[Evan_Green]

What is the highest temperature you have ever played desert golf in? Did you still find it enjoyable?

From a maintenance perspective, what steps do desert golf courses take in Mid Summer in places like AZ and Palm Springs to protect the courses? Are certain grasses favored, is excessive watering used, etc.?

[Anthony_Nysse]

I played in a golf course employee vs golf course employee outing last year when the temp was 97 degrees and the heat index was 112-An this was just outside Hilton Head, SC!!!

[Andy Doyle]

Although it's not a desert in the Mojave sense, the Central Valley of California is very arid and hot during the summer.  When I lived there we would routinely play during the day when the temperature was between 100-105 degrees.  While the heat was intense, it didn't feel so bad for a boy from the south used to heat and oppressive humidity.

The keys for me were being in decent shape and getting acclimated to the heat, wearing sunscreen and a wide-brimmed straw hat, and drinking plenty of fluids (while water is good, when you are out there for hours - working outside or playing golf - you need to be conscious of replacing the salt you are losing as well, so sports drinks can be helpful).

Andy

[Scott_Park]

I actually like playing when its hot  and dry (within reason) as it makes for a less crowded day.  High temps and humidity are tough.

Absolute temp: 117F in Palm Springs. Found showers between rounds good as well as cold wet towels on the back of the neck.

Hottest feeling was at Colonial - 102F with humidity.  I am not sure what helps with humidity.

Scott

[Allan Long]

Growing up, I made the trip to Palm Desert in the summer a couple of times a year to play 36 because the courses were empty and there was the chance to play coureses I'd seen
on TV (like Indian Wells etc.) for practically nothing. Probably the hottest was 105-110.
The thing I remember is that greens would be hand watered throughout the day, while automatic sprinklers took care of the fairways maybe a few times during the round. Courses with Bermuda greens seemed to be able to get away with less watering, but I saw my share of both Bent and Bermuda affected by the heat. It seems that they were also not mowed as closely, which is understandable.
As far as playing conditions, if it ever got too unbearable we would call it a day. But to tell you the truth, I don't ever remember packing it in early. Now that I am older and live on the East coast, I find that 95 plus humidity drains me more than 105 temps in the desert.

[Sean OMalley]

122! degrees in Phoenix in June of 1990. Record day in state history and I had a water jug and Ken McDonald GC to myself!

[PThomas]

I played the PGA West courses a few summers ago for really cheap rates, 36 a day

fast play , almost nobody out there, 36 a day -- who could ask for much more?

and heck you are given a cart, so it was tolerable

[Jason Topp]

120 - Palm Springs, no wind.  I was playing with a big 63 year old man, who announced he was going to quit after 13 holes.  My only response was - "good."

When in college, I used to be able to play the municipal courses in Tucson at a sunburn rate of $5 in the afternoon.  As long as there was not any humidity (it doesn't take much)and I drank enough water, I enjoyed it.  

I still take an occasional trip to Arizona in the summer.  The courses are so well set up to handle the heat and it is cool enough in the early morning that it can be enjoable and certainly is a great bargain.  I now take a cart though.

[Bill_McBride]

Years ago I played the Desert Inn course in Las Vegas in July, about 110 degrees, in a cart with one of my buddies.  We were fine -- cooler with bottled water (no beer), wet towels on the neck, etc. -- until the cart crapped out on maybe the 12th.  So we shouldered the bags and played on.  It wasn't awful but it was hot!   We finished without incident.

I find it much much worse here on the Gulf Coast in June or July when it's 90 degrees and the humidity is way up there and no breeze.  To me that's torture, not enough dry gloves.  I'll take dry heat 20 degrees higher any time.

[Jason McNamara]

Years ago I played the Desert Inn course in Las Vegas in July, about 110 degrees, in a cart with one of my buddies.  We were fine -- cooler with bottled water (no beer), wet towels on the neck, etc. -- until the cart crapped out on maybe the 12th.  So we shouldered the bags and played on.  It wasn't awful but it was hot!   We finished without incident.

Same here.  LV in the summer with mandatory portable shade (cart) is nothing compared to Houston.

Jason

[jg7236]

Last year on my Birthday July 17th my friends from work and I went golfing at the Vintage Club in Palm Desert, CA.  We started around 10am, by noon the temperature was around 121.  It was my Birthday, we started off drinking Makers Mark from a flask, and then we moved on to beer.  We stopped drinking because of the extreme heat after nine holes, and started filling up on H2O.  By the 13th hole everybody was getting grumpy and dehydrated (Damn, golfclubatlas needs spell check).  A couple of us got into a fight over a bet on the 14th hole.  We were playing a fivesome, two in the group got pissed and decided to just play by them self, while myself and the other two finished from behind.  We all finally finished up, we were all so tired and dehydrated, and out of juice we didn't even say bye, or I will see you on Monday at work, we just all stumbled our heat exhausted bodies to our automobiles and drove off.  That day the heat of the desert took us all over.  We all talk about that day every once and awhile and laugh over a couple of beers.  The heat is no joke in the desert!

[jeffwarne]

On a related note,what's the only major US city to never have reached 100 degrees in temperature?
without checking weather .com

[Andy Doyle]

Seattle?

Honolulu?

AD

[Mitch Hantman]

Jeff -

Miami?  I think 99 is the highest ever recorded in about 105 years.

