Golfers: You are what you eat!

Traditional bacon buttie - staple diet of golfers

Golfmagic follower Steve Book (36) is a former professional footballer who has been playing golf for about four years at the Lansdown Golf Club in Bath.

He has recently qualified from a course of sports nutrition linked to football where the modern player appreciates that it's important to eat and drink the right stuff for maximum performance and to aid recovering from injury.

Golfers are also athletes, he says, so it's equally important for even the average handicap club golfer, to get the best from their game by learn about basic nutrition.

Ever dashed to the course on a Saturday or Sunday without a healthy breakfast and failed to live up to the kind of score you would naturally expect from your game?

Alternatively you've started the day with a bacon sandwich and a cup of coffee - maybe even a pint - and shot the kind of score you'd be ashamed to recall?

On both counts you can blame your diet.

We all love our food but chances are that you're eating the wrong stuff to set you up for your best rounds of golf. I'm not saying the right diet will turn you into Tiger or Ernie but sensible eating will help.

To be avoided

After most tee shots most pro golfers will use the 250-300 yard walk to nibble on a cereal bar, a banana or apple - or at least drink water or an energy drink.

They know that if there's no energy in their body tank at the start their game's going to suffer. If you don't replenish that energy your muscles become tired and you quickly become mentally drained, too.

Consequently our brain switches off automatically to conserve any energy that's left. The messages from the brain do not get through to the muscles that drive your legs, arms, shoulders, back and hips. The result is inevitably a bad swing.

Even if you start a round fully energised with healthy food like fruit, cereal and eggs for vitamins, protein and carbohydrates, you're going to get tired within a couple of hours on the course and will need to refuel.

Bananas are good for you

We rectify this with the right diet and the correct food during our regular pit stops (even on the move) to keep up our energy levels up.

It depends on how serious or dedicated you want to be but your diet should be a balanced one and should mainly consist of carbohydrates with moderate protein and a small amount of fat. It's good to eat a wide variety of foods, as this will provide you with the different nutrients needed.

Let's look at what's good for golfers…

Carbohydrates - including bread, cereal, pasta, potatoes, rice, fruit, vegetables and low fat dairy products such as yoghurts and flavoured milks.

Protein - in your diet should come from lean meat, chicken, fish, eggs, bread, cereals and low fat dairy products.

As for fat - we all know how good chips, cakes, biscuits, pies, pastries, fry-ups and take-aways taste but we should keep them to a minimum to avoid the risk of heart disease and weight gain.

Fluids are important too, but the right kind.

Plenty of water is vital during a round of golf, especially on hot days, and preferably a carbohydrate drink (fruit juice or soft drink). Some of us will take a flask of tee or coffee or even a nip of whisky or brandy from a hip flask. None are recommended as all act as a diuretic and increase urinary fluid loss. In turn this can dehydrate your body and result in even greater energy loss.

Here are my tips to eat and drink your way to better scores

*Consume a high carbohydrate-based meal before a competition, for example a choice of chicken/pasta, baked potato/tuna, rice/vegetables

*Take good carbohydrate provisions onto the course, including sports drink, water, at least two bananas, an apple and cereal bar.

Don't…

*Eat pre-round fry-ups, curries or fish and chips - they full of fat.

*drink beer or spirits, tea or coffee, before or during your round.

*Munch chocolate bars or sweets. While they contain short-term energy through their sugar content, they will only give you a quick buzz and drain more energy from your body than when you started.

And as for the 19th hole or spike bar…

It's a nutritionist's nightmare! There's little harm in having a beer as a comfort while analysing your round but don't use alcohol as fluid replacement. It interferes with the recovery of the body's carbohydrates stores. Make sure you're fully hydrated with fruit or energy drinks before downing the booze.

Without wanting to appear a Kiljoy, there's more to golf than hitting a ball. Give yourself the best possible chance of playing well and playing to your potential by heeding your dietary mentors.

After all, as a golfer, you are what you eat - and drink!

For more information visit www.premiersportsnutrition.com