Some people golf for the love of the game, and some golf for the love of everything that comes with it: polo shirts, access to private clubs, and, of course, refreshing beverages. Arnold Palmers are literally named after the famous golfer, after all.
Alcoholic drinks are also a mainstay for many golfers, whether they’re sipping cocktails to improve their game or distract themselves from a not-so-good one.
Some cocktails are more popular with golfers than others, and in summer 2025, a new drink has been sweeping courses. The secret ingredient? Electrolytes.
Say hello to the Water Hazard
Drinking and golf can be a match made in sports heaven, but some beverages are better-suited to accompany game play than others.
Sydney King, who drives a beverage cart at Ford’s Colony Country Club in Virginia, told Business Insider that the perfect golf course drink is light and refreshing.
“It’s not something that’s going to be super heavy,” King added.
The Transfusion — made with vodka, ginger ale, grape juice, and lime juice — has long been the go-to for golfers. However, Michael Flynn, the director of food and beverage at Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort, told Business Insider that a new drink has been on the rise since the spring: the Water Hazard.
Courtesy of Las Vegas Paiute Golf Resort
Like a Transfusion, a Water Hazard is a vodka-based drink, but instead of juice, it mixes the liquor with blue Gatorade and is topped with lemonade and Sprite.
In recent months, the drink has gone viral on TikTok and Instagram, and Flynn said that online popularity has translated to an influx of real-life orders.
Requests for Water Hazards have become so common at Paiute in recent months that Flynn has had to add it as an official cocktail to its menu.
A sporty twist
Flynn thinks the addition of Gatorade to a cocktail is the biggest draw of the Water Hazard.
“I think the hydration aspect, people thinking that they can get a cocktail with Gatorade, is probably the biggest seller,” Flynn said of Water Hazards, adding that it helps that the addition of lemonade and Sprite ensures the drink isn’t too spirit-forward.
“If you put vodka and Gatorade together, I think the alcohol would be prominent, but lemonade is a denser, syrup-style beverage that can kind of hinder the taste of straight alcohol coming out of that drink,” he added.
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King has also received more requests for Water Hazards in the summer of 2025, telling Business Insider that Gatorade has become appealing as a mixer for golfers in general.
King said that some of her customers have recently requested Transfusions with grape Gatorade instead of juice, putting a Water Hazard twist on the classic.
Transfusions aren’t going anywhere
Although Water Hazards are the trendy drink of the year, it’s unlikely they’ll dethrone Transfusions as the “it” cocktail of the golf course.
The Transfusion has been around for decades, and premade mixes have hit the market to meet their demand, making them even more accessible.
King described Transfusions as “the most popular drink out there.”
Bryan Anthony, the vice president of food and beverage at Pebble Beach Resorts in California, told Business Insider that Pebble Beach golfers also remain loyal to them, particularly loving the Owens Transfusion premade mixes.
“There’s such a battle of Transfusions if you’re a golfer because it’s like there’s a little bit of grape juice or there’s a lot of grape juice,” Anthony said. “But the Owens mixers do a really good job for us on that.”
Some people also seem to prefer tequila over vodka in both their Transfusions and Water Hazards. Anthony said tequila drinks in general have become more popular with his clientele because “you can sip it all day.”
Whether you’re choosing vodka or tequila, or sipping on a Water Hazard or Transfusion, the best drink is simply the one that makes you feel better about your scorecard.
