When taking a break between holes, eat a small snack to replenish your body with energy.

GAP Fitness: A serving of nurtitional advice to boost your round

By Darin Hovis

  Many players neglect to replenish the fuel that is burned during the course of a four-hour round. I’m not talking about that hot dog and beer that you are buying at the turn. I mean food that is going to give you more energy and get you through 18 holes. How many times have you hit your worst shots on holes 15-18? I bet a majority of you are saying “a lot.”

  What I am about to tell you will give you the nutrients to concentrate and make your best swings on the final stretch of holes.

Pre round
Now is the time to get a good food source that will start your round of right and give you the energy you need to get started with a few birdies. For the body to create energy, it must have a source for that energy. ATP is the main fuel source for muscles and the rest of the body during aerobic exercise (golf). To keep an appropriate amount of ATP readily available, you need to take in a well-balanced meal consisting of a 4:1 ratio of carbohydrate to protein, one serving of vegetables, and one serving of fruits.

Breakfast
    • Whole Wheat Bagel
    • 2-3 Eggs
    • Spinach
    • Banana

    This is a great meal to start the day off right and get the required nutrients in your body to keep it running optimally. Now you’re ready to hit the range.

    A good tip of advice is to take in a small snack every three to four holes. So during the course of a round, you will take in five to six “performance meals” to maintain sugar levels and to replenish your body with energy, ATP, which it needs to perform. When you starve your body of nutrients, it quickly begins to become hypoglycemic which means that sugar levels are low.

    This condition will limit brain activity and also take contractile strength away from muscles. This is why you sometimes feel burnt out during the last few holes of a round. It is important that these small snacks are a complex carbohydrate. This means snacks such as granola bars, bananas to replenish potassium stores, apples, or even a whole wheat turkey sandwich cut into fours.

    Gatorade is also better than water because it replenishes electrolyte stores and brings sugar levels back to where they need to be. Candy is not considered a complex carbohydrate. Sugars in this form are simple and will spike activity for a short-time but then results in a crash that will bring your round to an unimpressive finish.

    So next time you are out for round of golf, use this nutritional advice to replenish your fuel sources to allow your brain and your body to perform at its best.

  Darin Hovis is the owner of Par 4 Fitness in Naples, Fla. He is a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Golf Fitness Professional and ACE certified personal trainer. Visit www.par4fitness.com for more information on programs and golf fitness.