Use the relevant heat measure
Air temperature, apparent temperature, heat index and WBGT answer different questions. This model uses its supplied feels-like input. It is not a personalised heat-strain model and does not adjust for your health, pace, acclimatisation, clothing or the amount of shade along the course.
The NWS distinguishes heat-index and WBGT tools because humidity, sunlight and other conditions affect heat assessment. Do not substitute a headline temperature for the full forecast or assume that an unscored personal factor is favourable.
Plan the return as carefully as the start
A morning tee time can still put the final holes into a hotter part of the day. Include walking between holes, waiting and any delay in your plan. Shade near the clubhouse does not describe exposed fairways. A cart can reduce walking without creating shade or removing heat exposure throughout the round.
A high numerical score means only that the selected weather penalties are limited. Heat guidance or a player’s circumstances may justify postponing much earlier. The explorer is useful for understanding the boundary, not for proving that you can tolerate conditions just below it.
Worked examples from the existing scorer
These complete hypothetical hours run through the same scoring functions used by the live tool. They are not observations or forecasts. The displayed effective score includes any cap.
| Example | Effective score | Verdict | Model reasons |
|---|---|---|---|
| Feels-like 30°C | 100/100 | GO | No model penalties |
| Feels-like 31°C | 88/100 | GO | hot |
| Feels-like 35°C | 64/100 | MAYBE | very hot · MAYBE cap |
Exact example inputs and units
temp and feels: °C; wind and gust: km/h; precipitation: mm/h; visibility: m; rain probability, cloud and humidity: %. Weather code is WMO; UV is an index. Pressure, where shown, is context in hPa and does not affect this scorer.
[
{
"example": "Feels-like 30°C",
"inputs": {
"temp": 28,
"feels": 30,
"precip": 0,
"pop": 0,
"wind": 10,
"gust": 15,
"vis": 20000,
"code": 0,
"cloud": 10,
"humidity": 60,
"uv": 0,
"pressure": 1010
}
},
{
"example": "Feels-like 31°C",
"inputs": {
"temp": 29,
"feels": 31,
"precip": 0,
"pop": 0,
"wind": 10,
"gust": 15,
"vis": 20000,
"code": 0,
"cloud": 10,
"humidity": 60,
"uv": 0,
"pressure": 1010
}
},
{
"example": "Feels-like 35°C",
"inputs": {
"temp": 32,
"feels": 35,
"precip": 0,
"pop": 0,
"wind": 10,
"gust": 15,
"vis": 20000,
"code": 0,
"cloud": 10,
"humidity": 60,
"uv": 0,
"pressure": 1010
}
}
]Planning bands and the limits of the number
The existing model starts at 100, subtracts its condition penalties and applies critical caps. GO is 70–100, MAYBE 45–69 and NO-GO 0–44. A MAYBE cap limits the effective score to 64, and a NO-GO cap to 40. These are application suitability bands, not certified safe operating limits.
Rain branches are alternatives: matching probability, intensity and weather-code triggers do not mean adding the same rain penalty repeatedly. Separate factors can combine. A cap prevents benign temperature or dry weather from cancelling a critical flagged condition. Use the reasons beside the result to understand what changed.
The model requires complete numeric weather inputs. Missing visibility, rain probability or another required value returns Insufficient data; it is never filled with an invented favourable value. Local warnings, closures, equipment instructions and actual observations can change your decision even when the model returns GO.
Read the full golf methodology and thresholds. The model and these examples were cross-checked on 18 October 2026. No physical field-test or safety certification is claimed.
Equipment and an alternative plan
Choose a cooler start and a shorter format, identify breaks and water access, and follow official heat advice. Use appropriate sun protection. If conditions make the round unsuitable, switch to a cooler indoor alternative; a product or a hydration plan is not a guarantee of safe exposure.
Questions about Too hot for golf? Heat, a long round and shade
Does GO mean heat illness cannot happen?
No. The model is not a medical assessment.
Why can 31°C still score GO in the example?
The first heat deduction alone is limited; a high score does not override official advice or personal limits.
Can I use air temperature instead of feels-like?
Keep the two separate. The scorer examples use feels-like explicitly.
Sources and limits
The numeric application bands come from the existing GoNoGo scorer and methodology. External guidance is linked for its stated context; it is not presented as endorsement of this model.
Live forecast data is supplied by Open-Meteo. An illustrative model output is different from a live forecast, and a forecast is different from a local observation.