In case you were not paying attention to what’s going on in the golf-world lately, CBD endorsement deals are skyrocketing across the PGA Tour, and that’s due to pro golfers trying to find a “natural” solution to remain calm and healthy during the US Open (and more). Yes, you got that right: CBD use (also known as Cannabidiol, which is one of the 104 chemical compounds in the cannabis or marijuana plant) is now becoming the new normal in the PGA Tour.

To give you a little context, hemp has a long history with the US Open, as back in the day, when the first US Open was played at Rhode Island’s Newport Country Club back in 1895, hemp was completely legal, hence many of the competitors and spectators alike, and who knows, maybe even the Tournament winner Horace Rawlins, worn clothes made from hemp fibers. In case you didn't know it, hemp is made from Cannabis plant fiber, and truth be told, hemp is better than cotton when it comes to making clothes; on top of that, hemp can be used for a variety of other stuff, including paper and rope, but let that go.

Fast forward to 2019, with the U.S. Open golf course in Pebble Beach California in full swing, and cannabis is making a big comeback in American golf, but this time in the form of CBD or Cannabidiol. An increasing number of Tour pros, including Lucas Glover, the 2009 US Open winner, are already using and endorsing CBD, a natural remedy which is claimed to help with a variety of health issues, including things like alleviating sleeplessness, anxiety and helping with post workout recovery.

Here comes a short chemistry lesson: Cannabidiol is extracted from the cannabis plant, and it makes for a non-psychoactive compound (it doesn’t get you high), due to the fact that it contains zero THC, which is the intoxicating compound in cannabis. Basically, if you ingest CBD, you won’t get high, and you can take that to the bank. According to Jay Hartenbach, the CEO of a company specialized in producing and selling CBD::

“CBD has benefits that can impact the golfer before, during, and after the round. From a recovery standpoint, CBD has anti-inflammatory properties and can help reduce muscle and joint soreness associated with playing golf.”

Golf is one of those sports in which players are constantly looking for methods to gain the upper hand over their opponents, hence supplements like Cannabidiol are becoming increasingly popular. Glover is looking at his best results in a decade, and he thinks CBD helped him with mitigating knee pain, as well as dealing with anxiety and a chronic lack of sleep. Glover was quoted as saying:

“I don’t think it’s a coincidence. I’m sleeping better and I feel like my recovery is better. As far as my overall health, I feel great. I can tell the difference when I wake up in the morning and that’s a big part of it. I’ve always had some nagging, aching pains. Anxiety is something I had also fought. That was the real draw for me.”

CBD use among top athletes started rising last year, in 2018, following its removal from the World Anti-Doping Agency’s banned substance list. Even if CBD is not (yet) FDA approved, the PGA Tour allow players to use it, while warning them about supplements that are not green-lighted by the FDA. Glover commented on that issue saying that:

“I don’t have a problem at all with their stance on it. That’s what they have to do. It’s not what people think. It’s not marijuana. I haven’t come across one thing that has been a negative.”

According to a World Health Organization report from 2018, there are no adverse health concerns in regard to CBD use, and also zero evidence of public health-related problems associated with the use of pure CBD, end quote.