Sun Safety
In this case, "better safe than sorry" can be the difference between life & death
Playing golf doesn't seem like a very dangerous sport. There are no 300-pound defensive linemen bearing down on you with malice intent; no 98-MPH fastballs screaming straight for your chin. But PGA Tour standout Rory Sabbatini knows firsthand one of the primary dangers of our chosen obsession: skin cancer.
Sabbatini was diagnosed in late 2010 and had surgery shortly thereafter to remove cancerous skin from his face. He is back on the golf course now and fully recovered. His win at the Honda Classic in March shows that while skin cancer is a serious and sometimes deadly disease—particularly if it progresses to the melanoma stage—if diagnosed and treated early, it can be easily beat.
Sabbatini is not alone on the PGA Tour in facing the issue. Though it is vastly underreported, Padraig Harrington, Andy North and Tom Kite have also faced skin cancer in their careers, as have millions of amateur golfers.
But, "Rory's experience at a young age [he's 34] caught everyone's attention," says Mark Wishner, president of Sun SafeTee, a non-profit organization that teaches sun protection and skin cancer prevention programs specifically for the golf community. "When I do talks, I always ask the audience if they have personally had or know of someone who has had skin cancer issues. Invariable, there is a 95 percent affirmative response."
And even though beating the disease is possible, better yet, says Wishner, are preventative measures. He details the issue: "More skin cancer is diagnosed every year than lung cancer, prostate cancer and breast cancer combined. And while it is more Prolific, it is also the most preventable and treatable cancer. Education and early diagnosis are the keys."
There are many simple preventative measures that can be taken. Though fully recovered, Sabbatini says, "It was serious enough that it scared me pretty well." He nowadays wears a wide-brimmed hat and uses (and endorses) a product called Smart Shield. "Other than that, it's just that I've got to be very cautious out there."
Wishner advises, "Clothing, especially for kids, should be the first barrier against sun exposure," and adds that all golfers should look for garments with a UPF (Ultraviolet Protection Factor) of 30+ or dark fabrics with a tight weave. "Or," he says, "you can buy SunGuard, a product you can apply to the shirts hanging in your closet that will help protect you from the sun for about 20 washings.
Wishner's group is not the only company working to educate golfers on the subject. Among the companies who are making golf shirts with UPF (many with 50+UPF) is Iconic Sport. "Certainly sun protection has always been an integral part of our product mix," said Iconic founder and designer, Leslie Chow, a former NASA engineer.
Iconic builds UPF straight into the fiber of the material, a process that is much longer lasting than applying it chemically after the shirt is manufactured.
Celebrated golf instructor David Leadbetter is both a customer and a personal consumer of the Iconic Del Sol accessories. His Florida-based Leadbetter Golf Academy offers Iconic products to students, and Leadbetter, whose father passed away from skin cancer, often wears the Iconic sunsleeves.
Another company working in the field is Kinesys, which has manufactured sunscreen products since 1994. Nowadays, Kinesys is blazing trails in the digital arena with an application for the iPhone, iPod Touch and iPad.This UV Safe Timer app allows golfers to check the weather and UV rating of the courses they intend to play, set a timer for safe sun exposure and locate sunscreen retailers all with the tap of a finger. But perhaps the most unique aspect of the app is a Sunburn Alert timer, which allows each user to create a profile of their own skin type and planned activities. The timer then calculates these factors and creates an appropriate time frame for safe sunscreen reapplication.
"There are six different skin types," says Wishner. "The lighter your skin, the more at risk you are. Even if you think you are not at risk, you are. The reality is that everyone has a risk for developing skin cancer. Some people just have a higher or lower risk based upon sun exposure, genetics and skin type.
"A lot of people don’t realize that reggae artist Bob Marley died of melanoma. The point is, even people with very dark skin need to use sun protection. Bottom line: We recommend that EVERYONE educate themselves, take precautions and be smart."
It is certainly better to be safe than sorry and in this case, it could just save your life.