The secret is out.
One of golf’s – and life’s – most annoying necessities to remain safe outdoors in the harsh Australian sun is no more.
We all know a typical round of golf lasts up to four hours. Up until now the best way for golfers to protect their exposed arms to ultra-violet rays while playing has been to apply multiple coats of oily sunscreen. You know the drill: lacquering your limbs on the first tee right before it’s time to hit off, only to leave your hands all slimy and sticky. You then frantically wipe your hands on your towel or tee box in the hope you don’t see your club go flying out of your hands and landing further down the fairway than your ball.
A few holes in you start sweating in the heat and, wham, that oily coating starts trickling down into your hands again, and so it’s back to the towel.
Then, of course, there’s the dreaded “reapply” at the turn, that’s if you even remember to do it after that great three-pointer you made on the ninth. Arrrhh!
‘Two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime.’
Regardless of how thorough you think you are with protecting your skin, the odds of making it back to the clubhouse without your arms looking like lobsters hinges on your application technique and, ultimately, the coverage of a high-quality, broad-spectrum sunscreen that hasn’t been sitting in your bag since the 1986 club championships.
But what if we said there was a new, more practical way to cover up that’s become so popular on the fairways, even famous names like Karrie Webb are jumping on board?
Before we get to the good news, some concerning facts.
Skin cancer is the most common cancer in Australia. Two in three Australians will be diagnosed with skin cancer in their lifetime – two in three!
More than 440,000 Aussies are treated for skin cancer and more than 2,000 die each year from the disease.
But skin cancer is highly preventable. At least 95 percent of all skin cancers are caused by overexposure to UV. Men over 40 are one-and-a-half times more likely than women to be diagnosed with melanoma and twice as likely to die from it. A big contributor to this is the fact that evidence has shown men generally have poorer sun protection behaviours than women, in particular, while out playing golf, according to Cancer Council Australia’s Eden Patrick.
“Golfers are at risk of developing skin cancer because they spend long periods outside in peak UV times, are exposed to limited shaded areas on golf courses and have traditionally put less emphasis on sun protection, compared to cricketers with their zinc, wrap-around sunnies and broad-brim hats,” Patrick told Australian Golf Digest.
“On top of this, many surfaces of a golf course (grass, sand and water) reflect ultraviolet (UV) radiation, further adding to the risk.”
Fortunately, being “Sunsmart” with your arms just got a whole lot easier thanks to a bunch of new wearable products that do a more reliable and convenient job than sunscreen.
Gold Coast company SParms has revolutionised their iconic Sun Sleeves for outdoor workers to the point where it is now the No.1 brand in sun protection sleeves in golf, with more than 300 professional athletes wearing its products daily.
The founding director of SParms (Sun Protection Arm Sleeves), Mimi Lee, says her company’s new range is accredited with a UPF50+ by ARPANSA, preventing 98 percent of UVA and UVB rays. SParms sun protection pieces are now even being recommended by medical experts to help prevent skin cancer and melanoma.
“Our sleeves are built for outdoor activity,” says Lee. “They are lightweight, moisture wicking, breathable and quick dry. Not to mention they are soft and gentle on the skin with a cooling effect.”
How do they work? You simply slip on the SParms sleeves on your arms before teeing off and that’s it, no more sunscreen required on your arms. There’s even a shoulder wrap version for those seeking added protection. In terms of aesthetics, they can be likened to a compression undergarment – slim, sleek and stylish in a range of colour options.
“There are many things we can do to prevent sun damage to our skin,” says Lee. “Taking care daily and habitually making it a routine to protect our skin is the best way of preventing any damage from occurring. However, sometimes these protocols aren’t enough. Wearing long sleeved shirts can become incredibly hot and uncomfortable, slopping on sunscreen can become costly and unrealistic with reapplication, and slapping on a hat still leaves your arms exposed to the sun – which accounts for 15 percent of our skin’s surface area. That is why we developed our SParms Arm Sleeves.”
SParms sun sleeves are worn by top golfers all over the world, including Brittany Lincicome, So Yeon Ryu and Hall of Famer Webb among others.
The sunsafe message seems to be getting through to the sport’s next generation of players too. Perth prodigy Min Woo Lee, 22, is a big fan of SParms after seeing his sister, LPGA star Minjee Lee, wearing them on tour.
