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poison ivy, sumac, oak on the course

rollin

rollin

"Just playin golf pally"
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I was never one to get an ivy rash. In fact when I was younger I was able to actually work in it and remove it and cut the vines and actually have done that but would never get more than the smallest pimple here or there and would shortly go away. Well...all that must have changed at some point because last year I got a decent rash for the first time ever. Now this year a couple weeks ago I found myself (realized too late) I was in some poison ivy on the course as I walked and picked up my ball into the woods and boy oh boy do I have a terrible rash. Started ok and after a week was getting better but for some reason it just exploded now and I Hadn't slept in 2 to 3 nights. So bad I was forced to hit the doctors office yesterday for the rx cream and pill. Kind of crazy for one who never use to catch it even if standing in it. Now I'm praying I will start feeling better and finally get a darn good nights sleep.

anyway....how about poison ivy, sumac, oak on your golf courses. I cant really say its real problematic on my courses because its not but I guess I was in the wrong place what can ya do? Do you catch the reaction easily? Is it problematic on your courses? Any stories to tell? whatever you want to chime in with.
 
Poison oak is everywhere around the woods behind my house and all over the woodsy areas of our golf course. It does dry up a bit just like everything else around here now that the rain is gone for 5 months. I'm not very reactionary to it but I've had it a few times and so have all of my kids.

I do have story to tell. We had a golf/sales branch meeting with 12 of us up at Bodega Bay on the coast of California 11 years ago. We were golfing and drinking from 10-6pm(27 holes) and after dinner we decided to have a bonfire on the beach. That was a big success but also caused 6 of us to stay on the beach until 2:00 am with the requisite drinking of adult beverages. When we were walking back I decided to take a shortcut to the house we had rented but identified the wrong house and woke up a stranger. When I realized my mistake I came running back to the path where my buddies were having a good laugh. I overshot the walking path and tumbled head over heels 25 yards down a steep ravine and lost a shoe in the process. While I was searching for my shoe a couple of my buddies started to get worried because in my drunken stupor they couldn't understand what I was doing and also probably didn't think I could make it back up the ravine. They decided the best course of action would be to slide down the ravine to come help me. Well as you can guess the hill was covered in poison sumac that we all grabbed onto to climb out. By the time we woke up the next morning they were both showing signs and it was so bad in 24 hours they both had to get a prednisone shot and put on oral and topical medication. One of them was covered in a rash from head to toe and his girlfriend also got it, probably form his clothes. Of course I only had one little spot on my hand about the size of a dime. :act-up: We still get a kick out of telling the story especially when our branch gathers for our annual golf/sales meeting.

Here's a picture to give you a better idea of the terrain and walking path.

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It's the main reason I won't go into wooded areas to find my ball. The rash is not worth the effort. And if you live in the U.S. except for Hawaii or Alaska, you've probably got it on your course. Last time I got it was in 2013 and found the best two things to treat it. Apple Cider vinegar (dries it out) and hot showers. The shower has to be as hot as you can stand it on the affected skin until you have what they call an itchgasm. It will reach a point where you will feel the itch stop and it feels awesome. Perfect for just before bed so you can sleep without itching all night. Lasts for hours.

Try the shower. It takes five minutes or so before the feeling hits you. You will know when it's enough. Just remember. As hot as you can stand it without burning yourself. The hot water dries it out too. You could probably put a wet towel in the microwave and get it hot that way instead of the shower. Might be a better option, especially if you are away from home, like at work or somewhere.
 
tahoebum said:
I do have story to tell. We had .........

Of course I only had one little spot on my hand about the size of a dime. :act-up: We still get a kick out of telling the story especially when our branch gathers for our annual golf/sales meeting.

Here's a picture to give you a better idea of the terrain and walking path.
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That was a heck of a good story. You guys must really laugh about that one especially since you (the "so thought of" trapped one) was the only one ok. lol
 
I've have had horrible reactions to poison ivy when I was a kid running around in the woods of wv...I can spot it from 100 yards away now..I steer way clear of it...There are spots on my local course that are ate up with it..I'm not going in there after a ball for nothing...Side note it actual is quite pretty in the fall when the leaves start to turn..
 
when I said I had worked in it I wasn't kidding. My dad had some property up here and it was every where and probably been there for ages. There were ivy vines over an inch thick growing up trees and some trees were dead but you actually thought the tree had leaves all the way up to the top on its branches but was actually the poison ivy vines (not the tree itself) after a closer look. We spent a month nearly every day doing nothing but chopping and spraying the crap and never would I get anything but the tiniest rash. Our bodys change through the years and I guess now im not so fortunate any more.
 
I no longer venture into the trees to search for balls. In fact, this past Saturday during an event, my ball went into the woods on the 9th hole. Because I was wearing shorts and short sleeves, I put my rain suit on before walking in about 10-15 feet. My ball was playable. So, it worked out. But, if it had been a casual round, I would taken a drop and never gone in. I made that mistake about 3-4 years ago and ended up at the doc's to get it cleared up.

Now, if I have to walk into anything that might be around this stuff, when I get home, the clothes get removed in the garage and I go straight to the shower so the oils don't get on anything in the house.
 
