After the Phoenix area shattered the record of the longest streak of days with temperatures exceeding 110 degrees, outdoor activities have slowed in this Arizona city.
Over the weekend, more than 75 million Americans were under excessive heat warnings, heat advisories and excessive heat watches. At least 18 deaths have been confirmed. 69 deaths in the Phoenix metro area are suspected of being heat-related as of July 15, according to a letter from Arizona Gov. Katie Hobbs to the state’s utility companies.
However, the machine that is the golf industry refuses to stop. Many golfers and golf courses are still seeing average or even slightly more traffic this summer in spite of the heat. However, that doesn’t mean they aren’t taking precautions and being cognizant of the situation.
The name of the game for all of these golfers is water. Jerry McEntyre, a 69-year-old Mesa resident, and Roy Varatt, a 72-year-old Gilbert resident, have been playing golf together for over a year now. McEntyre will drink up to eight bottles of water while on the golf course to prevent being dehydrated, while Varatt will have water in addition to lemonade while playing.
McEntyre will have as much water as he does because of his experience with heat exhaustion before.
“Each time I had heat exhaustion, I never got to heat stroke level because I recognized something each time I experienced it, I didn’t have enough water,” McEntyre said. “I didn’t have enough to drink.”
The two friends have always been morning golfers, searching for the earliest tee time possible. This summer, they have placed even more emphasis on having earlier slots to avoid the heat because it has caused them to end their round early before.
“We’re trying to play smart because we like playing golf,” Varatt said. “We don’t want to get sick, We don’t want to dehydrate. I drink a lot of water even when I’m not playing so I won’t dehydrate.”
Cheyane Stewart, a 25-year-old from Mesa, and Nick Hill, a 27-year-old from Tempe, were heading out for an outing around 11 a.m. at the Dobson Ranch Golf Course in Mesa. Hill said he loves the game of golf, so as long as he has a wet towel and some occasional shade from the sun, he’s set.
Cody Mancuso golfs at the Encanto Park Golf Course in Phoenix on July 22, 2023.
“I’ve been golfing for a year now, I’m super obsessed with it,” Hill said. “I’m like every day, all day.”
Stewart, a former collegiate golfer at Mesa Community College, monitors her nutrition and always has a pulse on where she is physically.
“If I feel out of it, I will definitely just go sit in the AC and take my time,” Stewart said.
Matthew Stark, vice president of partnerships at the Dobson Ranch Golf Course, says that the summer, while not as busy in volume, typically sees more customers with longer sunlight hours and cheaper rates. So even with the heat, he believes golfers are going to seek it out.
“These people have wanted to play a sport that they enjoy and they can finally afford it,” Stark said. “They’re willing to brave the heat to play it because it’s at a cost-effective rate. It’s almost like a weird badge of honor with local golfers.”
But with that, comes increased risk for the golf courses. Dobson says that they have continued to try and give as much caution as possible and be sure to inform them of the risk.
“We’re just constantly telling the customers to drink water, be cool, fill out their coolers and bring out fans,” Stark said. “Do as much as they can to stay safe while they’re out there playing.”
One course with a unique perspective on this is the Desert Mountain Golf Club, a private golf community in Scottsdale. In addition to being positioned at a higher elevation than the rest of the Valley and having slightly lower temperatures, they also have built comfort stations off of their sixth and twelfth holes that have air conditioning and model the clubhouse of the course they are situated on.
Despite that, they still make sure to provide as many amenities as possible, like comfort stations, to keep people safe.
“It really surprises our members when they’re coming in, sweating and realizing that we have a quick little cool off in the air conditioning and a great offering from our food and beverage team,” Gregg Leonard, director of operations for the club, said. “It really makes for a memorable round regardless of the heat.”
Courses and players will have to continue to play safely, with forecasts predicting well above triple-digit temperatures for the remainder of the month of July and potentially into August.