One of the most relaxing and enjoyable outside activities for many people is golf. The game of golf was invented in the fifteenth century in Scotland. There are many people that enjoy watching golf as a sport and many individuals who enjoy playing the sport. There are safety measures to be taken into account however with the game of golf and we are going to explore these.
In today’s world most individuals go to a golf course to enjoy a game of golf. This is generally done in early spring, summer, and there are even some people who enjoy games in the early fall. One of the most dangerous factors for golfers is lighting an overcast sky can just mean that there will not be as much sunny glare to deal with but this can also indicate a storm is brewing.
Most modern golf courses have warnings to let golfers know that lightning strikes are going to occur or have occurred nearby.
These can be in a form of loud sirens; there can be as many as five different locations with a siren sound to alert a golfer of the danger. There are even systems that are designed that once sensors pick up the danger will initiate a shut down of power sources and shut down communication out in the field. These are all to keep individuals and property safe.
In today’s world with the internet of all things one of best ways to keep safe is with a lightning detector app. These can be used on your smartphone to alert of any potential hazards when enjoying outdoor activities such as golfing. The lightning detector app are accurate and give notifications to the user. There are also handheld devices that can be purchased to detect atmospheric weather changes and lighting strikes for individuals. There are ones on the market that can track electrically disturbances up to 40 miles away and give anyone time to clear out of the area.
These are all good items that a golf course owner should either have or invite golf players to download or engage in when playing on their golf courses. The golf course owner should also have a safe place for individuals to come to in the event of a strong storm.
This would be the clubhouse or pro shop, some place that is secure and indoors. If a storm does come and you see lightning the best thing to do is leave the green, stay away from your golf cart. These can conduct lighting and offer little protection. If you see lighting and have spikes on your shoes remove them as lighting conducts to metal.
Golf course owners and operators have been held liable in court for deaths that have happened at their businesses. This should really put into perspective that not only is there a needless loss of life but also a financial impact to the golfing business itself. Using state of the art technology is the easiest way to help with lighting that can occur on a golf course and educating players of the dangers of lighting.
The death rate from lighting strikes on a golf course is small but when you take that five percent of lighting deaths in the United States happen out on a golf course that would really make a player and owner really think about how prepared they are for that scenario.
The best way to take care of customers, employees, and the business well being is to educate, prepare, and have an action plan for such a weather event that will not when but will occur. There are many applications out there that can be used by the individual for protection and hardware options for proprietors of a golf course that should be used to save a life.