Ask a Dietitian

As seen on BCTV June 15/99

FUELING UP FOR A DAY ON THE LINKS

If you’re like most of us, your golf game could use some fine tuning. Maybe you’ve been spending hours on the driving range yet it’s still not coming together on the course. Perhaps the missing link is your diet. Yes, if you have under fueled it will be more likely to make mental and physical errors on the course. Here are a few tips for various situations you may encounter…

An early morning tee time:

• Avoid hitting the course with no breakfast. With no food in your system, blood glucose (sugar) levels will be low and you will set yourself up for more mental errors. Eat a decent breakfast. If no time or appetite, make a shake to drink on the way. Try 1/3 cup soft tofu with 1 banana and 1 cup orange juice. If you prefer, try ½ cup frozen berries, 1 cup cranberry juice and ½ cup berry-flavored yogurt.
• Don’t head out dehydrated. This will make you more susceptible to headaches, lightheadedness and irritability. Drink at least 1 glass of water when you first get up.
• Go easy on caffeine. Although it will wake you up, it’s peak effect is 30-45 minutes after ingestion. This could be right at the time you need to be steady, not shaky.Golfing 18 holes – or spending 4 or more hours on the course:
• Head to the course well fueled. About 1 to 2 hours after a meal would be perfect. Then plan to eat something light at the 3-hour point. You might even want to have a small snack every 2 hours to keep energy up. A small snack could be any one of the following: 1 fruit, 3-4 fig newton cookies, ½ cup nuts, ½ -1 energy bar, granola-nut bar, juice. Aim for about 100-150 calories in each snack.
• Again, be sure to stay well hydrated. Carry a water bottle in your bag and take a sip every 30 minutes.Heading to the Driving Range After Work Before Dinner:
• Bring a snack to work to eat about 1 hour before heading out. Another option is to keep something in your glove compartment to have enroute. Nuts, energy bars or dried fruit work well.Eating Dinner At the Clubhouse After:
• Hopefully you have stayed in a steady state on the course and are not so dehydrated and ravenous that it will be easy to drink a pitcher of beer and eat too much dinner.
• Drink some water first to quench your thirst before celebrating or drowning your sorrows with alcohol.
• Order a meal with a large portion of vegetables, about 4 ounces of meat or lean protein and moderate amounts of bread, pasta or other grain foods. A meal like this will replenish muscle energy in time for your next day on the course!

Watch for the Eating for Energy segment every Tuesday on BCTV’s Noon News Hour!

Article written by Patricia Chuey and reprinted with permission