Tips For Beating Heat On Golf Course

Read this on a Vegas site but still applies to us too

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Tips For Beating Heat On Golf Course
Cut Strokes, Avoid Heat Stroke

Cool Bodies
Sweating is the most significant way that the body cools itself to maintain
a safe and stable temperature. Because summer weather is usually humid, our
sweat doesn't evaporate easily and our bodies don't cool as efficiently as
possible. As a result, we sweat more and need to consume more fluids to help
our body stay cool and perform at its best.
Most courses have cups, ice and water available before you hit the first
tee. Take advantage of this. Grab a couple of cups and fill them with as
much ice as they will hold, then top them off with water. Some courses
provide you with a cooler or give you a soft-sided cooler bag for your
drinks. If they do, make sure that it's loaded with ice and store your
drinks in it.

Drink Up
It's important that you drink before you're thirsty. Just watch the guys in
a bicycle race. These guys drink all of the time, going through two or three
big bottles of water in an hour. Of course, you're not riding a bike 120
miles in the sweltering heat, but you'll be surprised how much better you
will play when you're not constantly searching for the next water cooler.
Many courses have a roving beverage and snack cart. These carts offer
everything from water, to soda, to sports drinks, to beer along with
crackers, candy, fruit and sandwiches.
Sports drinks such as Gatorade and the like help to replenish your body with
the fluids and electrolytes that your body loses while perspiring. These
drinks are also loaded with carbohydrates that provide the energy your body
needs to play 18 holes of golf.
Fruits are probably best for giving you a boost of long-lasting energy.
Candy bars provide quick energy, but their effects diminish just as quickly.
For me, bananas, apples, peaches or pears are easy to carry and easy to eat.
Bananas help to prevent the buildup of cramp-causing lactic acid in the
muscles, which is a frequent occurrence during exercise.

Don't Lose Your Cool
The most important concern for yourself and your playing partners should be
avoiding heat exhaustion or, even worse, heat stroke. There are a lot of
ways to do that. Always wear shorts, and light colored shirts. It may sound
crazy, but wearing an undershirt will also help. The undershirt helps get
your perspiration away from your body where it can evaporate more quickly,
helping the cooling process.
If you feel too warm at the turn, stop by the clubhouse, grab a cold drink
and soak up the air conditioning. Sure you may miss your place on the 10th
tee and find yourself a little stiff when you begin play again, but it's
much better than passing out on the 12th green.
While hats are great for keeping the sun off of your head and face, they can
make you warmer. Your body discharges most of its heat through your head.
Medical experts state that as much as 70% of your blood is in your head at
any given time. If your head is hot, so is the rest of your body. Therefore,
if your head is cool, the rest of your body will be as well. I like to take
my cap off when I'm riding along in the cart. The sun isn't beating down on
me and the breeze created by driving the cart helps to cool my head.
Some of my playing partners like to take along an extra towel or two. They
dampen these towels at every water cooler and lay them across the back of
their necks or over their heads when not hitting a shot, or wipe their face
and arms with them in an effort to keep cool. There is even a company,
Shima, which makes a special towel that is specifically designed for cooling
and drying. The towel holds water without dripping and remains cool and damp
for several holes. There are even towels with an insert that can be frozen
overnight and used like an ice pack during your round. Blu Bandoo is a
company that makes scarves, visors and hats with a gel that, when soaked in
water before and during your round, keep your head and neck cool for hours.

Call The Doctor
If you are currently taking medication, your body may need even more
assistance to keep cool. Some medications interfere with sweating, putting
you at a greater risk of having a life-threatening heat stroke. Blood
pressure and heart medicines that slow the heart rate force the body to work
harder to get rid of heat. Check with your doctor to see if your medication
could be putting you at risk and what measures you should take to lesson
your chances of heat-induced illness.

Know The Symptoms
If you begin to feel the effects of extreme thirst, nausea, dizziness,
headaches, elevated temperature, if your skin looks pale, your pupils appear
dilated or your muscles start to cramp, there is a good chance that you are
suffering from heat exhaustion. The best thing to do is immediately get to a
cool place and rest. Replenish your body by drinking large amounts of fluids
and eating generously salted foods to help your body return to its normal balance.
Heat stroke is much more serious and can quickly become deadly. Symptoms of
heat stroke include hot, dry skin with a grayish tint, dilated pupils and a
body temperature that may rise to more than 104 degrees. Anyone suffering
from heat stroke must be treated quickly. Immerse the victim in a cool water
or ice bath and call 911 immediately.
Finally, a step many of us forget. If you've watched the Tour players
warming up before their round, you will notice that all of them have added
another step to their warm-up routine. The first thing they do is to put
sunscreen on every exposed body part. The effects of sunlight on our skin
can be deadly. Skin cancer is becoming more and more prevalent with the
depletion of the Earth's protective ozone layer. A few minutes spent putting
on sunscreen could save your life, or least keep you from looking like a beet.
We all want to enjoy our round and play our best. When temperatures rise,
your golf game doesn't have to fall. If you're careful and follow a few of
these tips, you can make sure that your next round isn't your last.