Tips On Playing in the Arizona Summer Heat
Im guessing a lot of people reading this blog are from Arizona and are familiar with the heat, but in the event you are NOT, famililized yourself with the following. In order of importance:
Water, water, and more water. You can drink pop, tea, iced coffee and the like, but if you want to maintain composure and a level head in the AZ sun, water is King. This means carring a large container (plastic cup) that can be refilled at every water fountain / station on the course. The heuristic here is ANYTIME you see a facility offering water - drink at least 8 to 16 ounces AND fill up the container. Ice is nice, but I read somewhere that warm water is easier on your body. If you are thinking about having any type of alcohol, increase the above water intake by half of the amount of alcohol you decide to drink. The water method above is geared to making the golfer feel their best as they play, and may sound extreme, but getting heat stroke will absolutely ‘rock your world’ in terms of pain, so trust me, you want to avoid it.
Start early and have a hat, sunscreen, sunglasses, loose shorts, cotton socks, and a fairly thick woven cotton shirt. I personally like to soak my shirt at almost every water stop, but this should be done discretely if possible, especially at the nicer courses and even more so if you happen to be of the fairer sex. Ring out the shirt so the water is evenly distributed and you will have your own ‘evaporative cooler’ style shirt. You will find that your shirt will completely dry out in less that 15 minutes, so continue as needed.
Lastly I like to bring a dry towel for wiping down my hands and club grips and a medium sized wet towel to wipe down my face and neck and to wear around my neck if I am in the full sun for extended periods. Try and utilize any shade when parking the golf car if possible and hit the suncreen again at the turn as the sweat will remove it as you play.
This is my way to deal with the heat, but if anyone out there has some other ideas….let me hear em’.