HEAT!!!

[bcjim]

19 minutes ago, bcflyguy1 said:

In practical terms...that is not correct.

OK, how about this: Changes in air density with temperature at a constant altitude have less impact on shot distance than other factors that are also related to temperature.

[NRJyzr]

Temperature and humidity thoughts...

 

Air density is the answer.  Warm air is less dense than cold air.  And, though it may seem counter intuitive, humid air is less dense than dry air.  Where this changes is when that humidity gets to the point of fog; foggy conditions create greater air density than dry air.  How fun.

 

The effect of elevation on air density is greater than temperature.  Or humidity.  Elevation > temperature > humidity

 

When people think about coastal air and the effect on distance, they tend to think of the humidity first, but it's actually the elevation doing the deed.

 

[Shilgy]

On 5/27/2025 at 9:07 PM, bobfoster said:

Weirdly, I just read some science about that. Water molecules (i.e., humidity - water suspended in a gaseous state) are apparently much bigger than "normal" air. Effectively (and maybe counter-intuitively) making the air the golf ball goes through "thinner" and lighter (though if you are carrying a bag in Miami it sure doesn't feel like that).

 

Then again, I read a lot of stuff - much of which is probably fake news.

 

We need our WRX scientist here I think (@thinking plus).

 

 

If you want to mention someone so they will see it you need to do it in this manner. Putting the parentheses around it messed you up.

 

What say you @ThinkingPlus to Bob’s answer?

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, Shilgy said:

If you want to mention someone so they will see it you need to do it in this manner. Putting the parentheses around it messed you up.

 

What say you @ThinkingPlus to Bob’s answer?

The ball is supposed to travel further in humid air vs. dry air. I have never tried to "dig in" to determine the exact mechanism. It isn't a big effect. Others ( @NRJyzr ) have pointed out that elevation and temperature are bigger factors.

 

The biggest issue I have with humidity is grip. I have soaked through 6 gloves in one round under hot, humid conditions where we had no wind. The gloves became saturated and slippery. Almost impossible to grip the club.

 

Also, once you have precipitation, things go downhill quickly. Fog (mentioned above), light rain, etc... will start crushing distance. Not sure how the pros compensate to be honest.

 

BTW, our heat usually starts in early March with intermittent days of triple digit heat index. Once May arrives we get triple digit heat index every day until late September.  I have seen it as high as 120° F heat index periodically.  Doesn't reach triple digit air temp super often, but we'll see 10 - 20 days at least (already had a few).

[NRJyzr]

On 6/6/2025 at 9:33 AM, ThinkingPlus said:

The ball is supposed to travel further in humid air vs. dry air. I have never tried to "dig in" to determine the exact mechanism. It isn't a big effect. Others ( @NRJyzr ) have pointed out that elevation and temperature are bigger factors.

 

The biggest issue I have with humidity is grip. I have soaked through 6 gloves in one round under hot, humid conditions where we had no wind. The gloves became saturated and slippery. Almost impossible to grip the club.

 

Also, once you have precipitation, things go downhill quickly. Fog (mentioned above), light rain, etc... will start crushing distance. Not sure how the pros compensate to be honest.

 

BTW, our heat usually starts in early March with intermittent days of triple digit heat index. Once May arrives we get triple digit heat index every day until late September.  I have seen it as high as 120° F heat index periodically.  Doesn't reach triple digit air temp super often, but we'll see 10 - 20 days at least (already had a few).

 

Using your post to add a comment on this fun mini subject...

 

What I know about this is due to a fellow golf nerd from the days of the GEA forums.  He was a meteorologist and would chime in when folks would talk about humid air killing their distance.  🙂

 

I didn't want anyone to think a dumb accountant from Minnesota was claiming an atmospheric side hobby   LOL

 

Edited June 10 by NRJyzr

[ThinkingPlus]

33 minutes ago, NRJyzr said:

 

Using your post to add a comment on this fun mini subject...

 

What I know about this is due to a fellow golf nerd from the days of the GEA forums.  He was a meteorologist and would chime in when folks would talk about humid air killing their distance.  🙂

 

I didn't want anyone to think a dumb accountant from Minnesota had an atmospheric side hobby   LOL

 

Good information is good information no matter how you get it. I pretty much suck at thermodynamics so I would likely mess up the humidity analysis. Gotta know your limitations!

