RecruitPKB Perform: Eat and Drink for Less

This article is part of guest series to the RecruitPKB “Complete Golfer” program by Chris Finn, owner of Par4Success in Cary, North Carolina.

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What I would like you to do is create a short mental checklist of what you will do when preparing for your next tournament. If it is anything like most of the juniors I work with it will probably look something like this:

1. Go play a practice round
2. Practice hard the week leading up to the tournament focused on the type of shots I may need or specific clubs I will need to hit more than others based off my practice round.
3. Map out the round including what clubs to hit off what tees, green slopes, etc.
4. If it is away from home, make sure you have balls, all your clubs, outfits for each day, etc.

Three things are never mentioned whenever I ask this question, however.

1. I plan my workout schedule accordingly so I am physically ready to perform
2. I make sure I have my hydration schedule planned and start drinking additional water 2 days prior to the tournament so I am hydrated.
3. I make sure I have my nutrition plan in place and make sure that I have all the food that I am going to need for each round packed.

Why are these three items more important than the first four?

Because it doesn’t matter how much your practiced or how well you mapped out the course if you are dehydrated and attempting to perform without proper nutrition. If you are dehydrated, your ability for speed generation is decreased. If your blood sugar is low or you don’t have enough fuel in you, your brain is not able to focus optimally and your body will start breaking down muscle energy stores. Neither situation is setting yourself up to be successful down the stretch and perform your best.

What can you do to improve this immediately?

1. Have a nutrition and hydration plan just as you have a plan for each hole.
2. Make it a conscious goal to nail your nutrition and hydration plan every round until it becomes habit.
3. Have Mom/Dad or Coach track when/what you are eating/drinking throughout the round and evaluate how you did just as you likely do with your scorecard.
4. Read the Par4Success nutrition and hydration guides for more specifics on how to eat and hydrate correctly.

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