Walking in Humid Weather - Need Advice

[ShutSteepStuck]

Just moved from CA to NC and I need some advice for walking 18 in humidity without being too miserable. My plan is to play at least a few rounds a week over the summer and into the fall.

 

What kind of gear, brands and types of clothing & materials have helped you navigate stifling humidity when walking on the golf course? There’s probably a lot I didn’t think to ask so any wisdom will help.

 

I usually carry 10 clubs in a 2.5+ bag but would appreciate any thoughts about pushcart and umbrella setups as well.

[ode]

5 hours ago, ShutSteepStuck said:

Just moved from CA to NC and I need some advice for walking 18 in humidity without being too miserable. My plan is to play at least a few rounds a week over the summer and into the fall.

 

What kind of gear, brands and types of clothing & materials have helped you navigate stifling humidity when walking on the golf course? There’s probably a lot I didn’t think to ask so any wisdom will help.

 

I usually carry 10 clubs in a 2.5+ bag but would appreciate any thoughts about pushcart and umbrella setups as well.

I use a CG 3.0 and the umbrella holder works well, they sell one that has more clearance and angles, which I have and also works well.  A must when its a steady rain.  I also use for sun protection as I mostly walk and play a lot.  

[sheezymaneezy]

I bounce between Northern Australia and SE Asia, and if walking, I would highly recommend pushing with an umbrella. 

Heat and humidity is energy sapping enough, no need to make it harder on yourself by carrying. 

I also recommend arm sleeves (when warm), I feel like they are better are sun protection and are cooler to wear than sunscreen.

 

You'll also find certain brands/shirts are much better suited for the humidity too. Eg Adidas polo are nice to wear, but when playing and sweating my a** off, brands such as Travis Matthew, Lululemon and Columbia have been much better in my experience.

[596]

2 rain gloves. Arm sleeves to stay cool and sun protection.

Extra towel.  Wide brim cooling hat.  Drink water (but don't get excessive, which can be just as bad as not enough).

 

I'm in central FL and the above are a must in the summer and humidity. I walk 3 days a week all year. 

[rukahs]

I'll gladly switch lives with any of you who wants to move to the UK? then, and only then you can call it "miserable". UK sucks major Word not allowed.

[Ephemerlol]

Moisture wicking fabrics are way more comfortable, don't wear cotton anything. Bring several gloves and swap them out when they soak through. 

[bcjim]

4 hours ago, rukahs said:

I'll gladly switch lives with any of you who wants to move to the UK? then, and only then you can call it "miserable". UK sucks major Word not allowed.

Pass 🙂

 

However,  hot and humid has its challenges too. And a lot of the advice above is spot on. For me,  the umbrella and holder for the push cart are critical.  Being out of direct sun is much less draining.  Get some gloves with a suede-like feel,  they're better when sweating profusely. 

[caniac6]

Drink more than you think you need. I use Liquid IV. Wear good socks to prevent blisters. I really think hydration is the most important thing. I’d also try to play as early as possible to avoid the afternoon heat. Don’t be too proud to take the occasional cart.

Edited February 19 by caniac6

[Broken3wood]

I do this during the summer months here in Indiana. Whenever possible I try to wait until the evenings to play. Find a grip that's built for the humidity. The biggest take away though. Depending on the course you're going to be playing at and the dress code, choose your shirt wisely. I started wearing lightweight mesh t-shirts / cooling shirts during the really bad months of July and August. That made the most difference in how comfortable I was. It allows so much more heat to escape vs. a conventional collared golf shirt. 

[Primo1868]

A number of things have been pointed out previously that I agree with, so, I'll touch on something I haven't read yet (living in Savannah, GA and walking at least 9 holes twice a week in the summer) and add in my routine. 

 

Limit alcohol intake (or drink none at all) at least 24 hours before the round. Make sure you are not only drinking fluids but also eating food. Most people do not realize that fluids alone are not sufficient in hot and humid environments. 

 

My strategy:

Push Cart

Sunscreen applied before every 9 holes (at least)

One liquid IV pack per 9 holes

Water refills as needed

150 calories every 3-6 holes

Bucket Hat

 

Also remember that dealing with heat and humidity is all about your personal tolerance. If you live/work in an AC environment 99% of your day, you cannot expect to handle walking 18 holes for the first time like its no big deal. You need to give yourself opportunities to acclimate.  

[bluedot]

Lifelong NC/GA resident here, now 71 and walking 3 or 4 times a week all summer.  In no particular order.

 

1. wide brim hat

2. Sun sleeves (not only protective, but really help with sweat running down onto your hands.)

3. absolutely NO cotton shirts, EVER!

