I was a golf course superintendent for more than 20 years, the majority of which were spent at Montgomery Country Club in Laytonsville, Md.
I’ve done battle with drought, floods, mole crickets and pythium – among other adversaries golf course superintendents frequently face. Our greens committee consisted of 22 members, along with the general manager, golf pro and me. Those 25 people all had the same goal of putting Augusta National to shame, as well as the expertise to do it.
OK, some of you are rolling your eyes and others can appreciate the joke, but the point is that we were a big group. In the early 1990s I noticed many greens committee members walking into our meetings or the pro shop with burnt spots all over their face and arms. Soon the “what happened to you?” question turned into common acknowledgement that the spots resulted from another trip to the dermatologist.
Many members started playing golf in long-sleeve shirts and long pants during the hottest time of the day. “Fun in the sun” caught up with many of our senior members and skin cancer stories were common. In my world these members were the first to take the problem seriously and were proactive with sun care prevention.
I remember our golf pro, Phil Hancock, not only applying sunscreen but slathering it on in heavy doses before heading out to the course. I always felt that long pants worn by golf pros was a tour thing and floppy hats were a style statement, but Phil slathering on sunscreen could only mean one thing – sun protection.
He was one of the few young guys back then who took it seriously. He was also one of the bright guys, but he will be the first to admit that it took a couple of scary trips to the dermatologist to create some good habits.
I’m in my early 50s and grew up at a time when everyone was applying cocoa oil to enhance the sun and increase their tan. It was common for people to apply baby oil or iodine to help cook the skin for extreme results. Hey, we were the same group to introduced leisure suits, platform shoes and puka shells.
I never claimed it was a smart practice; my only defense was it was the 70s. At that time companies made millions selling sun tan lotion to enhance the sun. Those same companies are now making millions selling sun block lotions to protect you from it.
People of all ages are now starting to take sun protection more seriously and many are following some or all of the recommendations of the American Cancer Society on sun protection. Those recommendations are as follows:
• Cover up,
• use a sunscreen with a sun protection factor “SPF” of 15 or higher,
• wear a hat,
• wear sunglasses that block UV rays and
• limit direct sun exposure between the hours of 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.
The majority of these recommendations seem easy enough, and just requires some common sense and follow through. More often than not, it may take some sobering news from a dermatologist or knowing someone who has experienced skin cancer to create good sun protection habits.
When you make a living working outdoors their recommendation of limiting sun exposure between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. isn’t possible. You may not have control over the time you spend in the sun, but you do have control over the other recommendations. Outdoor workers should focus on those recommendations and doing them well.
Cover up
The American Cancer Society (ACR) recommends wearing clothes to protect as much skin as possible. The guidelines state that wearing long-sleeved shirts and long pants will cover up most skin and are the most protective. Dark colors generally provide more protection than light colors and tightly woven fabric protects better than loosely woven clothing. They point out that if you can see light through the fabric, UV rays can get through too.
Be aware that just because you think you’ve covered up doesn’t necessarily mean you’ve blocked out all UV rays. A typical light t-shirt worn in the summer usually protects you less than sunscreen with a SPF of 15 or higher.
I’ve met several people who told me that they had skin cancer removed from their back yet they always wore a shirt. Maybe it’s the type of shirt they were wearing, but it also could be their childhood sunburns catching up to them.
There are a few companies now making sun-protective clothing with a label listing the “ultraviolet protective factor” (UPF) value. The level of protection the garment provides from the sun’s UV rays can scale from 15 to 50 plus. The higher the UPF, the higher the protection from UV rays.
I had the pleasure to meet Dr. Lewis Slaten of Auburn University who is on the cutting-edge of this technology. The sport fishing industry is using these clothes and you can check out your local outdoor sports store to see what they have. Golf pro shops are starting to stock some of these products and they will become more common as time passes.
Use a sun screen with a SPF of 15 or higher
Sunscreen comes in many forms including lotions, sprays, liquids, creams, wipes and lip balms. It is recommended to use a product with at least a SPF of 15. The higher the SPF number the greater the protection.
The SPF represents the level of protection against UVB rays. Look for sunscreen products labeled as broad-spectrum or state that they protect against both UVA and UVB radiation. They should be applied 30 minutes before going outside so your skin has time to absorb the chemicals and most sunscreens should be reapplied at least every 2 hours.
