GOLF ON COURSE NUTRITION

On course nutrition, probably one of the most often questions that I get and how well you execute your on course nutrition is going to have a huge impact on how you feel and therefore how you play. Now, as with all aspects of nutrition, there's no one way to get it done, okay? So, there are a few principles that I would always implement for myself, for the people I coach and basically for golfers everywhere that can help you feel your best not only early in the round but all the way through.

So, number one is going to be little and often, okay? So, in terms of digestion, in terms of activity, if you ask your digestive system to do too much at once, it has to take away from your energy systems elsewhere, essentially. So, if we just have one big meal halfway around, one big hit of food is going to slow us down, okay?

So, we have less energy, you can feel a little bit more sluggish, you're probably not going to execute as well. So, if you can have a small balanced amount of food every few holes, you're probably going to be better off, okay? Number two, as I just said, it has to be balanced.

We don't want to have just one food type, we want to have a good balance of macros, which is going to be protein, carbs, and fat, okay? They all play a different role, but essentially, when you go and play a full 18 holes of golf 4 5 hours, there's a lot of energy being burnt, okay? So, we have to support the body if we want to perform in an optimal manner and that is likely to require all three macros.

Now, protein is going to help you function in terms of the musculature and satiety, fat is going to be that longer duration energy and it's going to keep us a little bit more balanced as well in terms of the hormonal side, okay? The carbohydrates, that's your quick hit energy and that is one thing we'll talk about, you don't want to have anything that is just pure sugar because you're going to get the spike, you're going to get the crash, okay? So, if you can combine all three elements pretty well balanced then obviously again, that's going to be relative to the individual, what you'll find is you will digest it easier, you will get a better balance of energy output, and you're not going to get those spikes that we were talking about, okay?

So, little and often, well balanced meals, okay? So, what do I go to? Now, the first thing and probably the easiest thing given how well developed sports nutrition is now, is going to be something like a protein bar, a neutra a natural protein bar.

Again, be careful on the sugar levels at this point, okay? I like the RX bars, they have exactly what we just talked about, you're going to have protein, you're going to have fat, you're going to have carbs. It's the easiest thing to put in your bag, you know what you're getting, you know exactly how it's going to work over time, take out the variables, that's a really simple way to go.

However, if you're going to get a little bit more into it, you've got a lot of different options. Now, one balance that we've always talked about is going to be something like fruit and nuts, okay? That is largely going to be carbohydrate and fat and again, that's going to give you a nice balance of energy over a course of time because if you just have a banana, depending on who you are, that sugar hit is going to come in, it might not level out and all of a sudden, like say you feel you feel a little buzz for a little while, but then you get to hole 14, things start just crashing and going down a little bit.

So, think about how you balance this out. Now, if I was going to have fruit and nuts on the course, I would also try and get an external source of protein relative to those two food groups. So, something along the lines of a protein supplement is going to be perfect.

Have it in the drinks bottle, try and mix with water again on the digestive side, you're going to help yourself hydrate and within those three elements, you're going to be perfectly balanced out. It's going to be easy to eat a small amount at a time and that's going to help you get the full round in feeling as best as you possibly can, okay? You can go to the fullest extent, you can prepare some meals, you can get really balanced, you can get in there and that is something that I would certainly consider if you are playing a lot of golf, if you're out maybe for a practice session then a round afterwards, etc.

Having planned in meals alongside your training, alongside your physical goals, essentially, that's that's the highest level that you can get to, okay? So, if you can understand your macro requirement, if you can start to balance performance across all domains and your lifestyle, that is where you're going to feel the best, okay? So, again, you're still going to look for that hit of foods that work well for you, so understanding how you feel best, how you digest certain elements, hitting the protein requirement, balancing out your carbs and your fat so you feel as good as you possibly can, okay?

Touching on a few things I wouldn't necessarily do, again, all the things that are going to be hard to digest, things that you pre-packaged foods, it might be necessary, however, looking at the best ingredients possible is always going to be necessary. High sugar foods, high sugar, all right? And obviously, this goes into the lifestyle element as well, but as we said, if you just hit yourself with a big hit of sugar and carbs on the course, it's going to come in, you're probably not going to feel too good, you might go up, you might go down, and you're not going to get that balance.

Balance is always the key and that is always what I would focus on, okay? As we said right at the start, too much at once is going to be difficult as well, okay? So, preparation is huge, you can make it really easy for yourself if you find the right protein bar, something natural, something that works out and balances well on the macro side and then we can't really talk about nutrition without talking about hydration as well, guys, okay?

Very much the same thing, you need water. Water is extremely important. If you're not hydrated, the functions of the body are always going to be diminished to some extent and that's not really a good idea, okay?

So, what I would say, drink more than you think, okay? Water all the way around as often as you possibly can, it's going to keep you feeling your best, focus, physical performance, it's a no-brainer, okay? In terms of caffeine, we all love coffee, we get through a few coffees around here.

Caffeine can be useful, but again, you've got to know your own level. Too much, you're going to get jittery, you're not going to feel too good and if you get to that point, it's kind of hard to recover in a short period of time. So, caffeine is good in the in the right kind of amount in the right kind of dose and then you got to look at things like sports drinks, etc.

If you find one again that works well for you, small and often, it's well balanced, you get your electrolytes, you increase your hydration without too much sugar, perfect. But, if you then go more towards very sugary sports drinks or even soda, Coca-Cola, whatever that looks like, it's exactly that same deal again, big hits of sugar, spikes in energy and that can lead you to wherever you don't want to be, basically. So, my thoughts on put on performance and nutrition when you're on a golf course, little and often, balance out your macros, and stay hydrated.

Pretty simple, but execution of that will help you play better golf, it will help you feel better and basically, match that lifestyle in with your training, with your golf, which is what we're always aiming for. I hope this was helpful, we can obviously get Flynn to far more detail and we do so with more and more nutrition coming to the app every single day and if you have not yet checked out the app, go get it done.