Struggling with your Golf? You’re not drinking enough water!
All of us want to play better golf but sometimes we don’t perform the way we want. When most golfers play poorly, they believe the problem is their swing or their mental game. But what if it were something as simple as not drinking enough water?
Playing golf in hot weather puts a lot of strain on your body and one of the things that professional golfers prioritize is staying hydrated on the golf course. Think of your body as a car. You need to put the right fuel in the engine for it to work. You can’t drive a car without first putting gas inside of it and you can’t play golf to your best ability without putting the right fuels in your body.
How Much Water Should You Drink on the Golf Course?
Pacific Golf Academy Coach Lindsay Manion
Pacific Golf Academy Instructor Lindsay Manion is one of the top performance coaches in Canada. She recently joined our coaching team earlier this year and teaches students this simple formula for drinking the correct amount of water:
(Body Weight in Pounds) / 2 = Total Number of Ounces to Drink in 20 Degree Weather
For this example, if you weigh 150 pounds (68kg) you should be drinking approximately 75 ounces (2.2 litres) of water on the golf course when it is 20 degrees outside. However, during the summer months, temperatures can increase well past 30 degrees depending on where you are playing. Therefore, you need to double the amount of ounces of water you drink when playing in hot weather. In the same example, someone that weighs 150 pounds (68kg) should be drinking at least 4 litres of water during their round!
At first this might sound like too much water, but if you notice PGA Tour players, they are constantly drinking water and eating snacks during tournament rounds. In fact, one great way to establish this new habit is to drink one sip of water after every golf shot you hit. This helps you relax and stay focused on the golf course in addition to giving your body the hydration that it needs.
What Foods Should I Eat on the Golf Course?
When you are sweating and playing golf, your body is losing a lot of minerals and electrolytes. To combat this Coach Lindsay recommends adding a small (very small) pinch of salt to your water. You can buy these salts at your grocery store or drug store and again, most important, you just need a small pinch of salt to your water. Finally, your body also loses a lot of minerals like sodium, magnesium, potassium, and calcium when playing golf and it’s important to replace these minerals with nutrient rich foods like bananas, dark chocolate, nuts, and seeds.
What Foods Should I Avoid on the Golf Course?
Coach Lindsay recommends avoiding athletic drinks like Gatorade and Powerade. Both of these athletic drinks are filled with tons of sugar and artificial food colouring, both of which are not good for your body and certainly will not help you perform better on the golf course. A better option for those looking to add a healthier drink are Nuun athletic tablets or Hydralyte tablets. These supplements have no sugar and are filled with electrolytes to help keep your body well hydrated.
We want all of our golfers and students to play their best on the golf course, and want you to realize that playing exceptional golf is not just about a good swing or putting stroke, it’s about learning to become a complete golfer and diet, fitness, and nutrition all play an important part in helping you become a champion golfer.