[AtomicJoe]

So this is why I seem to hit bombs on hot humid days? 

[bcflyguy1]

2 hours ago, AtomicJoe said:

So this is why I seem to hit bombs on hot humid days? 

[phizzy30]

On 5/10/2025 at 3:43 PM, Obee said:

Heat, heat, glorious heat. It was in the mid-90s yesterday at Bear Creek and oh my goodness what a difference that makes to the game of an old, fat, low ball-flight, high spin player like me.

Warm temperatures help me in multiple ways. My back always feels better in the heat, and the extra lift/height and distance I get with all of my clubs is just what the doctor ordered after months of carrying driver 205 and my 7-hybrid 130. In the heat, I can actually carry driver 220ish and my 7h 145ish. 
 

Every bit of the heat-afforded extra yardage I can get is a truly welcome benefit. Heat helps everyone, of course, but it helps lowball hitters even more, as in the winter when it's cold, my ball seems like it barely gets above head level on most shots!!

 

Played the blues (~6,450, 72.0/134) and after getting off to a rocky early start with my ball-striking and having to get up and down for a couple pars on 1 and 2, I hardly missed a shot the rest of the day. I only had one hole over par (the short par-3 6th) and I thought I hit it stiff there!!! It came up just short, hit a rock in the hazard and led to double. Other than that, 13 pars, four birdies and the lone double for a nice 2-under 70. I hit every green on the back nine and a total 14/18 with 13/14 fairways and 28 putts.

Most importantly, I won my bets!! 😉

Bring on the summer!!!

Nice and amen brother.  As I get older(turning 45 in August), I'm loving warmer months more and more.  You and I live close to each other and I'm starting to enjoy the 80 degree days here in June.  Been playing courses like Coto, Los Serranos, South Hills CC and other LA/orange/riverside county courses lately and it's been wonderful with the warmer temps.  Unfortunately, my scores haven't gone down with the rising temps, but I'm working on it.  Can't wait to hit the courses down in the Palm Springs area in December though.  

Edited June 10 by phizzy30

[bigred90gt]

On 6/6/2025 at 9:33 AM, ThinkingPlus said:

The ball is supposed to travel further in humid air vs. dry air. I have never tried to "dig in" to determine the exact mechanism. It isn't a big effect. Others ( @NRJyzr ) have pointed out that elevation and temperature are bigger factors.

 

The biggest issue I have with humidity is grip. I have soaked through 6 gloves in one round under hot, humid conditions where we had no wind. The gloves became saturated and slippery. Almost impossible to grip the club.

 

Also, once you have precipitation, things go downhill quickly. Fog (mentioned above), light rain, etc... will start crushing distance. Not sure how the pros compensate to be honest.

 

BTW, our heat usually starts in early March with intermittent days of triple digit heat index. Once May arrives we get triple digit heat index every day until late September.  I have seen it as high as 120° F heat index periodically.  Doesn't reach triple digit air temp super often, but we'll see 10 - 20 days at least (already had a few).

Where about in "Deep South Texas" are you? I'm about 1/2 way between Houston and Lake Jackson and grew up in Baytown. Humidity is just a way of life. I started wearing rain gloves several years ago for that same reason. Literally a game changer for summer months. And I take my glove off immediately after every shot, usually before the club goes back in the bag. 

[ThinkingPlus]

1 hour ago, bigred90gt said:

Where about in "Deep South Texas" are you? I'm about 1/2 way between Houston and Lake Jackson and grew up in Baytown. Humidity is just a way of life. I started wearing rain gloves several years ago for that same reason. Literally a game changer for summer months. And I take my glove off immediately after every shot, usually before the club goes back in the bag. 

Rio Grande Valley

[smashdn]

The heat is one thing, I detest the humidity that comes along with it here.  Up until this week it had rained for what seemed like a month of Sundays.  The ground is so saturated and the grass growing so vigorously it just seems to be blowing steam off the ground.  Makes for some grabby fairway turf and the rough is thick as can be.

