Feelin' Hot, Hot Hot!

     So yes, it is hot outside.  In fact, it is very hot. Temperatures here in Merced are reaching in the neighborhood of 106 degrees and just sixty miles south of Merced it has been 109 in Fresno.  I just got off the phone with Mark Croft my co-founder and he was telling me it was 117 and humid in Yuma, Arizona where he lives. It is a great time to play golf, and I mean that.  That is not a sarcastic statement so why would you ever want to venture out in such heat.
      If you ever experience playing golf in this kind of heat, you must take certain precautions of course.  First of all, drink plenty of water. You have to hydrate, and that means staying away from that nice cold brew--uh, beer--when you are playing in such heat.  Alcohol is a diaretic and actually drains you of the water in your system.  It is very important to drink a lot of water or hydrating drink.  I have suffered from heat related symptoms and it isn't pleasant.
     Find shade wherever you can and keep cool.  That may be more difficult to do than it sounds, especially if you are on a desert course with few trees.  What I do is to bring a couple of towels and wet them in cold water or any water that is available. I wipe myself down with the wet towel and the heat doesn't seem as extreme.  I have also brought along a spray bottle and kept spraying myself down.  Believe me, both the towels and the spray bottle that cool you off.  I can't tell you just how refreshing that cold towel can be when you wpe yourself down and wrap it around your neck between shots. Oh, and take a cart when you can.  Some say this is not golf, but it helps you to stay alive on a hot day.
     Why would you ever want to play in 108 degree heat?  Personally, I don't mind it but there are those--especially my wife--who question my sanity on this subject.  There are advantages though.  First off, who is crazy enough to play golf in this kind of heat.  I am I guess but let's make lemonade out of lemons.  The golf course is almost empty.  In most cases the round goes very quickly and there is not much waiting around for the group in front of you.  Round times of less than four hours are not uncommon. In most cases, its hit your shot and then go.  There is no waiting around for the hole to clear.
      Another advantage is that the ball goes farther in the hotter and less dense air.  I am a short hitter so the added distance is very much welcomed.  In most cases it can be up to one iron longer and the drive flies about twenty yards further. The object of the game is to get the ball into the hole in as few strokes as possible and as far as score is concerned playing in the heat doesn't effect my score that much, but it sure does stroke my male ego.
     I like playing in the heat. I prefer playing early in the morning when it is hot but I will play in the afternoons when it is hot. I just make sure I take certain precautions to keep cool. That air conditioning of the clubhouse and the nineteenth hole sure feel great after the round is over.  I love playing golf and will make the sacrifice of being hot.  

It was HOT that day.  Teed off at 2:00 with the temperature of 108 degrees.  I kept my cool though.

PS: I think I will take a trip to Monterey or somewhere on the coast to play where it is cooler. I'm HOT!