Affected by heat, how does your body reacts to play golf in high temperatures
Here's how your brain and body are affected when playing in extreme heat
If you're playing golf anywhere in Southeast Asia, you're likely hitting in some extreme heat. It's bad enough even, for those just walking around in the cities, at the Golf Courses everywhere in Thailand, Malaysia, Cambodia and all other countries, it is always advised for everyone to bring enough water to the course.
We all know how lethargic just walking around in the heat makes us feel. But what kind of effect does the heat have on us actually playing golf?
Scientists say, avoiding dehydration can be the biggest determinant for playing well. Not handled correctly, it can affect both your brain and your swing. It is important to look at proper hydration on the golf course since it has great impact on performance from both a physical and mental perspective. Studies showed, that a 5 percent drop in water levels can cause 25-30 percent loss in energy and even a slight drop of 3 percent can cause number thinking and brain fog.
You know that dazed feeling you get when you’re in the sun too long? That’s your brain telling you to fill that water bottle up. Making decisions like how you want to hit your shot or how a putt breaks can be made tougher when your brain is working delayed.
Water is a critical component to replenishing the tissues of the body and removing waste products created by exercise, whether that’s walking 18 holes or working out. Fitness instructors talk a lot about soft tissue massages and foam rolling’s to work out sore muscles, but staying hydrated is just as important.
Especially when you're dealing with a multi-day event, your body needs water to give your muscles a chance to recover and repair before you head out the next day.
If we are looking at Pro/PGA Tour players, they have teams of people looking after them to make sure they’re getting all of the hydration they need. But for average players, it might come down to making tough calls between beer, soda, sports drinks, or water every time the beverage cart comes around.