Why do professional golfers wear arm sleeves?

2 min read

When watching a golf event it's noticeable how many professional golfers wear arm sleeves or sun sleeves. You may wonder, why do they wear them?

It's easy to be envious of the professional golfers who play for vast sums every week in amazing, sunny locations around the world. There is, however, a downside to their chosen sport. Golfers spend a lot of time outside exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light, which places them at particularly high risk for developing skin cancer.

Skin cancer is caused by UV light exposure from the suns rays. Professional golfers who wear arm sleeves are actively reducing their exposure to UV and maintaining their overall health.

We are much more aware of skin cancer these days, and this awareness is also increasing amongst professional golfers, with more and more of them being diagnosed and treated for skin cancer.

Adam Scott

Adam Scott, former World number 1 and Masters Champion has had to have corrective surgery to remove skin cancer from his face in recent years. Adam is quoted on the PGA Tour website urging others to be sun savvy by suggesting to

"Slip on a protective shirt, slop on some sunscreen and slap on a sun-hat."

Adam is not alone in his native country, where two in every three Australians are expected to be diagnosed with melanoma and non-melanoma skin cancer by the age of 70. Skin cancer accounts for around 80% of all cancers detected in Australia. Sadly around 2,000 Australians will die every year due to skin cancer.

This is not an Australia-only issue. In the US around 10,000 people annually die from skin cancer. One in five Americans will battle with skin cancer at some stage in their lives. High profile American golfer Rory Sabattini has also experienced issues with skin cancer over the years and is now an advocate of skin cancer prevention.

The PGA Tour has reported that Rory Mcilroy has had issues with sunburn as a child. Rory noted that he puts sunscreen on before and during his golf round and sees a dermatologist on a regular basis.

Dermatologists recommend UPF50+ sun protective clothing as the best form of skin cancer prevention. Solbari offers an award-winning range of UPF50+ sun protective clothing, arm sleeves or sun sleeves, sun hats and umbrellas.

Our best selling arm sleeve for golf is the UPF50+ Solbari CoolaSun Arm Sleeves.

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Content Disclaimer: All content on the Solbari website is for informational purposes only. It does not consitute and is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read on this website. Reliance on any information provided on this website is solely at your own risk. Always seek the guidance of your doctor or other qualified health professional with any questions about your health or a medical condition.

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