“Minjee was a big fan of them so I started using them when I noticed I was getting a little too burnt and tanned,” says Min Woo, now a European Tour winner. “It’s just a smart idea. The Australian sun is pretty harsh, sunscreen can only do so much before it rubs off. It’s nice to have actual material protecting your skin as opposed to a cream. I know of a few friends who’ve had skin cancer and I am under no illusions just how important it is to protect your skin while playing golf. The fact we play for four to five hours a day – and even practise outdoors in between – exposes golfers to the sun more than most other sports.”
Australia’s Brad Francis had a very personal reason to start up his company Sunsafe Golf Apparel.
Francis, a keen golfer, was diagnosed with skin cancer a few years ago, and his doctor recommended that he start wearing long-sleeved shirts at all times when out on the course.
After an extensive search, Francis came to the conclusion that golf shirts with the appropriate level of UV protection were not readily available. So he made it his mission to change all that and started up an apparel business that specifically caters for golfers wanting optimum protection for their skin.
“All of our products are tried and tested in the hottest conditions by myself and several of our young professional golfers,” Francis says. “The lightweight shirts provide very little resistance through the golf swing and the moisture-wicking qualities of the specially selected fabric keep you cool in the hot summer sun. Once you’ve tried them you’ll never go back.”
Like SParms, Sunsafe Golf Apparel’s lightweight UPF 35-rated shirts are another convenient solution to the ever-slippery slope of sunscreen application.
For more information on both products, check out sparms.com.au and sunsafegolfapparel.com
5 Myths About Sun Protection
Debunked by the Cancer Council
- Sun damage is not possible on windy, cloudy or cool days.
FALSE You most certainly can get sun damage on windy, cloudy and cool days. We’ve all done it – in the panic of making your tee-time and not annoying your playing partners before the first shot is struck, you run out of time to apply sunscreen but don’t stress as overcast conditions set in. When you get home and look in the mirror you see a lobster. How did that happen? Sun damage is caused by ultraviolet (UV) radiation, not temperature. A cool or overcast day in summer can have similar UV levels to a warm, sunny day. If it’s windy and you get a red face, it’s likely to be sunburn. There’s no such thing as ‘windburn’.
Sun damage is also possible on cloudy days, as UV radiation can penetrate some clouds, and may even be more intense due to reflection off the clouds. Who knew?
- People with olive skin are not at risk of skin cancer
FALSE Tell that Mediterranean mate of yours their gorgeous glow might turn heads in the clubhouse but doesn’t make them bulletproof out on the course. People with olive skin can get skin cancer too. Regardless of skin type, exposure to UV radiation from the sun and other artificial sources, such as solariums, can cause skin to be permanently damaged. People with skin types that are less likely to burn can still receive enough UV exposure to risk developing skin cancer. Care still needs to be taken in the sun.
- You can stay out longer in the sun when you are wearing SPF50+ than you can with SPF30
FALSE No sunscreen is a suit of armour and sunscreen should never be used to extend the amount of time you spend in the sun. Though it may sound like there is a big difference, SPF50+ only offers marginally better protection from UVB radiation, which causes sunburn and adds to skin cancer risk. SPF30 sunscreens filter about 96.7% of UV radiation, SPF50+ sunscreens filter 98% of UV.
Cancer Council recommends applying a sunscreen that is SPF30 or higher before heading outside, every two hours, after swimming, sweating, or towel drying. Golfers, do the maths – that’s at least two applications per 18-hole rounds.
- You don’t have to be concerned about skin cancer because if it happens you will see it, and it is easy to treat.
FALSE Skin cancer treatment can be much more serious than simply having a lesion ‘burnt off’. It can include surgery, chemotherapy and can result in permanent scarring.
Skin cancer can also spread to other parts of your body. Be alert for any new spots or changes to existing spots and consult your GP immediately if you notice anything new or changing. And remember, prevention is always better than cure.
- You can’t get burnt in the car through a window.
FALSE Planning a big golf road trip post-pandemic? Remember this: You can get burnt through a car window. Untinted glass commonly used in car side windows reduces, but does not completely block transmission of UV radiation. This means you can still get burnt if you spend a long time in the car next to an untinted side window when the UV is high. More commonly, people are burnt in cars with the windows down, where they can be exposed to high levels of UV radiation.