 

Give me that late September, dry air and dry, running turf.  So much the better if the rough has thinned and gotten a little crispy.  Takes a real player to judge whether he is gonna get a flyer then.

[bcflyguy1]

Played a fun cash tournament at my home club this weekend: 36 holes with temps in the low 90s, dew points in the mid 70s, calm wind at times and couple brief showers (just enough to really make it steam).

Hydrated like a fish throughout and was carrying two iced down towels, but think the smartest thing I started doing was throwing a few ice cubes under my bucket hat every other hole or as needed.

[596]

We walk 3x a week in central Florida.  Temps at 90 or above and feel like temps easily over 100.

 

Long sleeve cooling shirts with stand up collars or regular golf shirt type collar.   I even wear arm sleeves, if not the long sleeve shirt, that has half fingers built in.  Sun ☀️ protection is a must at 70 years old.   Wide brim bucket hat.  Pair of rain gloves or you can't hold onto the club.  3 Gatorades or water every 9 holes.  We even carry foldable seats in our electric follow carts. We spend lots of time waiting for groups ahead. The seat is a must when you have 2 titanium hips and a back that looks like an 💥 went off.

[NMarko]

Up in MN/WI people complain about the cold all winter but then also gripe about it being too hot all summer…. 
 

Love this thread and bring on the warm weather this summer!

[ThinkingPlus]

Slight TJ, but this might help some folks. Stumbled onto the Clinch glove thread. Great glove for humidity. See thread...

 

 

[parbung]

As long as the sun is out, I'll be playing 😎 

[Ferguson]

On 5/27/2025 at 10:07 PM, bobfoster said:

Weirdly, I just read some science about that. Water molecules (i.e., humidity - water suspended in a gaseous state) are apparently much bigger than "normal" air. Effectively (and maybe counter-intuitively) making the air the golf ball goes through "thinner" and lighter (though if you are carrying a bag in Miami it sure doesn't feel like that).

 

Then again, I read a lot of stuff - much of which is probably fake news.

 

We need our WRX scientist here I think (@thinking plus).

 

 

 

There is something called saturation temperature.  It's the temperature at which air can hold the maximum amount of moisture at a given air pressure. 

 

[me05501]

I played over the weekend in 90* heat. I dug out my Tilley bucket hat and felt much cooler than I would have in my normal baseball-style cap. It's nice to have a bit of shade around your ears and neck. 

[caniac6]

Some of the medicines I take makes it tough to deal with the kind of heat we are having in NC. Over 100 feels like temperature. I’ll get out early to practice a bit, but not going to play for awhile.

[bigred90gt]

On 6/23/2025 at 1:57 PM, ThinkingPlus said:

Rio Grande Valley

Yeah, I'd say that's deep south, lol

[TiScape]

Great movie! 

[TiScape]

A high of 77° here today in SF Bay Area. Best weather in the world! (IMO 😊)

[TNwanabe]

Just now, TiScape said:

A high of 77° here today in SF Bay Area. Best weather in the world! (IMO 😊)

Most expensive as well........

[TiScape]

13 minutes ago, TNwanabe said:

Most expensive as well........

Nooooo. 😆 

 

And a Ferrari costs more than a Corolla. Go figure 🙃

[TNwanabe]

5 hours ago, TiScape said:

Nooooo. 😆 

 

And a Ferrari costs more than a Corolla. Go figure 🙃

The Bay Area is no Ferrari......that is certain. 

[TiScape]

Just now, TNwanabe said:

The Bay Area is no Ferrari......that is certain. 

😆 love this. All I said was I think it’s the best weather IMO. You had to go and make it about “more”. So ur obviously “that guy”. Yay

[TNwanabe]

Just now, TiScape said:

😆 love this. All I said was I think it’s the best weather IMO. You had to go and make it about “more”. So ur obviously “that guy”. Yay

Get over yourself. 

[TiScape]

Just now, TNwanabe said:

Get over yourself. 

Sounds good wannabe. Thanks

[TNwanabe]

Just now, TiScape said:

Sounds good wannabe. Thanks

You will be fine. Relax, it was a joke