Golf and Caffeine Don’t Mix

January 6, 2008

Drinking coffee is not the way to start a round of golf.

If you need a hot cup of coffee, or better yet, a hot cup of coffee with six creams and six sugars, just to function each morning, this post is for you.

Drinking caffeine before a round of golf is a very bad idea. The surge of energy it provides in the short term makes all the more difficult to judge speed on the greens. Less obvious but just as important, caffeine can make you lunge from the top and ruin your tempo in your golf swing. And rushing through shot-making decisions just to satisfy the urge to swing at something isn’t very helpful either. So if you drink coffee before a round of golf and suffer from hooks, shanks, yips, or poor course management, try playing one morning without the cup of joe.

But why stop at coffee. Or even caffeine. There are countless other things that you can put in your body to worsen your golf game. Sugar is the number one culprit, because it is found in so many things. It would sicken most of you to find out how much sugar is actually in a twelve ounce soda. Both the initial sugar rush and the crash are not conducive to low scores.

Fatty, greasy foods make you feel tired and sluggish. That beer at the turn isn’t making your eye-hand coordination any better. And those potato chips you stuffed in your golf bag are draining your body of precious liquids.

Before a round, try eating foods with complex sugars, such as vegetables or whole grains (simple sugars, such as in yogurt or honey, contain very little nutrients). And if you really want to beat your golfing buddies, substitute that beer at the turn with a large bottle of water.

Written by John at 3:00 pm. Fitness