Heat can be deadly

How does heat affect golfers and the sport of golf? After all, temperatures above 35 degrees are now the order of the day in many countries in summer; in southern European countries such as Spain and Portugal, temperatures exceeding 40 degrees are sometimes recorded. Extreme weather, which scientists expect to become more frequent due to climate change also affects golf because heat is a burden on health. The Climate Risk Index 2025 lists heatwaves as the number 3 risk worldwide. At the same time, current European health data shows that heat is now one of the biggest climate-related health risks in Europe. According to a study published in Nature Medicine in 2024, around 47,690 people in Europe died from heat-related causes in 2023 alone. In 2022, there were even more than 61,000 deaths.

Heat stress on the golf course is a real danger

Due to the relatively high average age of golfers, the risk of overuse injuries, such as cardiac arrhythmias, increases in extreme heat. When it’s hot, our heart has to work harder to keep our core body temperature at 37 degrees Celsius. Because the body needs to supply blood not only to the muscles, but also to the skin. The blood then transports the heat generated by the muscles to the surface. For this to happen at the same time, the heart must pump more blood and therefore beat more often. That is why the pulse rate is also accelerated in the heat. Accordingly, the performance is somewhat lower.

Occurrence of heat stress

Heat stress occurs when the body is no longer able to maintain its temperature equilibrium and core temperature rises to the point that other physiological processes are affected. The occurrence of heat stress is conditioned, on the one hand, by temperature, but also by the person’s age, sex, cardiovascular fitness, and even the medications taken. Tolerance to dehydration is higher in physically fit and young people, while the ability to adapt to heat decreases with age, reduced fitness, and disease.

Climate change affects outdoor sports

Scientists are now making even clearer that climate change is increasingly restricting outdoor sports. The current Lancet Countdown Europe Report 2026 describes a significant increase in heat-related health risks, unsafe outdoor working hours and heat-related deaths in Europe. Older people and people who are regularly physically active outdoors are particularly affected.

Problems from 83 degrees Fahrenheit plus

The influence of temperature, humidity, and bright sunshine on days with temperatures above 83 degrees Fahrenheit was examined. At this temperature level, which is also consistently exceeded on golf courses in the summer, medical professionals advise caution when engaging in outdoor activities, according to the Lancet report. Even in highly developed countries such as Austria, Germany and Switzerland, the number of hours with health-threatening heat stress has increased significantly. Recent European analyses show that older people in particular are exposed to extreme heat stress much more frequently today than they were two decades ago. Women and people over the age of 80 have the highest heat-related mortality rates.

According to the authors, the negative effect of the rise in temperature due to climate change, which primarily affects the over 65 age group, will increasingly undermine the positive effects of outdoor activities on health.

Deaths from heat

At the same time, the Lancet Countdown notes that the death rate caused by extreme heat also increased massively in the 2018/2019 study period, especially among the elderly. It reached a record high of 345,000 deaths worldwide in 2019. The National Institute of Health in the USA, for example, assumes that deaths due to extreme heat resulting in circulatory problems in seniors over 65 will triple in the long term. According to the Robert Koch Institute, 2800 people died in Germany in 2024 due to the heat.

Does golf need heat regulations?

What are the consequences for sport in general of the changes in climate? Some sports associations and sports institutions around the world have already reacted with special heat regulations. However, for a long time this mainly affected hot regions such as Australia or parts of the USA, such as Golf Australia. Many regions around the world are now experiencing extreme heat. The German Golf Association, the Bavarian Golf Association and the NRW Golf Association now also have a heat concept.

The AK 65 and the little children

Basically, high heat can cause heat stress in any age group. Thinking about the division of the golf classes, especially the age groups Ak65 and Ak 12 are vulnerable groups. If there are no national or regional recommendations from the golf associations on how to deal with extreme heat, it is the responsibility of the tournament organiser to deal with the possible consequences of the heat. Heat stress can have deadly effects. And these are just increasing with the ever-increasing heat waves.