Eating and drinking to win

I was recently back in Scotland for a week and played nine holes with my cousins. When I got home after the game, frozen, I told my father that I would never complain about it being too hot on the golf course in Bahrain ever again.

I went back on my word approximately five minutes into my 11am lesson last Thursday. It seems to have gotten very hot, very fast!

As a professional, one of the main things that I strive to ensure is that the last lesson I see every day gets the same high quality of coaching as the first one.

This is easier said than done after spending six hours in 35°C-45°C heat! That is why I make sure that I am constantly fuelling myself with the correct balance of liquids and food.

Just as it is very difficult to play good golf with poor fundamentals, your body and brain will not be able to function to their best level if they do not have their fundamental requirements met.

Four-and-a-half hours on the golf course at this time of year is a very long time.

Let’s discuss if there are things you could be doing to improve your nutrition and hydration on your way round the golf course.

It is important to be aware of the signs that you might exhibit on the golf course if you are not hydrated and fuelled properly:

l Muscles feel tight and not relaxed;

l An irregular heart rate (making it difficult to relax under pressure);

l Moodiness and impatience (struggling to control your emotions on the golf course).

Each of these signs will be detrimental to your physical golfing performance and your ability to control your mental game (pre-shot routine, decision making and acceptance of the outcome) in equal measures.

Experts suggest that on the day of competition, eating every two hours is the most efficient way of maintaining your hydration and fuel levels. Unfortunately, this does not mean Mars bars and crisps.

Nuts, fruits and whole grains are the foods that are most likely to maintain your energy levels on your way around the golf course.

A strange piece of advice that I was given recently is that on the golf course, you should eat before you are hungry. Initially, I was confused by this as that strategy did my waistline no favours at all when I was a teenager.

However, when it comes to the golf course, if you eat when you feel hungry, your energy levels will already have dropped.

When it comes to liquids, it is important to try and avoid the caffeinated, sugary drinks that your body craves when it is hot and you are thirsty.

They only provide small levels of energy and can cause energy levels to spike and then dip quickly.

In order to maximise performance in tough conditions, you should be drinking approximately 300ml of water every 20-30 minutes. In addition, it is wise to use electrolyte replacement sachets that can be mixed in with your water. These sachets will help enhance fluid replacement and should also be consumed before you get thirsty.

Golfers tend to invest a lot of time, effort and emotion into their practice and competitive golf. Working hard at the fundamentals of the physical and mental aspects of the game is the only way to improve consistently.

However, it might be time to consider if your nutritional habits on the golf course are making it difficult to perform to your potential?