The Skins Game: Protecting Your Skin on the Golf Course

How to protect your largest organ from the dangers of cancer.

Jon Rizzi

I have a golf acquaintance I’ll call Casper. Not because he bears a resemblance to the late, great Billy, but because he reminds me of the “friendliest ghost you know.”

Casper is the quirkiest golfer I know—but he’s also the most precautious and the most practical.  He earned his nickname by slathering himself in thick, white sunscreen that has an SPF higher than Stephen Hawking’s IQ. This caulk covers all parts that aren’t hidden beneath the long sleeves of his white shirt, matching pants and outré panama hat. 

Although I once confused him with an OB stake, I’m loath to make light of someone so wary of skin cancer.

The warming sun, which those of us born before and during the 1960s grew up worshipping with oils and lotions, now represents a carcinogenic fireball that produces malignant basal and squamous cells, and, worse, melanomas. According to the Skin Cancer Foundation, 65% of melanoma cases are associated with exposure to ultraviolet (UV) radiation from the sun. Men older than 40 have the highest annual exposure to UV radiation, and white men over age 50 comprise the majority of melanoma patients.

Living in Colorado, we have 300 days a year of exposure. Even so, many golfers—the Anti-Caspers—still apply sunscreen with the same infrequency with which they buckle their seatbelts. 

Don’t be that guy. Follow these Skin Cancer Foundation guidelines:
• Tee off at sunrise or in late afternoon — avoid the sun at its most intense (between 10 AM and 4 PM)
• Whenever you can, seek shade on the course — stand under a tree or sit in your cart.
• Do Not Burn.
• Wear a hat with a brim extending three inches or more all the way around, shading your face, neck, ears, and shoulder tops.
• Wear long-sleeved shirts and long pants, covering as much skin as possible.
• Wear wraparound sunglasses that block 99-100 percent of UV radiation, protecting the eye, eyelid, and surrounding areas.
• Remember to protect yourself on overcast days: Up to 80 percent of the sun’s UV radiation can penetrate clouds and harm your skin.
• Apply a generous amount of water-resistant, broad-spectrum (UVA/UVB) sunscreen with an SPF of 30 or higher to all exposed areas 30 minutes before heading outside to play golf. Look for a sports sunscreen formula that is designed to stay put if you sweat and won’t run into the eyes and sting. An SPF 30+ lip balm will help protect your lips.
• Carry sunscreen with you, and reapply every two hours, immediately after sweating heavily, or at the ninth hole. Look for a sunscreen with The Skin Cancer Foundation’s Seal of Recommendation. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen to frequently overlooked spots, such as your scalp, neck, the backs of your hands and your ears.

Here are some products to help in your  sun-blocking quest:

Sunscreen: Developed in Arizona specifically for golfers and distributed at PGA Tour events, Skin Sunscreen (skinsunscreen.com) is 30+ SPF, non-greasy and doesn’t stain clothing (pictured above). It’s truly sweat-proof so it won’t sting your eyes like most sunscreens do. Used by the majority of PGA Tour players, it contains no PABA, parabens or nanoparticles. The product comes in spray, lotion and lip balm. Packaging ranges from foil packs to liter-pump bottles. Available at most golf courses.

Clothing: The Ultraviolet Pro-tection Factor (UPF) indicates what fraction of the sun’s ultraviolet rays can penetrate fabric. A shirt with a UPF of 50 allows just 1/50th of the sun’s UV radiation to reach the skin. UnderArmour (underarmour.com) and Coolibar (above, coolibar.com) lead the industry in high UPF golf clothing. Look also at SanSoleil (sansoleil.com) and Solumbra (sunprecautions.com) for fashionable options.

Sun Sleeves: Known also as Sport Skins, these “cooling” breathable sleeves work with short-sleeved polos, keeping your forearms from getting burned. The most popular include Under Armour HeatGear (underarmour.com), Nike Dri-FIT (above, nike.com) and UVSkins (uvskins.com).

Hats: Take a lesson from David Leadbetter or Greg Norman and rock a straw hat. But make sure it’s UPF 50. The Byron and Cameron (above) by Wallaroo (wallaroohats.com) have style; so do Coolibar’s Crushable and Packable models. Both companies have a wide range of women’s chapeaux, as well as some cool bucket hats for those wishing to emulate Pinehurst’s iconic Putter Boy.

Eyewear: UV-protective sunglasses not only can protect from cancers but also from macular degeneration and certain cataracts. Certain tints can also help you read greens. Oakley (oakley.com) has long led the way in sports optics. Under Armour’s partnership with Zeiss Lenses has produced some sweet wraparounds—the Rival, Igniter and Big Shot. The Peak Vision GS4 (above, peakvision.com), Maui Jim StoneCrushers (mauijim.com) and Tifosi Jet Wrap (tifosioptics.com) are also solid choices.

This article appears in the May 2016 issue of Colorado AvidGolfer.

See more from The 15th Club: Our Annual Health and Fitness Issue:

Cover Story: Going to the MAT with Greg Roskopf

Become Golf Strong: A Strength Program for Golf Fitness

To Repair or Replace? Orthopedic Answers for Golfers

Consider the Alternatives: Nonsurgical Options for Pain

Practice Makes Present: How Yoga Can Improve Your Golf Game

Pelvis Lives! How to Strengthen Your Pelvis for Your Golf Swing

The Skins Game: Protecting Your Skin on the Golf Course

Garden of Gods Club Builds Wellness Center

Colorado AvidGolfer is the state’s leading resource for golf and the lifestyle that surrounds it. It publishes eight issues annually and proudly delivers daily content via www.coloradoavidgolfer.com.