[Trig]

My second hobby is long distance triathlons. I live in Texas. So I have had a lot of experience with hydration - both under and over!

Most people do not drink nearly enough. Or they drink the wrong things. As Vickie said, hydration is very individualized. It is dependent on your body size and fitness level and probably other genetic things that I know nothing about.

I like the rule of having to "pee clear" regularly throughout the day. That works in my events, works on the golf course, and works when I'm just sitting in the office all day.

Over-hydration is hard to do but it can happen and can cause a potentially dangerous condition known as hyponatremia. This usually happens to extreme-endurance athletes who hydrate with pure water for many hours and all of their electrolytes get flushed out of their bodies. I seriously doubt any golfer has to worry about this, however, the easiest way to avoid the problem is to make sure you hydrate with a fluid that includes electrolytes (sodium and potassium) when the weather is very hot. Drinks like Gatorade are a perfect choice. When playing golf here in Texas, I drink mostly water. But in the summer I take in plenty of Gatorade in addition to water. I will venture to say pure water works for most people on the golf course in most conditions.

Personally, I just remember the "pee-clear regularly" rule no matter where I am or what I'm doing.