Golfers Love Birdies but Hate Ticks
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Carole Gomez/iStockphoto/Thinkstock(NEW YORK) — People who enjoy hiking in the woods from spring through autumn in various part of the country are generally told to check themselves for ticks after their strolls.
Now, the same thing goes for anyone who enjoys a round of golf.
Although played in wide open spaces, New York Medical College researcher Gregory Owens says that golfers must also watch out for ticks that prey on small rodents because they feed at the boundaries between the woods and fairway.
Owens surveyed 29 golfers in Orange County, New Jersey, three-quarters of whom who revealed they have found at least one tick on them after golfing. Furthermore, seven people in this group were also diagnosed with Lyme disease. That’s a much higher rate than the general population in the area.
Still, most of the golfers were pretty cavalier about the ticks, saying they never spray themselves with insect repellent before teeing off. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends a bug spray with between 20 and 30 percent DEET, the active ingredient in many insect repellent products.
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