The climate plays a major role in the outcome of our golf game, from wind and rain to the dry summers and hardening golf courses, but there is a part of the game which is climate driven that we overlook and that is nutrition. Professionals and elite players have known this for years and adjust their intake of fluids and food accordingly, but amateur golfers generally throw a bottle of water in the bag and head to the course, perhaps with a banana or a sandwich to eat halfway through, but being properly prepared will have its benefits.
I live in a climate that is generally warm year-round with temperatures reaching 40º in the summer months, and as a result I have to alter my fluid intake and habits to avoid getting heat or sunstroke. In the winter we are blessed with sun most days and although it can be windy, temperatures rarely drop below 7º and my fluid intake and nutrition must reflect this. I played at the weekend and the group that I was playing with was unprepared for the heat, and began to suffer on the 6th hole. They had packed water, but it was warm and they had no food with them. I will return to the beginning of the round, it was 33º already and not cloud in the sky, I had warmed up with a bucket of balls and 15 minutes of putting. Before starting I drank a small bottle of cold water, and munched my way through a homemade muesli bar. My playing partners asked if I had forgotten breakfast which I hadn´t, but I knew that the warm up had dehydrated me, and due to the heat, I would require nutritional sustenance before beginning my round. As I said, on the 6th two of the players were beginning to struggle, and complained of already feeling tired due to the heat, by this time I had drank another half-litre of cold water and a half-litre of an isotonic drink, compared to nothing. I mentioned that they should be drinking a little after every shot, they seemed surprised by this, but after chugging down almost a litre of water on the 6th tee, they began to feel better by the 9th. When we finished I jokingly asked if anyone wanted to play another 18, as the weather was fantastic and the course was empty, but I had no takers, all three players were exhausted mainly due to the heat, but looking back they drank a maximum of 5 litres of fluids between them and none had eaten anything. I on the other hand had drank 2 litres of water, which was still cool in my thermal cool bag, and a further 2 litres of isotonic drink, coupled with a sandwich and 4 muesli bars, suffice to say I was the player that played well and maintained my level throughout the round.
Golfers are concerned with playing the game to the best of their ability but without the proper nutrition and fluid intake this is impossible to achieve. If you drink water on the course, you must adjust the amount in accordance with the climate, you must be prepared for the conditions that you are going to face. Dehydration directly affects your ability and performance.
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