Sunscreen:

The Most Important Thing to Wear

You may find you spend a lot of time with your junior golfer focused on equipment and having the latest “look” on the course, but the most important accessory to put on is effective apparel and sunscreen for your junior golfer’s skin. Golf is likely to be a life-long passion for him or her and that means a life of sun exposure which can lead to serious complications a lot sooner than you might think.



The average junior golfer may spend 16-24 hours outdoors each week. Add that up over the course of a year and two to three months of continuous ultraviolet light (UV) exposure is more than most all other people get. Make that 25 years and you’re significantly increasing the likelihood of a skin cancer (e.g. squamous cell, basal cell, or the most concerning, melanoma) or cancer-related skin lesion (e.g. actinic keratoses). Even if skin cancer is the extreme consequence, UV sun exposure is incredibly damaging to the skin over time causing it to be dry, wrinkled, and prematurely “old looking”. Giving your young golfer the proper protection can make a big difference to how their skin looks and how healthy it is as they become adults.

“This year over 1,000,000 Americans will be diagnosed with skin cancer. Since golfers spend a significant amount of time in the sun, they are at a greater risk than the general public for developing skin cancer” according to Curt Littler, MD, a Board Certified Dermatologist and son of U.S. Open Champion Gene Littler.

“The good news is that many forms of skin cancer when caught early can be curable. Being knowledgeable and doing a self-exam and/or visiting a Dermatologist can dramatically increase one’s likelihood of early detection and successful treatment. Education is the key to both preventing skin cancer and for getting timely treatment,” said Dr. Littler.

The Sun SafeTee Program is a sun protection and skin cancer awareness program designed specifically for the golf community. The program provides educational seminars to golfers and the public and distributes sun protection information and sunscreen samples at various golf events. The goal of the Sun SafeTee Program is to have golfers enjoy a lifetime of healthy golf.

They suggest that golfers should always apply a minimum of SPF 15 with broad spectrum (UVA and UVB) coverage. A Sun Protection Factor (SPF) 30 or more offers you the best protection, blocking out 96 percent of UV. An SPF 15 will block out 93 percent. Click here to see the Sun SafeTee website and their recommendations about sunscreen.

There are several skin-protection product companies which make products specifically designed for golfers. Proderma, makes a line of skin-care products that they say are the only sunscreen and other SPF skin products for golfers to earn the The Skin Cancer Foundation's Seal of Recommendation for safety and effectiveness. The Skin Cancer Foundation and the American Academy of Dermatology are excellent non-profit organizations with whom we’ve worked and you can get more helpful information from them. If your junior has concerns about greasy hands and slippery grips, there are preparations available which can help, so, no excuses for not wearing an effective sunscreen!

REMEMBER: Your junior should apply sunscreen before they tee-off and at the turn. Sunscreen is much more effective if applied every two hours or so.

A long sleeve shirt, long pants and a wide brimmed hat also are valuable sun protection tools but when not practical, a good sunscreen is a must every time your junior plays. Girls may find more stylish and sun protective hats than ever before and many young guys are wearing bucket hats which afford a little better protection for the ears.

Don’t forget about your junior’s eyes. Protection from direct and reflected UV rays is also important. Sunglasses not only look cool, but the better choices also block out 100 percent of UV rays. Make sure that when you’re buying sunglasses that the pair your junior picks provides this level of protection and that the shades don’t spend all day on the top of their golf cap just looking good.