Maximizing on-course performance through nutrition

I had a lesson with a student last week who was struggling with scoring, particularly near the end of each round, mainly holes 15 to 18. They described a feeling of fatigue that would prove costly as their score steadily worsened.?

When I hear this scenario, I immediately ask questions regarding their nutrition, both pre-round and on-course. I wanted to share some insight with my connections regarding the vital role nutrition plays with on-course performance and some tips to help ensure that you can perform at your best!?

Pre-Round?

I like the analogy that the human body is like a battery, slowly losing its charge throughout the day. The meal you have before playing is crucial to ensure you have sufficient energy levels and enough "charge" for the round you are about to play; I like for my players to eat at least one hour before they play. The pre-round meal should be rich in protein, healthy fats, and carbohydrates. My pre-round meal is bacon, egg, and cheese or peanut butter and jelly.

Another critical and often overlooked aspect of the pre-round meal is hydration; it's essential to start your hydration off right to ensure you don't compromise your muscle performance and concentration levels. A tell-tale sign a player begins to tire on the golf course is when they start making silly mistakes and struggle to focus/concentrate. During a round of golf, from the first tee to the eighteenth green, good concentration is vital to perform at your best; therefore, starting the round fully hydrated should be a top priority.?

I recommend trying to drink 16fl oz of water with your pre-round meal to ensure you are hydrated before the round begins; however, I would encourage players to go one step further with water by adding a supplement. I use Liquid IV or Biosteel as they hydrate a player 2-2.5 times quicker than regular water and include electrolytes that help regulate muscle contractions and maintain energy levels. These supplements are a great alternative to sugary energy drinks and allow players to sustain high energy levels without crashing.

During the round

Although fueling up before the round is important, it's crucial to maintain and stabilize energy levels as you play; therefore, players should bring appropriate snacks & food for their round. I like for my players to note what they eat on the course and record how this made them feel; this helps identify foods that provided an energy boost while highlighting the foods that didn't. If any of my connections play tournaments, I encourage you to eat the same food during both practice and tournament rounds; the structure is essential and helps ensure consistency.?

I am a big fan of the "Super Six" strategy that sports nutrition expert Matt Jones developed, which splits the round into three sections.?

Holes 1-6?

Players should aim to stabilize their energy levels during the first six holes and prevent them from varying. Matt recommends that players eat low-carb foods such as fruits and nuts during the first six holes. I have found Beef Jerky to be an excellent snack early in the round.?

Holes 7-12?

Throughout the next six holes, it's all about maintaining a player's energy levels. Therefore, Matt recommends a balance of protein, carbs, and fat. As tempting as it may be to stop at the halfway house for a hot dog, I urge my players to choose a cup of chicken salad or a protein bar. I find that a peanut butter sandwich between holes 7-12 is also an excellent snack for maintaining my energy levels.?

Holes 13-18

?You're on the final stretch, where most golfers go wrong, and the game starts to worsen; it's essential to give yourself an energy boost on these holes to ensure you finish strong and can maintain your focus. Matt recommends consuming high-carb snacks, e.g., dried fruit. I like to have a protein energy bar around hole 14 as it gives me an energy boost when I start to tire.?

Hydration

The summers are hot here in the Northeast, and players must maintain their hydration on the golf course; as I mentioned earlier, I like my players to use a supplement such as Liquid IV in their drink. But it's important to know how much you should drink while playing. I am a listener of Andrew Huberman's podcast "The Huberman Lab Podcast," and I found his philosophy for hydration fascinating yet easy to understand. Andrew Huberman is a?neuroscientist and Professor at the Stanford school of medicine, and in a previous episode, he spoke about how much water a person should consume. I've included the quote for my connections below.

"Hydration is a big one for cognitive function, and it's one that people often overlook. But the simple rule is... your body weight in pounds divided by 30 will give you the number of ounces of water that you should drink about every 20 minutes when exercising or doing mental work".

The formula above is a simple way for players to understand how much water to drink and how frequently they should consume water when on the course.?

Important Note

I also wanted to highlight how applicable this information is to practice routines. Referring back to an article a couple of weeks ago, to ensure your practice is productive, you need to perform at your best & replicate on-course scenarios/feelings; when structuring your practice schedule, acknowledge nutrition and hydration breaks. I would encourage my connections to use elements of the "Super 6" strategy in their practice, for example, split the schedule into beginning, middle & end, and tailor the food towards that section. Players should ensure they consume an appropriate pre-practice meal and maintain their energy levels throughout practice. Essentially take what you do on the course and integrate it into your routine, another excellent opportunity to take note of how you feel after a particular snack or food and find out what helps you perform at the highest level.?

I hope this article can help my connections understand how to boost their performance on the golf course through effective pre-round & on-course nutrition.?

If you have questions regarding golf nutrition or broader instruction, please don't hesitate to send me a message!