Tips for playing in the heat

[PedronNiall]

5 hours ago, bluedot said:

Good post; thanks.

 

It’s counterintuitive, but water that’s too cold causes you to drink MUCH less without really cooling much better.  I LOVE ice water, even in the dead of winter, but I’ve had to make myself really reduce the amount of ice I put in my water bottle for summer golf.  My course has a water cooler on every even numbered hole on the course, and I do a better job of staying hydrated with their cold water than I do with my ice water.

Agreed. I've noticed I have to push myself to keep drinking additional smaller sips over time to keep my hydration where it needs to be with cold water. If it's closer to room or ambient temp the body/mind tells me to go ahead and take much bigger gulps without issue. The body usually knows what it's doing when it comes to protecting from certain actions, and shock or near shock being so rare from too much cold water may likely be that most of the time we just can't drink ice water down in those amounts easily. 

 

Might be best to mix both to keep hydration up while also helping to cool yourself a little, though cold towels behind the neck & knees are probably the most effective for the second part. 

[GungHoGolf]

20 hours ago, larrybud said:

"What is that in your bag?"

"Tour issued rectal thermometer. Want to try it?"

 

Q: What’s the difference between an oral thermometer and a rectal thermometer?

 

 

 

 

A: The taste. 

[bladehunter]

On 7/14/2023 at 4:02 PM, Fuscinator said:

I like playing in the heat. Adopting a similar delusion is likely the answer.

Me too. It’s like rain or wind.  You know that half the competitors will quit before it’s over. Your odds are great.  And the hotter it is the better my back feels. I’m 23 again when it’s 95 and humid.  
 

tips for survival .  Good sleep the night before.  Fluid loading the night before and the morning of.  And throughout the round. If you can keep the pee clear , you’re going to feel better.  It takes a lot of water to do that . And you’ll go often I adopted this water additive from my kids cross country team …. It really seems to work.  And again , you’ll immediately notice it in kidney function.  Will flush you out.  I like to drink it night before and after for recovery.  I work in the heat , so that’s also an advantage to me. It’s not abnormal to be hot for me.  I don’t love it. But I do not care while it’s happening. 
 

last thing.  Eat.  Eat before.  Protein. Not sugar.  Snack during.  You’re going to burn a ton of fuel.  You have to load up .  

[bladehunter]

19 hours ago, PedronNiall said:

Agreed. I've noticed I have to push myself to keep drinking additional smaller sips over time to keep my hydration where it needs to be with cold water. If it's closer to room or ambient temp the body/mind tells me to go ahead and take much bigger gulps without issue. The body usually knows what it's doing when it comes to protecting from certain actions, and shock or near shock being so rare from too much cold water may likely be that most of the time we just can't drink ice water down in those amounts easily. 

 

Might be best to mix both to keep hydration up while also helping to cool yourself a little, though cold towels behind the neck & knees are probably the most effective for the second part. 

Yep. Had a track coach in the 90s that showed us that.    There was an ice machine in the field house. And every idiot was filling their bottles with ice.  Then water. And dehydration was always an issue.  He unplugged the ice machine for a week 😂.  And told us to drink it at tap temp or warmer. The dehydration problem went way down.  Why ?  Consuming more water.     I was a kid raised on a outside hose in the summmer.  So it wasn’t in me tp need water to be cold tp drink it.    I to this day can turn up a 20 oz bottle and down it in one breath.  But I swear a lot so it takes more water for me. I don’t sip.  Even though I know some coaches preach sipping.  I don’t believe in it.  
 

Also have another super power than I wasn’t aware was a thing.  My hands don’t sweat. At all.  Feet either. ( very little ).  But everywhere else I sweat alot.  So a slipping golf club has never been a thing I’ve experienced.  

[bladehunter]

On 7/15/2023 at 1:30 AM, TexasTurf said:

I'm in the minority, I love the heat. You have to embrace it and understand that it is the reason for all life on earth. Heat is life and cold is death for almost everything on this planet. It is like nature's warm life bearing hug all day long. I work 14 hours per day literally every day in the Texas summer outside and I can't get enough. Heat is pleasure, cold is pain and death.

 

It is all about getting used to it. Heat fuels and feels good, cold is painful and makes me want to die.

Very true.  Way more deaths on earth annually because of cold than heat.  Look it up.  It’s not close. 

[bortass]

Sun sleeves seem to help me. I just got a pair last week. Like @bladehunter I sweat a lot but not so much my hands. I play w/o a glove but am forced to wear one, usually rain gloves just from the sweat on my forearms when it's hot and humid making it hard to hold the club. The sleeves made that problem go away. They seem to keep me cooler but it's not real obvious to me. It is nice to not have my arms baking in the sun though.

 

I try to drink a fair bit on the course and have been going through Nuun tablets heavily the last couple of weeks when I play. My legs like to cramp at night after I golf and it seems to be helping. I sometimes will add a dash of salt to my water as well. I probably should do that a bit more and cut down on the Nuun tablets. 

Edited July 18, 2023 by bortass

[larrybud]

20 hours ago, PedronNiall said:

You wouldn't offer up the booty for science? 

Guaranteed that if you marketed rectal temp as a leading indicator of a good golf score, people would by the TaylorMade Rectal Thermometer XL500

[1s1k]

I've been using that Grip shield for a few years like someone mentioned earlier.  It works great at keeping your hands dry. Get a two pack on Amazon and lasts awhile. 

[jimb6golf]

Alternate bottles of water and electrolytes (I prefer Nuun tablets), plus a cooling towel around your neck if it's really hot and humid out.  Will typically go through 2-3 gloves during a round too.  A new item is using a No Sweat band inside your golf hat, it really cuts down on the soaking of your hat and face - terrific product for those who sweat a lot.  Plus if you are really feeling the effects of heat exhaustion you should stop and get to a cool place to avoid any medical complications (just common sense, don't risk any further problems). 

[GungHoGolf]

6 hours ago, larrybud said:

Guaranteed that if you marketed rectal temp as a leading indicator of a good golf score, people would by the TaylorMade Rectal Thermometer XL500

XS for me, please. 

[golferdrmjr]

12 hours ago, larrybud said:

Guaranteed that if you marketed rectal temp as a leading indicator of a good golf score, people would by the TaylorMade Rectal Thermometer XL500

Worth 17 extra yards! 😜