It’s time to slice those soft drinks and chocolate bars from your golf bag.
WELL, you’ve spent big dollars on your clubs and are super-confident all that practice is going to pay off when you next tee it up.
But what happens when you make the crucial error of turning up to play after rushing out the door having not eaten breakfast, or with a golf bag packed full of sugar-filled sports drinks and chocolate bars? I bet you’ll be blaming those expensive clubs for yet another disappointing round.
Here’s a little secret – did you know when you see sports stars gulping down fluid from those sports drink bottles they are often just filled with water and sea salt? It’s true.
I have always been left scratching my head as to why we are so willing to put so much time and money into selecting our golf equipment and hours practising yet give little thought or effort into how we fuel our bodies to play golf. I often tell people its like buying a Ferrari and putting crap petrol in it. Why would you bother?
What makes what we eat and drink in golf even more critical than other sports is the amount of time you are actually outside playing. Golf can take up to 4-5 hours and requires a high level of mental and fine motor skills to perform at your peak. If you think that it is nerves that are responsible for you missing that clutch putt and you need to get all Zen-like and do more visualisation so you don’t miss it next time, well, I am sorry to inform you that you are wasting your time.
It’s highly likely you have the shakes from a low blood sugar crash thanks to that energy bar or sports drink, or the fact that a supermodel has eaten more than you have today before teeing off.
My advice is simple – eat breakfast like an adult and not a child. This means no sugar-packed cereals with some bread covered in more sugar on the side and washed down with even more sugar in your juice. Instead, eat a balance of protein, for example a couple of eggs or Greek yogurt with some slow-burning carbohydrates such as beans or oats. Get some good fats like avocado or almond spread to ensure you have the energy and mental focus to play for a full round.
Give the sugar drinks the flick and save your game (and back pocket) by simply drinking water with a pinch of sea salt.
Be smart and prepare like a boy scout – pack your own golf bag with some nuts or some fruit instead of chowing down on that chocolate bar. You’ll avoid those sugar yips.
Don’t worry, you don’t need to cut out all sugar or go cult-like. And there’s no need to banish whole food groups such as grains and bread, pretending you are cool by saying you are going Paleo like Phil Mickelson. Just make sure you give the above tips a go. And, yes, you can enjoy those beers at the end of your round and get your money’s worth out of your clubs.
• Former rugby league star Adam MacDougall is the creator of The Man Shake – a new, healthy weight loss shake that is low in sugar, full of protein, fibre, vitamins and minerals helping Aussie men drop their unwanted kilos without forcing them into radical change. Go to themanshake.com.au to learn more.
