Nutrition can play a pivotal role in supporting the training, playing and competition demands of any player.

Food alone will not make you drive the ball further or make a putt from 25 feet away, but the right diet is absolutely central in supporting training to make those achievements possible.

Good food choices help ensure fuel needs are met to promote adaptations to training, to aid recovery in order to continue and intensify training and to ensure good health to prevent illness and injury.

Energy

The body provides energy by burning fats, carbohydrates and some proteins.

During a round your energy requirement rises due to increased exercise and concentration. The most important energy source are carbohydrates because your muscles and brain are dependant on a sufficient supply. The body can store carbohydrates as glycogen in liver and muscles. To obtain sufficent glycogen stores you should have a carbohydrate rich and low fat diet. Pasta, bread, potatoes and rice are all examples of carbohydrate rich food. During a round of golf your carbohydrate stores are gradually used up. To avoid a depletion of your stores, and to prevent your performance degrading, a continuous carbohydrate supply is important.

Energy Used By Golfers

The exact amount of energy needed varies from one sports participant to another depending on gender, and on the type, frequency, intensity and duration of the sport or exercise they are participating in.

On average, Golf participants need 350kcals per hour*.

What Should You Eat?

60–70% of daily energy intake should come from carbohydrates. Aim to eat at least 500g of foods such as pasta, potatoes, bread, cereals and rice to achieve this.

Try to eat a carbohydrate-rich meal 3–4 hours before a competition or serious round. This will maximise your energy levels before starting playing, helping to prevent fatigue. Suggested foods include a large bowl of pasta with a low fat tomato based sauce or a couple of sandwiches and a banana.

Hydration

A sufficient supply of liquid is essential because vital organs such as the kidneys, brain and heart can’t function as they require a certain minimum of water and salt.

You are probably dehydrated if you are thirsty, have dry lips and a dry mouth.

A more serious form of dehydration occurs if you have blue lips, a weak pulse, quick breathing and confusion.

What Should You Drink?

Isotonic drinks are the best and contain between 6-8 grams of carbohydrates in every 100ml. They also contain salt which allows the body to use the fluid efficiently.

Some drinks such as cola, lemonade and high energy drinks often contain over 10 or more grams per 100ml. These kind of drinks stop the body being able to use the fluid because they take so long to absorb.

Tea and coffee are OK in small amounts – however, avoid excess consumption as they contain a lot of caffeine.

The best drinks when you are not playing sport are water, fruit juices and squashes.

Resources

Make your own Sports Drinks:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/sport1/hi/health_and_fitness/4289704.stm

Lucozade Sports Science Academy

http://www.thelssa.co.uk/lssa/home/home.asp

* Maughan RJ (ed). Nutrition in Sport. Oxford: Blackwell Science, 2000.