The Hidden Hazard on the Fairway: Skin Cancer Risk in Golfers

Posted on: October 2nd, 2026 by Our Team

Golf is great for your body and your mind. But there is one part of the game most players do not think about: the sun.A four-hour round means four hours of sun. Add up a season of weekend rounds, and that is a lot of sun exposure over a lifetime.

Why Golfers Are at Higher Risk

Doctors consider outdoor athletes one of the main risk groups for skin cancer. Golfers are on that list.

Here is why golf is especially tough on your skin:

• There is very little shade. Most courses are wide open.
• Many tee times fall during the strongest sun. Midday and late morning rounds bring the most ultraviolet, or UV, rays.
• Sweating makes skin more sensitive to the sun. It also washes sunscreen off.
• Sand and water reflect UV rays back at you. So does a bright cart path.
• Clouds do not really protect you. UV rays pass right through them.

What the Numbers Say

Researchers have actually measured this. Here is what they found.

Tee time matters a lot. One study looked at golfers who play one round every week and compared them to people who do not golf. The risk depended on what time they teed off. Mid-to-late morning was the worst:

• Squamous cell carcinoma: about 2 times the risk of a non-golfer
• Basal cell carcinoma: about 1.5 times the risk

Early morning and late afternoon tee times carried noticeably less risk. In other words, the same round of golf is safer at 7 a.m. than at 10 a.m.

Even a gentler tee time adds up. Another study put UV sensors on golfers who played just nine holes a week in the late afternoon (one of the safer time slots). Compared with office workers, they still had:

• 22% higher squamous cell carcinoma risk and 16% higher basal cell carcinoma risk on the upper back
• 15% higher squamous cell carcinoma risk and 11% higher basal cell carcinoma risk on the forearm

The researchers noted that golfers who play at midday, play more than once a week, start young, or live closer to the equator would have higher risk than these numbers show.

A useful comparison. People whose jobs keep them outdoors, farmers, roofers, landscapers , give us a good sense of what years of sun does. Studies of outdoor workers found roughly a 77% higher risk of squamous cell carcinoma and a 43% higher risk of basal cell carcinoma compared with indoor workers. Working outdoors for more than five years raises the risk of precancerous spots and both skin cancers about three times. A frequent golfer over decades builds up sun exposure in a similar way.

One honest note. These golf studies estimated risk by measuring UV exposure, not by counting actual cancers in golfers over time. So treat them as good estimates, not exact numbers. The direction, though, is consistent: more sun on the course means more skin cancer risk.

Where Skin Cancers Show Up on Golfers

The sun hits some spots harder than others. On the course, watch these areas:

• The back of the neck and the upper back — the highest-exposure area measured in golfers
• The ears and the tops of the ears
• The nose, cheeks, and forehead
• The backs of the hands and the forearms
• The lips, especially the lower lip
• The scalp, if your hair is thinning

Studies of golfers and tennis players found that most players skip the hands, ears, chest, and lips when they put on sunscreen. Those are exactly the places that get burned.

The Sunscreen Problem

Most golfers know the sun is risky. The problem is doing something about it.

In one survey of college golfers and tennis players, half used sunscreen most of the time when they played. But fewer than 5% ever reapplied it. The main reasons were slippery hands and simply forgetting.

That matters, because sunscreen wears off. One application at the first tee will not last through 18 holes.

Simple Steps That Work

You do not have to give up the game. Small habits make a real difference:

• Book early or late tee times when you can. Based on the numbers above, this may be the single biggest change you can make. Avoid peak sun hours, usually 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
• Use a broad-spectrum sunscreen, SPF 30 or higher. Choose one that is water and sweat resistant.
• Put it on 15 to 30 minutes before you tee off. Do not forget ears, neck, hands, and the tops of your feet if you wear sandals.
• Reapply at the turn. Make it part of your routine, like grabbing a drink at the ninth hole. A stick sunscreen is easier on grip than a lotion.
• Use an SPF lip balm. Lips burn easily and are often missed.
• Wear a wide-brimmed hat instead of a ball cap when you can. A ball cap leaves your ears and neck exposed.
• Flip your collar up. It is a small move that shields the back of the neck — the highest-risk spot on a golfer.
• Try a long-sleeve sun shirt. Modern UPF fabrics are light and cool.
• Wear UV-blocking sunglasses. Sun damage affects your eyes, too.

Know Your Skin

Get in the habit of checking your own skin once a month. Look for:

• A sore that will not heal, or one that scabs and comes back
• A rough, scaly patch that keeps returning
• A shiny or pearly bump
• A mole that changes in size, shape, or color

Anything new, changing, or bleeding should be checked by a dermatologist.

Get a Skin Check

If you golf regularly, a yearly full-body skin exam is a smart investment. Skin cancers found early are usually removed in one short office visit. Found late, they are much harder to treat. Call Peak Skin Center to schedule your skin cancer screening. Protect your skin, and you can keep playing for many more years.