4. push cart, but electric even better

5. reflective umbrella

6. constant fluids, before/during/after;  at the worst of the summer humidity you literally can’t keep up with the fluid loss while you play

7. electrolytes the whole time, either powder like Ultima, or tablets like Nuum.  NOT Gatorade or Powerade; way, way too much sugar.

8. Golf gloves with a synthetic back, cabretta palm, and change every three holes.  
 

Where are you in NC? (It matters; NC is LONG easy to west, and the humidity gets much, much worse down east.  (Btw, “down east” is a term that actually means a specific region in NC…)

[monkeyboy]

1. Footjoy Raingrip Gloves - game changer in the south, I use the same glove for warmup, full rounds for a good 1/2 season before these wear out.   Need about 3 leather gloves for a round on the most humid days and they wear out much faster.

2. Fromunda or other body powder before round on private parts and crotch.    Part 2 of this equation is chafing cream on the taint - look at any cycling product.

3. Comfy shoes, clothes and hydration

[Jayjay_theweim_guy]

7 hours ago, rukahs said:

I'll gladly switch lives with any of you who wants to move to the UK? then, and only then you can call it "miserable". UK sucks major Word not allowed.

Wouldn't switch with the UK, for reasons, but switch to mostly 30s and 40s all the time, with occasional rain and lots of wind?  Yep, I'll trade swampy Houston for that all day every day.  Though life in the fog bank gets old too.  I grew up in coastal CA... (Not the sunny part.  No wonder I was depressed a lot as a kid.)

 

Anyway, good sunscreen, wide-brim hat, plenty of gloves, dry towels, lots of water and electrolyte supplements... and it's still going to be miserable at times.  I like the idea of the umbrella on the push cart.

 

Believe it or not, you will acclimate after awhile, to where you'll be surprised what you'll tolerate.

[jholz]

Good gravy folks, I grew up in Colorado and walked and carried for a decade in southern/central Alabama. 

 

Outside of manning up, the only real advice is to carry a couple extra gloves and a sweat towel. Find shade and get your bag off your shoulder at every opportunity. 

 

It's gonna be a sweaty mess. Get used to it. 

[Marty86]

Like some said, get a cart and an umbrella. If you don't mind spending the extra $ and want to save yourself some more energy you can get a remote controlled cart. 

 

 

[PedronNiall]

Don't think anyone said it, but if I simply missed it then I'm adding it again for emphasis: besides breathable shirts you should always be in lighter colors. The amount of extra heat even just dark shorts will add to your body is enough to make a difference, and a dark shirt will have your insides cooking.

 

Dark colors during the summer are strictly for masochists. 

[shankasaurus rex]

36 minutes ago, jholz said:

Good gravy folks, I grew up in Colorado and walked and carried for a decade in southern/central Alabama. 

 

Outside of manning up, the only real advice is to carry a couple extra gloves and a sweat towel. Find shade and get your bag off your shoulder at every opportunity. 

 

It's gonna be a sweaty mess. Get used to it. 

There's some good advice here, especially for someone not used to humidity. Don't be that guy.

[ciscojaws]

I mostly walk in VA - I bought some cheap UV sleeves off Amazon and if there's even the slightest breeze they cool my arms.  Helps quite a bit in the dog days.

[darkhelmet]

Breathable boxer-briefs.

 

And if you can manage it, a cooler or large thermos with mostly ice, some water, and 2 small towels.  Ice-water towel on the back of your neck between shots is amazing for pulling heat out of your body and keeping you more comfortable.

[bluedot]

5 hours ago, jholz said:

Good gravy folks, I grew up in Colorado and walked and carried for a decade in southern/central Alabama. 

 

Outside of manning up, the only real advice is to carry a couple extra gloves and a sweat towel. Find shade and get your bag off your shoulder at every opportunity. 

 

It's gonna be a sweaty mess. Get used to it. 

Yeah, so I was a college tennis player, and spent decades in the sun doing that, and then later walking almost all of my rounds of golf.  
 

I’m 71 now, and I’ve paid the price, believe me.  I’ve been on the 6 month plan at my dermatologist for many years, and I NEVER get out of there without stuff being frozen off, or having something biopsied.  
 

So I’ll stand by telling the OP to wear sun sleeves, a wide brim hat, and to use a cart with a reflective umbrella.  “Manning up” probably shouldn’t be considered to necessarily include skin cancer.

 

As to hydration and electrolytes, and shirt fabrics and the rest, the question becomes not only how often are you going to play, but how well do you want to play down the stretch of a round.  I play better when I’m cooler and NOT wearing a cotton shirt that weighs 5 lbs because of sweat.

 

Can you endure  a round your way?  Of course.  But that wasn’t the OP’s question.
 

