In the state with the most golf courses, average temperatures have risen quickly over the past decade. A golf course on Amelia Island, Fla., along the Atlantic Ocean. (Getty Images) For Florida, the state with the most golf courses in the United States, rising summer temperatures are forcing changes to the way the game is played. Andy, a 43-year-old resident of Jacksonville who asked that his last name be withheld, follows a mental checklist to deal with oppressive summer conditions on the golf course. “Drink water beforehand, bring electrolyte powder for drink mixes, wear a wide-brim hat, wear sunscreen and bring a cooling towel,” he told Yahoo News. Advertisement During July and August, the hottest months in the state, many golfers vie for early morning tee times to avoid being on the course when the heat and humidity conspire to make playing conditions miserable. That demand has also made morning tee times more expensive, so Andy opts for a late afternoon start time, hoping that the heat will diminish as evening falls. “I try to play courses near waterways to increase the breeze,” he said. “If it gets over 100, I tend to avoid that.” Tallahassee resident David Houck, 58, a rhetoric professor at Florida State University, said that in recent years he and a friend have opted for early evening tee time to try to squeeze in nine holes. “We would come off the golf course as it was getting dark. We’d get to our cars and it was pitch-black,” he said, adding, “We’d oftentimes be soaking wet, depending on the heat and humidity.” The science Temperatures in Florida have been steadily increasing since the dawn of the industrial revolution, Emily Powell, assistant state climatologist at the Florida Climate Center at Florida State University, told Yahoo News. But […]