Energy during the round

[DjW]

Morning all,

Managed to somehow sneak a game of golf in yesterday at Gullane 3 in between all the torrential rain we got up here...anyways thats neither here nor there!

The thing is that I was having a belter of a day, strangley all the clubs in the bag were all working at the same time and I was -1 after the first 9 holes which is easily my best start to a round.

For the second half of the round though leeked tee shots started to come into the game as I could feel myself getting a tad tired and my energy draining as the round went on...

Was wondering what do you all find the best foods are to take out onto the course with you to eat during the round that keeps you going through the whole 18??

Cheers..

 

[Davey S2]

4 or 5 wheetabix with some sugar about an hour before I play usually does the trick.

If I need a top up during a round I usually have a Snickers or a banana if I have remebered to bring one.

I also carry a 1.5 litre water bottle with a few sports electrolyte tablets in it.

 

[ScienceBoy]

Banana, does the trick every time on a 4-5 hour round. With some home made water if possible.

Now I am not a member of a club and I don't think about it then its usually a bottle of any old drink and a marathon bar

 

[DjW]

4 or 5 wheetabix with some sugar about an hour before I play usually does the trick.

If I need a top up during a round I usually have a Snickers or a banana if I have remebered to bring one.

I also carry a 1.5 litre water bottle with a few sports electrolyte tablets in it.

Good old wheetabix, forgot all about those bad boys!... all about the suger..

 

[pendodave]

Do you carry ? Get a trolley...

Do you have a push trolley ? get a motorised one...

Not taking the p***, but these are the two steps which will do the most to reduce energy expended during a 4 hour game of golf (and therefore leave you fresher at the end).

Other than that, general fitness improvements or weight loss.

I'm not sure eating a banana will help much if you're a couple of stone over your fighting level. I'm sure someone could provide the maths...but not me.

 

[DjW]

Banana, does the trick every time on a 4-5 hour round. With some home made water if possible.

Now I am not a member of a club and I don't think about it then its usually a bottle of any old drink and a marathon bar

Im shocking for ending up with a sports drink and a mars bar in my bag for eating, i've even munched a bit of cheesecake on the 2nd tee once..haha.

 

[North Mimms]

I used to be a banana fan, but I got fed up with either running out of them or else over buying and ending up with over ripe ones in fruit bowl.
The finla straw was finding the 2 week old banana in golf bag Ew!

Now i rely on semi dired apricots, in a little tupperware placcy box.
Pop a couple of those every few holes. Yummy

and cereal bars. Just bought a mega box of them wholesale.
Taste like cardboard. boo!

 

[USER1999]

Can't the OP go 4 hours without food?

I can't see why any reasonably fit adult cannot go for a round of golf without the need to eat. If you can't, either you have an illness (diabetes?) or you are unfit, and need to do some training (running?).

 

[DjW]

Do you carry ? Get a trolley...

Do you have a push trolley ? get a motorised one...

Not taking the p***, but these are the two steps which will do the most to reduce energy expended during a 4 hour game of golf (and therefore leave you fresher at the end).

Other than that, general fitness improvements or weight loss.

I'm not sure eating a banana will help much if you're a couple of stone over your fighting level. I'm sure someone could provide the maths...but not me.

Yeah I do have a carry bag mate, but im 6'3 and not overweight so feel like id be cheating with one of those motorised ones, haha. Maybe try a push one out just to see the difference!

I know a single banana wont make a massive difference but it wont do any harm either! I was just wanting to know what people eat/drink during a round that keeps there concentration and energy levels up..

 

[North Mimms]

Can't the OP go 4 hours without food?

I can't see why any reasonably fit adult cannot go for a round of golf without the need to eat. If you can't, either you have an illness (diabetes?) or you are unfit, and need to do some training (running?).

it's not 4 hours without food.

I will have breakfast at 7.30, may play at 10, halfway through the back nine it's gone 1pm and it's lunch time!

