Lee Trevino joked one time that if he got stuck in a lightning storm he would hold a 1 iron above his head. He said “not even God could hit a 1 iron!” Perhaps Lee should not joke about lightning strikes. He was struck in 1975 when he and his playing partners suffered a lightning strike when it bounced off a nearby lake and hit them. Two back operations followed for Lee as a result. One of his playing partners never played professional golf again.
Some fun facts about lightning
- Lightning is the result of water moisture in the low part of a cloud being pushed up higher into the cloud and freezing. Meanwhile, downdrafts in the cloud push ice and hail down from the top of the cloud. Where the ice going down meets the water coming up, electrons are stripped off.
It’s a little more complicated than that, but what results is a cloud with a negatively charged bottom and a positively charged top. These electrical fields become incredibly strong, with the atmosphere acting as an insulator between them in the cloud.When the strength of the charge overpowers the insulating properties of the atmosphere, Z-Z-Z-ZAP! Lightning happens.
- It is a positive to negative strike and those negative charges build up on the ground and concentrate around higher ground.
- The air around a lightning strike can be as much as 30,000 ° C. When a lightning bolt hits the ground, it can create from 100 million to 100 billion volts of electricity. If it hits a tree, it will radiate out from the base of the tree. If the ground is wet, than that will be further.
- Lightning usually occurs away from a heavy rain band. The length of lightning strike from cloud to ground can 3km to 10km.
- Chance of being hit by a lightning strike on a golf course 1:3000. Chance of being hit by the general population 1:700,000.
- 10% of lightning strike victims die, 70% suffer serious long term health effects. 21 people died from lightning strikes in Australia in the 10 years up to 2021.
- The major cause of death is cardiac arrest. This comes from when the victim is hit in the head and the electricity passed down to the heart. There can also be severe burns at entry and exit points.
- Lightning is the result of water moisture in the low part of a cloud being pushed up higher into the cloud and freezing. Meanwhile, downdrafts in the cloud push ice and hail down from the top of the cloud. Where the ice going down meets the water coming up, electrons are stripped off.
Tips for surviving a lightning storm on the golf course.
- Respect the power and the danger of the oncoming storm. Most clubs will have a horn or send an SMS message that play has suspended. Mark your ball and then walk to the closest shelter.
- Manage yourself before you get the alarm. Keep track of the radars on the BOM website. Use the 30/30 rule. If you see lightning and count to thirty. If you hear thunder before you hit 30, then the storm is within 10km and it is time for you to suspend play. Wait for 30 mins after the storm has passed.
- Do not shelter under trees (for obvious reasons that were previously discussed) or in a golf cart (all that metal around you which you are touching). Find a solid shelter that you can stay under and wait for the storm to pass.
- If you find yourself in the open, find a the lowest spot around and kneel down. Put your hands on your lap and put your head down on your lap. If you get hit by lightning it is liable to go through your arms and legs and miss your heart.
- Do not stand near water or soaked ground. As Lee Trevino found out, it can bounce of water or radiate through it to you.
- If your skin tingles and hairs stand up on end, there is likely to be a lightning strike. Take safety positions now!
I hope these facts and tips make you storm aware and stay safe on the golf course.
