The answer is simple: PROPER snacks and lots of water. Your body needs readily available energy every 2-3 hours. It’s simple. Bring 2 pieces of fruit, a nutrition bar and a bottle of water to the course every time you play. Choose a nutrition bar that provides more carbohydrates than protein or fat.
(I did some research and found Par Bar nutrition bars that are formulated for golfers. I love the ingredients. Most everything is organic and healthy. And they taste great too! I have tried the Cranberry Almond and the Goji Lemon so far. Of the
two, I personally liked the Cranberry best. Check out the Sun Valley Bars link on the bottom right column for more information. They come in boxes of 12, and if you can get three others to go in with you, you can get all four flavors and split them up, costing $1.86 per bar, including shipping.).
Your water consumption should be very consistent throughout the round. If it’s a 20 oz. bottle of water, you should be filling it up every 4-5 holes at a minimum. Dehydration occurs much sooner than you think.
Here’s a very simple rule of thumb. Make a mental note of what time you ate your last meal before you got to the course. If you’re like most people, probably 3-4 hours have lapsed by the time you get to hole number 2.
What’s that mean? Time for a piece of fruit…even if you aren’t hungry!
Then what? Check your watch and after 2 more hours have gone by eat that nutrition bar. This will be at hole 11 or 12.
That might do you, but if you get the hunger pangs, eat that last piece of fruit at the 16th hole. This will keep your blood sugar levels constant and enable you to stay focused those last couple of holes.
Another golf nutritionist has simplified it even further: Hole 4 – fruit; Hole 9 – nutrition bar; Hole 14 – fruit.You’ll soon be a believer in fueling your body for performance. The next time you go out, be careful. You might just shoot your “all-time” best score.
