors)! It requires minimal physical fitness, yet can be extremely good exercise. And it’s competitive as hell (ask any golfer), yet can be enjoyed solo.

But, perhaps I’m putting too much thought into this. What do you think?

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3 Reasons You Should Use Recycled Golf Balls

December 10, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | 1 Comment

I just picked up a refurbished iPad – I saved a good amount of money and can’t tell the difference between it and its brand new sibling. Yet many consumers avoid refurbished or recycled products because they fear a loss in performance…golf balls included.

Recycled golf balls have basically been reclaimed after being lost on a golf course, cleaned and repackaged for resale. The balls are typically categorized into groups (e.g. ‘excellent condition’ – hit once and lost; and ‘good condition’ – maybe minor blemishes but absolutely playable, etc.).

There are valid reasons recreational golfers should consider purchasing recycled balls over new ones – here are three:

1. You won’t notice the difference.

According to a study by GolfBallTest.org, there’s virtually no difference between recycled golf balls and brand spanking new ones. In fact, this includes balls that have been submerged in water. Only those that have been submerged for a substantial amount of time (and show obvious signs of wear) is there significant performance loss (and those balls won’t qualify to be repackaged and resold anyway).

As a personal testimonial, I myself have purchased/played with recycled golf balls on a pretty regular basis over the past five years and have not noticed a difference – performance appears to be the same as does my score vs. when I use new balls.

2. Cost.

You’ll save a good amount of cash switching to recycled balls – sometimes half price or more over new balls of the same brand or type. Check out some of the deals on CYCL’d Golf – a dozen Pro V1’s for $27? It’s crazy! Plus CYCL’d Golf has fun with it – their box turns into a putting aid so you can work on both speed and accuracy!

CYCL'd Golf's box doubles as a putting aid! — CYCL’d Golf’s box doubles as a putting aid!

3. The environment.

In the U.S. alone, golfers lose an estimated 300 million golf balls annually. Three hundred million! I know I’ve done my fair-share to contribute to that number. And those lost balls weigh heavy not only on our scorecards; not only on our wallets; but also on the planet (not just by being litter or hazards to animals, but also by possibly leching zinc into our water systems). Using recycled golf balls will help curb the amount of balls left out in our environment.

If these reasons aren’t enough, perhaps head over to CYCL’d Golf’s website and enter their contest to win a year’s supply of recycled golf balls! Or head over to GolfStinks’ Facebook page and check our wall for a chance to win a box of recycled balls, courtesy of CYCL’d Golf!

So Much For Growing Golf in China

July 16, 2014 | By Greg D'Andrea | Leave a Comment

You may have read about this a few weeks ago but if not, here’s a quick recap: Basically, the Chinese government has begun destroying new golf courses (some so new they haven’t even opened yet) to enforce a ban put in place to preserve water, land and curb pollution in the country. You can read the original Reuters story here.

While the particulars of this story are all very interesting, what the Reuters piece doesn’t mention is the overall impact this will have on the golf industry in general. Golf is in its infancy in China, but its growth had looked extremely promising. The country has just 639 courses (compared to more than 17,000 in the U.S.), but nearly 50% of them have been built in the last five years.

Now consider that this growth happened all while the country is under the aforementioned ban on building new courses (which dates back to 2004). Why would developers risk fines and other penalties to build golf courses under the guise of “Sports Training Centers” and “Tourist Resorts”? Because there is money to be made – lots of money.

Golf is beginning to catch-on with the more wealthy Chinese and they are willing to pay for it – from expensive memberships to high-end golf course properties, golf is a chance to affirm their status in the community – just like it was in the U.S. years ago before the middle-class also began playing. As courses spring up in new areas, it stands to reason new golfers would also be born. The game would grow exponentially and with it, the industry as a whole – equipment, apparel, etc. – an entire golf lifestyle niche would be carved-out in the country.

Think about what 10,000 golf courses in China would do to the industry as a whole. Heck, even 5,000 courses would be an unbelievable asset to the game. No one is denying that golf courses use water and take up space – but done properly (using effluent water and minimal chemicals), they not only benefit those that play but the communities they are built in as well.

But in China, it’s just not meant to be – at least for now anyway. Though developers had been flying under the radar for nearly a decade and building new courses anyway, it appears those days are over. The Chinese government publicly announced it had not only closed but destroyed five illegal golf courses in March as a warning to developers. With only a few hundred courses, golf in China is sure to remain a minor sport enjoyed by only a small percentage of wealthy.