The weather is warming up, the birds are chirping and the flowers are sprouting, that can only mean one thing; golf Season is upon us! As we gear up for the season, we want you to make sure you’re on course nutrition is up to par!
It all starts with the night before your round! Your meal should consist of slow digesting carbohydrates paired with a protein of your choice. You should have at least a cup of your carbohydrates and at least 6-8 oz. of your protein. My go to pre round meal is an 8 oz. steak with 1-2 whole sweet potatoes and an avocado. This fills up my glycogen stores, aka energy, in the muscles. This energy will then be used on the course during my round the following day.
The next meal I have to plan for is my pre round breakfast. This will help keep my energy stores high as I head over to the course for my warm up! A go to breakfast is three eggs, two pieces of Ezekiel bread toast, half of an avocado and 2 pieces of bacon.
As I head over to the first tee, I feel energized and powerful, ready to bomb my drive down the middle of the first fairway! This couldn’t have happened though if I didn’t plan those 2 meals before my round. If I had fast food the night before and skipped breakfast I would not feel the same way on the first tee.
The job is not done there. Glycogen stores take about 90-120 minutes to deplete, so if you are properly prepared, you will need a snack around holes 5-6. The goal of this is to stabilize energy levels. We want to keep energy at a steady rate and never in peaks and valleys. When the peaks and valleys happen we usually see loss of focus and bogeys or worse! A great go to snack for these holes is a few pieces of beef jerky with an apple. Something with medium protein and lower carbohydrates. This is again just to stabilize your energy.
As we head to the turn, it’s time for a larger snack. The classic meal is to head to the kitchen and grab a quick hot dog and a snickers bar. While this will result in some energy, it is not the best option. Something more ideal would be a turkey sandwich on Ezekiel bread or some Dave’s Killer Bread, with your favorite toppings paired with a banana. Another great option is a peanut butter and jelly sandwich.
Alright, its hole 16 and we’ve started to feel a bit of fatigue coming off a bogey the previous hole. It is time to re energize! It’s time for some fast acting carbohydrates, like your favorite candy or candy bar. Yes, I said candy! Candy is easily usable for the body to convert to quick energy. Another great option is dried mangos, which are also fast digesting and will give you the same boost of energy. This will ensure that your focus stays high for the last few holes and come in with 3 birdies, instead of 3 doubles!
So there is it! You now have the guidelines to create your personal on course nutrition plan! If you need any help with this as well, find myself, Josh or Ali in the Performance Zone to help you create your plan!
