Rev. of AGA Treat90　Wear a Cap？

Should You Wear a Cap, Go Without, or Use a Visor When Playing Golf?

When playing golf, some wonder whether it's better to wear a cap, go without a hat, or use a visor. While there is a concern that wearing a cap continuously might make your head feel stuffy (see page 85), a more significant worry is the damage to your scalp from UV rays.

It makes no sense to apply sunscreen to your skin and wear sunglasses to protect your eyes while leaving your scalp unprotected. It’s essential to wear a golf cap with high UV protection. While a visor can protect your face and eyes, it leaves your scalp exposed.

Playing a round of golf, which can take over five hours, means that without a hat, your scalp is directly exposed to UV rays for an extended period. In Japan, the golf seasons are in spring (April to June) and autumn (October to December). Particularly in early spring, when the season begins, UV levels are increasing. Although the UV reflection rate of grass is below 10%, lower than that of sand (10-25%), playing golf for more than five hours exposes your entire body to substantial UV radiation.

As mentioned earlier, melanin in your hair protects your scalp from harmful UV rays. UV exposure can lead to skin cancer. If your hair is thinning or you have more gray hair, the protective barrier of melanin is reduced. Playing golf without a hat can cause your skin to thicken (hyperkeratosis) to shield itself from UV rays. This thickening disrupts the skin structure, negatively impacting hair growth and regeneration.

Therefore, always wear a cap at the golf course, and make sure to remove it for ventilation at least once every hour.

Just like your clothes, wash your cap after each round to remove sweat and oils (see page 86 for more details). When taking breaks, stay in the shade, remove your cap, and if possible, perform a scalp massage. Scalp massages can refresh you, potentially enhancing your focus and improving your score for the rest of the game.

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