When it comes to a round of golf, there was once a time when people would make their way around a course without eating or drinking anything at all. Maintaining your energy level with small snacks and staying well hydrated on the course was alien to those who preferred to smoke a pack of cigarettes over the 18 holes. Thankfully, those days are gone, for the most part.
The majority of professional golfers now resemble elite athletes, as opposed to the pros of the past who were given nicknames like “Walrus” in honor of their size. While you don’t need to have a ripped physique to play golf at a decent level, nutrition does play an integral part of how you perform on the golf course.
It is important that you are adequately fueled on the course, so you have the energy to make your way around each hole and be fresh every time you step up to the ball to take a stroke. You need to be armed with nutritious and energizing snacks that can be eaten on-the-go, as well as enough fluids to keep your hydration levels well topped up.
Great snacks for the golf course include different kinds of nuts, trail mix, fruit and beef jerky. You can’t beat water when it comes to staying well hydrated, but small amounts of isotonic sports drinks can also help to ward off dehydration. While this method of staying well-fueled on the course may seem simple and straightforward, golfers time and time again reach for the wrong foods during their rounds, leading to crashes in energy and performance levels slipping as a result.
Here are four foods that you should avoid during your round.
1. Energy bars
In recent times, there has been a craze for energy bars that are seemingly healthy, but are in fact loaded with sugar. A lot of the time they are simply glorified candy bars. While they give you a short term energy boost thanks to the quick spike in your blood sugar levels, you will get an even bigger crash in energy approximately 30 minutes after you consume one of these bars.
Your goal during a round should be to keep your blood sugar levels as consistent as possible, so avoid energy bars from here on out. Instead of having one of these bars, go for an apple or some whole wheat bread with a serving of peanut butter instead.
2. Baked goods
Many people will reach for a donut or some form of pastry during a stop for a pre-round cup of coffee. Thanks to sugar and a number of other unhealthy ingredients, these types of baked goods will drain you of energy over the round and will instigate a certain level of brain fog, which will make you feel unfocused and unsteady with your game.
3. Hot dogs
Hot dogs are a staple food at most golf courses. They are a snack of convenience, as they are quickly cooked and subsequently consumed in a matter of seconds. For the most part, the ingredients and cooking methods used when making these hot dogs is of a very poor quality. The greasy oils and fatty ingredients will lead to a whole lot of bloating. Plus, you’ll be consuming a lot of saturated fat and sodium that builds up in your body over time. And if you have a white bread bun, this will spike your blood sugar levels.
Instead of reaching for a hot dog, keep some beef jerky in your bag. You will get the same meaty taste but with less negative health effects.
4. Chips
Chips are one of those tasty snacks that can be eaten anywhere and once you start eating them, it can be hard to stop! Sadly, they are not a great snack for your rounds of golf as they are packed full of salt, unsaturated fat and other harmful substances that are by-products of the production process.
Any food cooked in these poor kinds of oil is going to affect your game negatively, as it can lead to an upset stomach, at the very least, and other health issues down the line. Try to go for hard boiled eggs as an alternative to keep you satisfied and full of energy during your next round.
— Andrew O’Malley