Yesterday we discussed Ron's problem of falling apart on the back nine because he ran out of gas. Let's now look at a few other points about diet and nutrition as it applies to playing golf. I will first and foremost put out this disclaimer: I am not an expert on diet and nutrition. I know just enough to be dangerous and hand out a little pretty good knowledge on the subject.
My wife of 36 years, and DJ's mother, is a registered nurse. Susan knows more about nutrition than I do and she is always reminding DJ to be sure and eat well before he plays, and to snack a little, but often, during his rounds, to keep his energy up. The other night I walked into the living room and she mentioned that a news report she just saw about athletes and nutrition before their games recommended eating a good meal as much as 4 hours before the game. I chimed in that is likely too far from the tee time to last for a 4 – 5 hour round. I would say most of the pros on tour eat breakfast or lunch 1 ½ to 2 hours before their tee time.
The reason for eating well before the round starts is that there must be enough time for digestion to begin and really get going before the round of golf. The reason is that when digestion is in full force, a lot of blood has to be sent to the stomach for this task. This means there is less blood for the brain and muscles, which are vital for performance, especially in playing golf, which needs extreme concentration and touch, feel and strength for the muscles.
Then, the next big issue is that during the round, you must eat some small snacks to keep your blood sugar and energy levels normal and functioning well. The best snacks which provide carbs and protein are fresh fruit, peanuts, peanut butter or cheese crackers, trail mix, and health bars. One leading diet and nutrition expert told me something awesome is raw almonds. There are many more. All you have to do is some research or talk to your medical provider and get some direction.
Another point we have to look at is that if you wait till the turn to eat, you don't want to chow down on a hot dog, hamburger, chicken or turkey sandwich, as they will kick in the digestion mechanism big time, rushing blood to the stomach and depleting it from the brain, muscles and extremities.
The key here is that you need to eat something during your round of golf, and eating small snacks every few holes is the best way. There are good snacks and bad ones. Bad ones are soda, including diet ones, ice tea, especially sweet tea. Another real killer is a candy bar, especially if mixed with soda or tea. The bad ones are snacks and drinks that have large amounts of sugar. These will inject a large dose of sugar into your blood and send you into a sugar high a hole or two too late. You may or may not really notice anything different, but your thinking, feel and touch are impaired. Before you know it and come out of it, your score has just shot up like a rocket.
I taught this concept of eating properly to DJ as early as 10 years old. He was playing in a junior tournament at Mid Pines Golf Resort in Pinehurst, NC, in the final group of the 10 – 12 year old flight, when he impressed me with a comment that showed he had heard and learned my message about what to eat during a round. At the snack bar at the 10th, I bought him a pack of peanut butter crackers and a Gatorade. When the three other players got their snacks from their parents, he noticed that each one was eating a candy bar and drinking a soda. We were sitting together and he quietly said to me, 'Dad, look at what they're eating. I've got them. They're mine.' They had all played the font nine well and DJ had a one or two shot lead over them when they started play on number 10. Around the 12th hole they all started hitting poor shots, making bogeys and double bogeys, and by 15, DJ had a 5 shot lead.
Today, if you watch any golf on TV, you will see a lot of Tiger Woods. And you'll also see Tiger walking off a lot of tees snacking on bananas or apples or something every few holes. Lately, DJ has been snacking on granola cereal he keeps in a re-sealable bag. Yesterday, in a practice round at The Players Championship, the tent near the 6th tee had a table full of packs of crackers, bags of peanuts and bananas. They even had cut up apples in a cup of water, as well as coolers full of water, and energy drinks that are also on every tee on the course.
So, if you want to improve your potential for shooting lower scores, you need to make sure you have the stamina and energy to go the limit. As I said in yesterday's article, we are like cars. We need fuel to keep on cruising. Run out of fuel and, like a car, we can cramp up, start sputtering and misfiring.
The Surge!