I have hollow legs and need feeding often.
I'm perfectly healthy

 

[cm_qs]

Yeah I do have a carry bag mate, but im 6'3 and not overweight so feel like id be cheating with one of those motorised ones, haha. ..

Every time I watch golf on TV i see those pros, some of whom are well over 6 feet and most of whom are not overweight. In fact some of them look properly fit as though they work out and everything.


Never seen a single one carrying a bag.

The cheating ba***rds!

 

[Birchy]

Anybody ever tried one of them 5 hour energy drinks that Furyk advertises on his cap? Would be interested to see what happens after 5 hours is up! Maybe thats where Jimbo went wrong yesterday, he needed a 5 and half hour energy drink

 

[pendodave]

There's a couple of issues here. I'm not a nutritionist or sports physiologist, so no answers, just questions...

Firstly, when we are tired towards the end of a round of golf, is it because are muscles lack the required energy/nutrients to continue working or because they contain too much waste products/are damaged by the exercise?

If the latter, then no amount of bananas is going to help. It would require less exercise to be taken (use a trolley/motorised trolley, lose weight) or training to ensure muscular systems are more resilient and process waste products more efficiently (get fitter).

If the former (which seems unlikely for a well fed westerner, on a four hour stroll...), then it's worth thinking about what nutrients you body is lacking and how long before exercise it is necessary to eat them in order for them to be available towards the end of a round. Does anyone actually know the time taken to process a banana from mouth to muscle ????

Of course, this ignores the placebo effect of 'believing' that eating something is going to make you feel better.

That's why I made the trolley suggestion. Seems by far the most predictable way of enhancing performance when considering all the unknowns in the alternatives.

 

[garyinderry]

always have something to nibble on if only to stave off any hunger. this could also be hunger from nerves on the back 9. i dont know a soul who says they are not ready for their dinner after a full 18! in fact the horses in the field beside 15 look appetising at times!

 

[slicer79]

I often bring a bag of mixed nuts/raisins that can be bought in tesco. A handful every now and then during the round keeps me going. Also have a bottle of water with me

 

[MegaSteve]

If playing first thing its unlikely I'd have had breakfast so I'll have a banana or apple on the first tee before setting out... Don't do chocolate or 'energy' bars [nut allergy] so usually will have an apple during the round... Don't know if it raises my energy levels but if I am peckish then I see nothing wrong in having one of my "five a day" to keep me ticking over... Always drink plenty of water during the round [sometimes with a little lemon squash added]... Dehydration alone can leave you lacking in energy...

 

[Snelly]

You don't need a huge amount of energy or fuel to get around a golf course. It is a five mile walk with a few swings of the arms, not the Tour De France.

Anyone saying they need an energy drink to ensure they get round to their best is having a laugh. Have a cup of tea and some cake at the halfway hut if you want but please stop thinking that golfing excellence at club level has something meaningful to do with stamina or a need to replenish burned calories. It is a fact that it simply does not. being fit is not a requirement for the game of golf. Check out Craig Stadler for proof. The man is a junk food dustbin and was and still is a brilliant golfer.

 

[HotDogAssassin]

The final straw was finding the 2 week old banana in golf bag Ew!

I've done that, but worst was when I found one that my kids had left behind, at some point in the distant past, in the storage pocket of my car seat. Not nice!

 

[SaintHacker]

Golf may be a low intensity form of exercise, but you still burn calories playing it, and for a long round if you want to play your best you need to think about replacing some of the calories you burn.
As has already been pointed out dehydration is also a serious issue, just being 5% dehydrated is enough to reduce your performance. The trick is to drink little and often, if you wait until you are thirsty you are already dehydrated.

 

[AmandaJR]

I get hungry (or feel hungry at least) after 9 holes so always carry a cereal bar with me. I used to carry sweets but just ate them too much (!!) so now carry some glucose type tablets which I'll only eat if I feel a bit of a sugar low. Yesterday we were out for 5 hours and I was flipping starving by the end of the game. I didn't need the sugar rush though so didn't have any of the tablets rather than drove home as fast as possible and emptied the biscuit barrel!