[jeffwarne]

Ther may be others-Honolulu comes to mind
Miami-98 is the highest recorded-of course the humidity was 98 that day also
summer mornings are brutal-decent sea breeze in the afternoon

[PThomas]

this reminds me of the story of playing Heritage Bluffs  -- a very good muni near Joliet Ill --on a hot humid summer day...we walked, and three of us were drinking water, Gatorade , etc.....the 4th was drinking Cokes

we told him"What are you doing?  you shouldn't be drinking that stuff on a day like this!"  "I'll be fine" he assured us..He was -- until we sat down in the clubhouse and he started turning a greeninsh color...

of course, I had given him a ride, and thank goodness he threw up in the parking lot before we left, cause if he had done that in my car I might have dumped him out

what a dumb sh**

[peter_mcknight]

Emerald River Golf Course in Laughlin Nevada in June 1999.  It was 114 on a Sunday nearing completion of my round.  I was asked if I wanted to go back out again for an additional $15.  By the time I finished my round, the wind began to kick up between 25-35 mph and didn't want to tackle some of the extremely elevated par 3s with the wind (nos. 3, 12 and 17! come to mind).

The course was in great condition that day--about as firm and fast a course as I have ever played.  There was no need to use a driver on the course because of the (a) tightness and (b) speed of the fairways.  To give you an indication of the speed of the course that day, the 16th played at 560 yards that day (they eliminated the real back tee at 595), but the breeze hadn't kicked in just yet.  I hit a 5W 5I pin high.  The 5W went 315 (downhill aided) and the 5I from 245.

There weren't that many players out there that day which made playing the round wonderful--got round in 3.10.

The worst weather I have ever played in was a 4th of July 1993 at the CC of South Carolina--teed off at 930am, temperature reached 106 + humidity!  Just awful--felt like a furnace.

[Forrest Richardson]

I played Papago municipal a few years back. When we walked off the course after walking 18 holes I sat in my truck and listened to the radio...it had reached 120 that day.

[paul cowley]

Forrest... I'm familiar with most of the munis and Papago is one I don't seem to recall.....help me fix its location so I might add it to my inventory, please.......Paul.
oh, and how are things out in the high desert?.

[Forrest Richardson]

Things here are well. I travel today to spand a day at The Links at Las Palomas (Sonora, Mexico). The grassing there is done and we hope this Fall will allow an opening of the course.

Papago is a City of Phoenix course — the best among the City's municipals. It was designed by Willian F. Bell (the younger Bell.) Jack Snyder oversaw construction on behalf of the City and the very busy Bell. There have been a few posts about Papago in thbe recent year as it is, hopefully, to be restored in the coming years.

[Mike Hendren]

Forrest,

Not to hijack this thread, but I vaguely remember a poster named Forrest Richardson who some time ago wrote a witty, enthralling account of a mystical round of golf at Foulpointe.  I vaguely recall a character named Mutan trying to gather his faculties on the seventh tee after sampling some wild berries on a previous hole.  

Perhaps this poster was your father?   Are you familiar with this story and its subsequent twists and turns?  

Just curious.

Mike

[Forrest Richardson]

Mike — I am glad you brought that up. It was me, but pre- the operation. If you know what I mean.

[James Bennett]

I recalled this thread when I stumbled across a Heat Stress Index for Sport on our weather bureau web-site.  The thread discussion covered the difference in stress from temperatures in low-humidity and high-humidity.  Apparently (from the weather bureau), there are methods (wet bulb globe temperature in Australia, Steadman apparent temperature in the USA and humidex in Canada) that measure the effective heat stress of temperature combined with humidity.  Wind and radiation (from direct sun versus shade) also affect the stress level, but these are more localised conditions.  The weather bureau provides figures on the more area-generic temperature/humidity.

The web-site in Australia is  http://www.bom.gov.au/info/heat_stress/

I was amazed at the range of temperatures that produce the same heat stress.  I live in a low-humidity climate.  I now understand why I feel so tired in a high humidity place.  It doesn't need to be very hot!  Apparently, the following have the same heat stress.

44 degrees (celsius) and 20% humidity (44 = 111 degrees farenheit)
37 degrees (99 farenheit) and 40% humidity
34 degrees (93 F) and 60% humidity
31 degrees (88 F) and 80% humidity
29 degrees (84 F) and 100% humidity

Keep up your fluids!

[A_Clay_Man]

Evan, The day was 120 degrees on the Stadium course, at PGA West. All the greens had fans around them. These fans were on posts that were there for repeated use. Since the course demands so much from the average golfer, not a fan was ever hit, because one had to be nuts to try to hit a green from anything farther than 8 iron range. Ergo, aerial assault, no fans in any danger.

As long as the golfer has a cup of ice water, and drinks that ice water every few steps, the heat shouldn't be a problem. It can even be a positive, slowing down ones motions from fear of over-heating.

Here in the high desert, there are days when you could easily lose some of your turf. As I understand it, Poa will die when it gets to 115 and less than 3% humidity. I suppose thats when the hoses come out.

[PThomas]

just got back from Williamasburg VA where the heat index was about 105...there was humidity of course as well

I definitely think I felt hotter there than at PGA West during the summer..in fact, that might have been the hottest I've ever felt anywhere!

[Tags:]

Tags:

[Tags:]

Tags:

Call to undefined function theme_linktree()