I've never experienced on the golf course, but I try to steer as clear of that stuff as possible. As a child, I was highly allergic to it. Really bad stuff. But as an adult it never bothered me at all. Didn't get any rashes for years. Then about 5 years ago, I was cleaning some growth along our fence line from the neighboring property and was pulling some poison ivy out. It was a hot day and I was wiping the sweat from my eyes and Holy cow did I get it bad! I've gotten rashes pretty much every year since, but not as bad since I know now that my immunity to it has expired.
 
I have seen poison Oak on quite a few course around here i just stay out of those area especially because they are also the same places Rattle Snakes like to hide
 
There is some poison ivy at my course, can't be too much though. I've been in the woods a bunch helping people find balls and I've yet to have it too bad.

Wish I knew how to recognize it.
 
Drew Z said:
There is some poison ivy at my course, can't be too much though. I've been in the woods a bunch helping people find balls and I've yet to have it too bad.

Wish I knew how to recognize it.
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For one who is unsure there is an age old saying that works well and it says...."leaves of three, let it be"
Just remember that and you should be fine.

However, the oil from the plant can get on anything and last for years so even if the ivy was removed the oil can be on anything it touched and is what causes our rashes. As ridiculous as it sounds...even garden tools that have the oil on them can last for years so when you grab that rake you used last year and are a mile away from any poison ivy you can still catch it that way. Those darn three leaf little sonsamabastages.
 
Drew Z said:
There is some poison ivy at my course, can't be too much though. I've been in the woods a bunch helping people find balls and I've yet to have it too bad.

Wish I knew how to recognize it.
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PoisonIvy.jpg
 
It is the worst. I had a nasty rash on my calf last year after falling into a bunch of poison oak. Calamine lotion does work quite well and drying it out and reducing the rash.

I am pretty good at avoiding poison ivy having dealt with it as a kid so often. The other two, not as well.
 
Never had a problem with it on the course or anywhere else. I have walked through it numerous times and never broken out.
 
musicmaster6921 said:
Never had a problem with it on the course or anywhere else. I have walked through it numerous times and never broken out.
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yea...I was once very happy about that like you...but not any more.

I wouldn't wish this on an enemy.......well......may be a little :)
 
I've pointed out poison ivy to THPers on the course. One course we played had tons of it. I showed PhillyV what to avoid.
 
In addition to the three poison plants, I am also concern about the black legged tick that carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. These ticks sit waiting on brush and tall grass for their next host to wander by. So if my ball goes into the woods and I am wearing shorts and short sleeve shirt I will drop another ball and move on.
 
teed-off said:
In addition to the three poison plants, I am also concern about the black legged tick that carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. These ticks sit waiting on brush and tall grass for their next host to wander by. So if my ball goes into the woods and I am wearing shorts and short sleeve shirt I will drop another ball and move on.
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I here ya. two of our county courses are "so called" Links style and do have tall fescue lining hole layouts and in between holes etc.... and there are a ton of deer in the area. Often you will see tall fescue flattened out where the deer lay down to sleep or whatever deer do..lol also plenty around especially at dawn and dusk.

Anyway too often so many of us are in the fescue looking for errant balls and I suppose its just asking for trouble with deer ticks which are known for lymes. Actually my son (non golfer) caught lymes at 10 yrs old and it technically never leaves your system but only via antibiotics goes dormant but its always there and can always resurface and will always show up in blood work. His actually went undetected and only after 3 doctor visits and headaches did they test for the limes. I was angry at the doc for various reasons but that's another story. So yes lymes is no joke but I also am guilty of (probably stupid) looking for my ball in that stuff.
 
teed-off said:
In addition to the three poison plants, I am also concern about the black legged tick that carry the bacterium that causes Lyme disease. These ticks sit waiting on brush and tall grass for their next host to wander by. So if my ball goes into the woods and I am wearing shorts and short sleeve shirt I will drop another ball and move on.
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These are the most dangerous creatures on the golf course anywhere that has them aside from maybe that dinosaur gator in FL and some snakes out west. Lyme is a terrible disease if it goes untreated. This time of year is especially difficult as the tick eggs have recently hatched and the smaller ticks are size of a spec of dirt. The adults you have a chance of spotting before they latch on.
 
Bullfrog said:
I've pointed out poison ivy to THPers on the course. One course we played had tons of it. I showed PhillyV what to avoid.
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CAA_Beat pointed out poison ivy when I was looking for someone's ball on the first hole we played during league. I used my club to get a ball back then realized the sap could of gotten on my club. I wear long pants but still worry about the stuff...
 
rickterp said:
These are the most dangerous creatures on the golf course anywhere that has them aside from maybe that dinosaur gator in FL and some snakes out west. Lyme is a terrible disease if it goes untreated. This time of year is especially difficult as the tick eggs have recently hatched and the smaller ticks are size of a spec of dirt. The adults you have a chance of spotting before they latch on.
Click to expand...

Big all and his son smallball had ticks on them a few weeks ago from walking in the tall grass. Definitely need to be careful out there, better yet, keep your ball in the fairway :laugh:
 
poisonplant-prevalence.jpg


California has poison oak. Lots of it. Bodega Bay area is full of it. The only areas in CA that are "clean" are above the winter snow line in the Sierra Nevada. I've seen poison oak with wood as thick as 6".
 
A local course around here has goats that they use to clean up the course. They don't touch the grass, just eat all the unwanted things
 
When you're playing and sweating it's much easier to get infected. It's definitely present at my course but I don't go too deep in the woods since it's pretty thick and usually a waste of time. I just try to be mindful.
 
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