Sound Familiar. You feel good and play well on the front nine, make the turn, then fall apart on the back nine with your score going up 5 to 10 shots.
One day a new student, Ron, was getting his 4th or 5th lesson. He said that he was really happy with the PPGS and was hitting the ball the best he ever had, and his scores were really going down. Playing his weekend rounds, he was scoring lower on the front nine, but was blowing up on the back nine every round. He asked me if I had any idea of why he couldn't hold it together on the back side.
The first thing that jumped out at me was his comment about swinging better, scoring better meant his swing was good, and that the problem was not likely with the swing. The falling apart on the back side was likely his running out of gas — energy.
I asked him a series of questions, starting with what time did he usually tee off on Saturday and Sunday. Around 8:00 AM was his answer. Next, I asked him what he had for breakfast. Cup of coffee was the reply. I countered with, 'probably high test.' You bet. I need it to get going, he told me.
Next question was what did you have to eat? He replied, Nothing, just coffee. I am now certain that his collapse on the back side is definitely a result of running out of energy. I then asked him what time he usually ate dinner the night before. Usually between 6 to 7PM he replied. I asked if he ate anything at the turn and got NO as an answer. My last question was did he ever feel weak and maybe get the shakes on the backs side. 'All the time,' was his answer and 'I know I AM OUT OF SHAPE.'
I said that maybe he was out of shape, but the bigger problem was he had run out of energy. I did the following calculation for him. You eat dinner Friday evening at 6 PM, and tee it up Saturday morning at 8AM. When you tee off at 8AM, your last meal was 14 hours ago. And, to compound the situation, you started the day off with high test coffee. Then add in, say two more hours to play the front. So when you make the turn you are now a minimum of 16 hours removed from your last meal. I replied, 'You're lucky you could stand up, never mind play golf well.'
I then went into a short lecture on diet and nutrition and how it was affecting his round. I said, Ron, 'You are like a car. Put gas in the tank and it runs. Run out of gas, and the car sputters to a stop.
'Playing golf is a physical exercise, coupled with a lot of mental activity. The body and the brain burn a lot of energy to play golf, and like the car, on the back nine your energy tank reaches empty and you sputter to that 5 to 10 shot higher score.'
I concluded telling Ron that the main prescription for this lesson was that this week he was to eat a good breakfast at least an hour and a half before his tee time. And, at the turn, whether he feels hungry or not, to have a snack to put a little more fuel in his tank. I did add that the snack meant a pack of crackers peanut butter or cheese, never a
candy bar. As for what to drink, he was allowed only water or a sports drink, never coffee or sweet or un-sweet ice tea and definitely no soda, diet included. He needed energy, but not an overdose of caffeine and or sugar. That's OK for running a hundred yard dash, but not for playing golf, which needs long lasting energy reserves.
With the nutrition class finished, we worked on his swing and I told Ron to call me after his round on Saturday and give me a report on how he felt and what he scored on the back nine. I am happy to report, the swing held up and the score was low, making Ron a happy camper.
Don't forget to fill your tank before you play. Tomorrow, I'll discuss why we shouldn't eat or drink sugar, caffeine and other issues relevant to maintaining a proper energy level for your entire round.
The Surge!
P.S. Check out our new PPGS offer before you run out of gas!
Comments
HI! what if its the opposite
HI! what if its the opposite bad front and great back?