Sep. 12--CONOVER -- Jay Haas makes his living under the sun.
Day in and day out, he's usually in the bright sunshine, mastering his golf game and competing on the Champions Tour.
He's one of the favorites in the Greater Hickory Classic at Rock Barn Presented by Kia Motors this week. Rock Barn is where he won his first Champions Tour title.
Haas knows how to deal with the sun, although skin care wasn't always a concern.
"When I was young (he was born in 1953), nobody had heard of sunscreen. For the first half of my life, I didn't wear sunscreen. You wanted more sun. Had to have that tan."
Now, Haas looks at the sun, and his skin, differently.
"I wear sunscreen," he said, "and I see my dermatologist regularly. I keep looking at my skin for trouble spots. I've not had anything cut out, but that doesn't mean it won't happen."
Sun damage contributes to all sorts of skin problems, including melanoma.
"I take my dermatologist's advice," Haas said. "We watch this spot, or that one and I don't let anything go unattended."
Haas said he remembers looking at golfers and others who spent their lives under the sun. "I thought, they look old. Now, I'm getting older. So I try to take care of myself."
Haas looks fit as a fiddle. He's playing well and leading in Charles Schwab points, the measure of the season's individual championship. He plans on playing every tournament remaining in the 2008 season, so he'll get his share of sun exposure.
"I don't use so much sunscreen that I have that white look," he said. Haas uses a sun protection factor of 55. He keeps some in his golf bag.
And he wears a hat. "I've always worn a cap or visor," Haas said.
Suitable headgear helps keep the sun off his face and shades the eyes. They need protection, too.
What about wet feet? Rock Barn has its share of rain, and it's misty today. Tuesday's Dale Jarrett Shootout, in which Haas was scheduled to play, was rained out.
"In the old days, you played with wet feet," Haas said. "Some courses, even without rain, were always wet. So we carried two pairs of shoes."
Haas said he took along an old pair of golf shoes and often kept extra socks in his bag.
"You'd wear the old pair of shoes for a couple of rounds, and when they were waterlogged, you'd change shoes. Sometimes, you'd just leave your shoes behind at the end of the tournament."
That's when Haas was a young lion on the PGA Tour. Today, there's breathable, waterproof liners built into golf shoes.
"Oh, it's much better now," he said. "Shoes give you support, they're more comfortable and they keep your feet dry."
OK. So cover your head, use sunscreen and keep your feet dry. Good words from a champion golfer who's spent a career dealing with the weather.
Here's a maxim from Jay Haas that can benefit golfers of all skill levels: Even if you're trying to hit the shot of lifetime, the object is to keep the ball in play.
Haas has high praise for the Robert Trent Jones Course where the Greater Hickory Classic is played. "I feel comfortable here," he said. Rock Barn "is part of home now. The greens have a familiar feel. I like it here."
Haas, a Missouri native, lives in Greenville, S.C. Rock Barn turf is like the green grass of home.
Here's his advice, taken from a conversation with the news media on Thursday: "Put the ball in the fairway, and you've got a chance to score."
In other words, keep the ball in play. Playing from the rough is tough.
On the Champions Tour, "the field doesn't play poorly," Haas said. "Everyone is good, and someone is going to catch fire. I have to play well."
Since Champions Tour events are 54 holes over three days, instead of 72 holes in four days like the regular PGA Tour, players have to let it rip from the start, Haas said.
"My patience is better now that I'm on the Champions Tour, but you can't measure patience like you can the first couple of rounds on the PGA. You have to be ready to go."
That means using all your shot-making skills from the get-go. But you can't forget the rule Haas plays from the tees at Rock Barn.
"Put the ball in the fairway, and you've got a chance to score."
That's advice the former GHC champion keeps in his golf bag with the sunscreen in place of the extra socks he used to pack.
What's your take on Haas, the GHC or golf in general? Talk to us at www.hickoryrecord.com.
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