Skin In The Game

Did you know the majority of people diagnosed with melanoma are white men over age 50? Or that guys over age 40 have the highest annual exposure to UV radiation? This is not exactly the demographic group that attracts hordes of people walking for the cure, but they’re my peeps. And very, very few of us have ever set foot in one of those cancer-incubating tanning beds. Instead, we get our excessive UV ray exposure the old-fashioned way, working and playing outdoors. Doing middle-age white guy stuff like playing golf.

That’s what I was doing earlier today with my geezer golf league. It was kind of a rough day on the links for my threesome, but while our scores brought no boasting our skins were not roasting. The Skin Cancer Foundation recently published some prevention guidelines for golfers and they're well worth reading because, guys, you've got skin in the game.

I'll sign off with the Hotel Melanoma rendition of The Beach Boys’ “Good Vibrations”…



I-I love the SPF clothes I wear
And the way the sunlight stays beyond my care
I hear the sound of few foul words
On the wind that lifts my tee shot through the air


I'm missin’ in regulation
Tee’s giving me excitations (Oom bop bop)
I'm lookin’ for first aid station (first aid station, oom bop bop)
Hole’s giving me palpitations (palpitations, oom bop bop)
Good, good, good, good lie ration (Oom bop bop)
Sand’s giving me big frustration (big frustration, oom bop bop)
Good, good, good, good time ration (Oom bop bop)
I’m needin’ some cold libations (cold libations)


Close my eyes, green’s somehow closer now
Softly smile, I know swing must be right
When I look at bad lies
They beckon me to a bogie world


I'm pickin' up lost ball ration
Par’s always hallucination (Oom bop bop)
I'm golfin’ with geezer nation (geezer nation, oom bop bop)
Swing slowly with short rotation (short rotations, oom bop bop)
Cold, cold, cold, cold libations (Oom bop bop)
They’re giving me excitations (Excitations, oom bop bop)
Good, good, good, good rest stations (Oom bop bop)
They’re giving me exultation (exultation)


(Ahh)
(Ah, my my, what elation)
I don't know where but golf sends me there
(Oh, my my, what a sensation)
(Oh, my my, what elation)
(Oh, my my, what)


Gotta keep those golfin’ good vibrations a-happenin' hither
Gotta keep those golfin’ good vibrations a-happenin' hither
Gotta keep those golfin' good vibrations a-happenin'


(Ahh)


Good, good, good, good rotation (Oom bop bop)
(I'm swingin’ with good rotation) (Oom bop bop)
Tee’s giving me excitations (Excitations, oom bop bop)
Good, good, good, good vibrations


Na na na na na, na na na
Na na na na na, na na na (Bop bop-bop-bop-bop, bop)
Do do do do do, do do do (Bop bop-bop-bop-bop, bop)
Do do do do do, do do do (Bop bop-bop-bop-bop, bop)