 

[sbrooke]

If you wait to start hydrating when you get out on the course it’s probably too late.  Make sure you start drinking water interspersed with some form of high quality sports drink a few hours before you start.

[ShutSteepStuck]

Appreciate all the great responses!

 

What large-brim or bucket hats do you guys prefer? Have used the titleist ones for years but that material seems too heavy for intense humidity…

[st1800e]

5 hours ago, bluedot said:

spent decades in the sun doing that, and then later walking almost all of my rounds of golf.  
 

I’m 71 now, and I’ve paid the price, believe me.  I’ve been on the 6 month plan at my dermatologist for many years, and I NEVER get out of there without stuff being frozen off, or having something biopsied.  

+1.  BD, same  age as you, no such thing as sunscreen when we were kids.

First skin cancer at 28, 16 in total, all three kinds.  5 conventional surgeries and 3 Mohs surgeries.  And the 6 month visit routine, been doing that for at least 25 years.

 

And I live in a northern climate. 
 

To everyone - Wear sunscreen!  I do every day, 365, yes, including winter.  

 

[1mcozik]

How to not die from humidity and heat?

 

Hydrate the day before you go play. Like 1 gallon of water throughout the day.

 

On the day of play have plenty of water with pedialyte or liquid iv.

 

 

[bluedot]

9 hours ago, ShutSteepStuck said:

Appreciate all the great responses!

 

What large-brim or bucket hats do you guys prefer? Have used the titleist ones for years but that material seems too heavy for intense humidity…

Whatever wide brim you get, BE SURE that it’s labeled SPF 50+.  If it isn’t, don’t get it, no matter how good it looks.  Companies that don’t get that label are doing it on the cheap one way or the other, either in the fabrics themselves, or by not submitting to testing.

 

I had a Nike wide brim that I loved; wore it for a whole summer, and then ended up under blue light treatment at the dermatologist, and lucky to avoid MOHS surgery.  Never again…

 

Coolibar, Imperial, Titleist, and others all make good SPF wide brims.  Tilleys are great hats that last forever, but show sweat stains pretty badly, at least on my bald head.

[jholz]

15 hours ago, bluedot said:

Yeah, so I was a college tennis player, and spent decades in the sun doing that, and then later walking almost all of my rounds of golf.  
 

I’m 71 now, and I’ve paid the price, believe me.  I’ve been on the 6 month plan at my dermatologist for many years, and I NEVER get out of there without stuff being frozen off, or having something biopsied.  
 

So I’ll stand by telling the OP to wear sun sleeves, a wide brim hat, and to use a cart with a reflective umbrella.  “Manning up” probably shouldn’t be considered to necessarily include skin cancer.

 

As to hydration and electrolytes, and shirt fabrics and the rest, the question becomes not only how often are you going to play, but how well do you want to play down the stretch of a round.  I play better when I’m cooler and NOT wearing a cotton shirt that weighs 5 lbs because of sweat.

 

Can you endure  a round your way?  Of course.  But that wasn’t the OP’s question.
 

 

 

I have no problems with sun protection. Occasionally I do with humor. 

 

Your point is well taken.  

[PedronNiall]

15 hours ago, ShutSteepStuck said:

Appreciate all the great responses!

 

What large-brim or bucket hats do you guys prefer? Have used the titleist ones for years but that material seems too heavy for intense humidity…

 

I've found that a few companies make designs that have vented weaves at the crown to allow heat and moisture to escape. Look for that in bright colors and you'll be fine. Check outdoor apparel in general as you can often find better prices from brands that aren't selling it as a "for golf" item. 

 

 

23 hours ago, darkhelmet said:

Breathable boxer-briefs.

 

And if you can manage it, a cooler or large thermos with mostly ice, some water, and 2 small towels.  Ice-water towel on the back of your neck between shots is amazing for pulling heat out of your body and keeping you more comfortable.

 

Only caveat there is your shorts need to either be light enough or loose enough to allow the moisture to escape. Breathable anything under a layer that doesn't breathe enough becomes it's own special kind of fun. 

[byoshio82]

Baby powder or Monkey Butt powder!😂😂😂

[jsn]

DryHands - couple drops of this before you put your glove on and spread around your palms/fingers. Amazing for reducing sweat. Also take the glove off after every shot.

One of those cooling towels that you get wet and drape across your neck. Tons of em on Amazon or elsewhere. Easily knocks a few degrees off the temp

Edited February 20 by jsn

[LUMA]

Duluth Trading buck naked boxers, super light and stretchy moisture wicking tops and shorts (I love the Target All In Motion golf shorts), lots of fluids even on days when you aren’t playing, Nuun hydration tablets and a wet microfiber towel to wrap around your neck. The wet towel on the neck is a game changer. Sugar in some form is a game changer as well.