The ideal time for golf course crew members is to apply sun screen first thing in the morning prior to arriving at the golf course. Many crew members start before the sun comes up and prior application will allow time for the sunscreen to be absorbed.
They could reapply back at the shop when the morning prep work is complete before their next assignment. Another application can be applied after lunch and may be enough to finish the day depending on their working hours.
Don’t make the same mistake I made. I was always guilty of waiting until I was cooked before applying my first application of sunscreen. Eventually my carelessness necessitated Mohs surgery to remove squamous cell carcinoma from the left side of my face. Mohs surgery has given me a second chance in the sun.
In a profession where we calibrate every application we apply, it’s odd to read sun screen directions that use terms like slather, slap or slop on. The directions recommend using a generous amount of the product and like your cultural practices on turf, under application of the product will not give you the desired results.
Wear a hat
The American Cancer Society recommends you wear a hat with at least a two- to three-inch brim that will help protect your neck, ears, eyes, forehead, nose and scalp. They also recommend shade caps which are like baseball caps with a protective “skirt” draping down to cover the ears and neck.
The American Cancer Society doesn’t feel that baseball caps are enough protection exposing the neck and ears. I have seen superintendents at the GCSAA show, along with country club members, missing parts of their ears. It’s safe to assume that most ear loss has to do with sun-related problems and nothing to do with Mike Tyson.
I am guilty of all the bad habits and the few times I wore a hat I normally wore it backwards. My dermatologist has spent a lot of time working on the top of my ears but has not removed anything as of this date.
Wear sunglasses that block UV rays
This is an easy one as long as you make sure the glasses you purchase block 99 percent to 100 percent of UVA and UVB radiation. Most golf course superintendents own and wear sunglasses. Many times these glasses were purchased at a discount in the pro shop and it should be easy to find a pair with UVA protection.
Some may say “UV absorption up to 400 nm.” which is the same as 100 percent UV absorption. Many crew members don’t wear sunglasses or wear dark safety glasses provided to them. It would be worth checking to see if the safety glasses have UVA and UVB protection. I had a pterygium removed from my right eye while at Montgomery Country Club which is a sun-related problem that is more common in regions close to the equator. Sunglasses became standard clothing to me after that experience.
Last summer, I started a business calling on outdoor workers of all types. I’m picking on golf course maintenance because of my background and comfort zone. I’m running into all kinds of people telling me about their experience or crew members with skin cancer.
Golf course superintendent William Palmer of Delray Beach Florida pointed out spots on his face, arm and hand where he had squamous cells removed. I met a foreman for a utility crew in Ormond Beach Florida who said that he had three people on his crew with skin cancer. I talked to a group of about 30 linemen with Florida Power and many approached me afterward talking about their skin cancer experience.
Many of us set ourselves up based on childhood sun experiences, but enhanced the problem with our profession.
The World Skin Cancer Foundation has some sobering facts on their Web site. It states that one in five people will experience some form of skin cancer and one in 32 people will develop a melanoma in their life time. It would be interesting to see how the numbers compare to those who make a full-time living outdoors.
Use Internet search engines to find out about skin cancer. The three most common are basil, squamous and melanoma. Basil and squamous cell carcinoma is like a dollar spot or fusarium outbreak with a high cure rate as long as you do something about it. Melanoma is more like pythium and you better catch it at first sight.
The life of your greens depends on how you respond to a pythium outbreak, while your life will depend on how you respond to melanoma. I can’t add up the amount of time I spent spraying our bentgrass greens with a preventive fungicide program, but wouldn’t take the time to put on a hat.
Preemergents are used to prevent outbreaks before occurrence. Timing, active ingredients and application techniques play a major role in their success. Timing, products and application techniques play a major part in sun care. Having a game plan and executing that game plan is essential in both.
As a golf course superintendent, I took full advantage of all the tools I could to maintain clean and healthy turf. I was great at protecting the course from what the next day or season would bring. It was my dermatologist who pointed out that I wasn’t so good at protecting my own health.
Scott McCracken is president of Captain’s Choice Suncare. This story originally appeared in the Alabama Green Journal.