Golf

Golf is one sport that is rarely affected by the weather - most golfers drag out their clubs when the rest of us would not even consider stepping out of the door. But the weather does influence the game as well as the maintenance of the course. Bad weather can even threaten a golfers life.

The type of course, on which a game of golf is played, is probably the most important factor that the weather influences. There are two types of courses: "links" courses and "parkland" courses. The game was first played on Scottish links courses by the sea. Parkland courses are inland and don’t have the same coastal weather conditions.

The game and the weather
The wind greatly affects a game of golf. Wind might seem to get in the way of a game, but is a important part of golf. A golfers skill can be measured by their response to the wind.

Links golfers have to respond to coastal winds, which can be stronger than inland winds as there is no land mass to act as friction and slow them down. In the summer there are sea breezes in the afternoon, when the land heats up and the air rises, this draws in cool sea air. Sea breezes tend to be steady in strength, although they can change direction through the course of the afternoon.

Links courses have another unusual weather condition that parkland courses do not have to face. Sea mist, which in Scotland is know as the 'haar', arrives in the morning and late afternoon from April to September. The haar is formed when warm air passes over the cool sea, which then cools it down. The moisture in the warm air then condenses into mist, which is drawn inland by a sea breeze.

Golfers often carry on playing in appalling weather, but sometimes bad weather on a golf course can actually kill them.

The players and the weather
Lightning can kill, and golf courses are prime territory for being struck. Lightning (or any electrical current) takes the route that offers least resistance, humans are 65% water, which conducts well. So watery human beings standing on exposed golf courses are a good target for lightning .

Lightning kills more people than any other weather condition in the USA. The famous American golfer Lee Travino was hit by lightning in 1975 near Chicago, he said afterwards: "It completely lifted me off the ground. I thought they would be putting me in the ground at 10.30 on Monday morning.

Actually only 10% of people hit by lightning die, but many others are left with some disabilities. Lee Travino had the sensitivity and flexibility of his lower spine damaged.

It is rarer to be hit by lightning in the UK as we do not have a continental weather pattern which creates so much lighting for the US. Still golfers here are hit, in August 1998 a golfer was killed in Chigwell, Essex. British golfers are warned by klaxon when potential lightning approaches. In Britain, twenty-five people are hit by lightning every year and five of those die.

Mr Cox issues his greenskeepers with a checklist of tasks that can or cannot be done according to the weather. When the weather is hot and humid, greens are liable to get fungal diseases. Disease kills off the short grass and leaves uneven brown patches. After really heavy weather, many golf courses have a secondary green to take the wear off the main one.

Golfers can be fanatically driven by their sport. Setting off in the driving rain or the searing heat with only snow on the course seeming to stop the obsession. But however electrifying golf is, golf courses make ideal territory for lightning strikes.