Why eating right can save you shots
Back in the day, performance nutrition and golf didn’t go hand in hand. Many of us may have grown up watching players like Miguel Angel Jimenez smoking cigars and drinking wine, and while there isn’t anything necessarily wrong with having a glass of red with the Sunday roast after a round, times are changing.
Over the last few years, players like Rory, Dustin and Bryson have been making the headlines and firmly putting performance nutrition on the map. In my opinion, rightly so. It is not uncommon for players to cover a distance in excess of 10km during a round. Total caloric expenditures while carrying a bag for a round have been reported at 1,954 kcal, reduced to 1,527 kcal when using a trolley.
Considering a single round can take between two and six hours (depending on many factors), effective nutrition ensures energetic requirements of play are met and hydration status maintained. The onset of mental and physical fatigue through inadequate and/or inappropriate dietary practices will have a significant impact on a player’s ability. Research shows suboptimal hydration will compromise functional ability. Golfers who are dehydrated experience impairments in accuracy and distance judgement (i.e. underestimate distances to the pin), compared with golfers who are euhydrated (Smith, Newell & Baker, 2012).
If you have ever felt flat or low on energy entering the back nine, then research supports this too. In particular, blood glucose levels have been shown to decrease. Following completion of an 18-hole round, mean blood glucose levels fell on average by 20%, 10% and 30% in young (27 ± five years), middle-aged (50 ± seven years) and older (75 ± four years) men respectively (Broman, Johnsson & Kaijser, 2004). So, what should you eat and drink during a round?
Best things:
u Chocolate-flavoured milk
u Malt loaf bread
u Banana bread/banana
u One litre of cordial and water
u Protein bar
Worst things:
u Chocolate bars
u Alcohol
u Sausage rolls
u Pies
“MENTAL AND PHYSICAL FATIGUE WILL HAVE A SIGNIFICANT IMPACT ON A PLAYER’S ABILITY” James Morehen, performance nutritionist
Sometimes a little bit of preparation can go a long way. I personally really like to have a chilled, chocolate-flavoured milk in the side of the bag with an ice pack wrapped around it. Combine this with a white chocolate Nutrition-x bar and you will be in a much better place than if you rely on the eight-hours-old sausage roll in the warm shelf at the halfway hut.
Finally, milk is one of the most undervalued drinks on the market. Not only has it been shown to be an effective post-exercise rehydration drink (Shirreffs, Watson & Maughan, 2007), it is full of protein and calcium and is normally cheaper than a bottle of your favourite fizzy pop. Time to visit the dairy section of the supermarket and not the meal-deal aisle!