It’s hot out there. Like, really hot. The Midwest especially has dealt with uncharacteristic and brutal temperatures for much of the summer and especially the last couple of days, while other areas (like Phoenix, for example) were already hot and now even hotter.
First off, you need to be careful out there. And that includes doing anything outside like yard work, running, watching baseball games or, you guessed it, playing golf.
But as someone who lives in the Midwest knows well, even heat like this will do little to keep golfers off the course. But it’s important to come prepared.
The smartest thing you can and should do on the course is drink water. According to The National Academy of Medicine, men should drink 104 ounces of fluids daily, and women should drink 72 ounces. But that number should be increased in hotter climates and/or while engaging in physical activity.
But it’s also not a one-size-fits-all formula, either. It depends on your climate, weather and physical exertion, yes, but also on things such as age, gender and what’s best for your own body.
Here’s what the National Academy of Medicine uses as a guide for daily water intake:
So if that’s your daily guide, just realize you need to add to it when needed — like if you are playing 18 holes of golf in steamy temps. Bonus: you also get other useful fluids from other drinks and foods, like fruits and vegetables.
Here’s another good guide via Crystal Scott, a registered dietitian-nutritionist, who spoke to Fortune earlier this year about the importance of hydrating.
“[Drinking] half your body weight in ounces is a great starting point,” she said. “So for someone who’s 200 pounds, our first goal would be 100 ounces. And let’s say they’re only drinking 20 ounces of fluid a day. So every week, we’d want to increase about eight to 10 ounces a week, slow and steady. Because if you do hydrate too quickly, people can feel really waterlogged.”
It’s also important to drink plenty of water before and after the physical activity or braving the heat, not just during the activity. Warning signs that you might need to drink more water include fatigue or confusion, and if you are drinking a lot and never actually feel thirsty, that’s a good sign. That means you’re hydrated.
As for drinking alcohol on the course? According to studies, it can increase the likelihood of dehydration, but drinking (moderately) with food and while also mixing in water can help prevent that.