Eating Healthy on your Golf Trip

Just because you’re on vacation, doesn’t mean that your diet should be, too. As what you eat determines your performance, you’ll need to have a solid diet plan when you’re going on a golf trip.

More than just about improving your health in general, proper nutrition can help boost your golf performance. It’s a no-brainer. Eating healthy means your mind stays sharp enough to make tough decisions, and you have sufficient energy to play all 18 holes.

So before you grab that bag of chips for a quick energy boost, read on to know what you should be munching on your golf vacation:

Eat or drink

• Water – Chugging down at least 8 glasses of water daily can help you keep hydrated, especially when you’re teeing off under the heat of the sun. Loss of water can lead to dehydration, which can affect your performance and physiology.

• Small frequent meals – Spreading out your meals throughout the day allows you to replenish your energy levels without bogging you down post meal. Experts recommend 5-6 small meals instead of the usual 3 big meals.

• The power combo – Your meals must consist of the right amount of carbohydrates, proteins and fats in order for you to have enough energy to finish all 18 holes. This trio also ensures that you are getting the right nutrients into your body.

• A healthy snack. Forget chips. Go for snacks that are jam packed with fiber and other nutrients for a healthy digestion and lots of energy to finish the course. Go for fruits or a bag of nuts for a quick mood and energy booster, and you’re all set for a good match.

Avoid

• Alcohol and caffeine. Take it easy on the alcohol and caffeine. Both are diuretics and can cause dehydration. In addition, they can also affect your performance. Caffeine can over stimulate your mind and muscles, thus making your performance less controlled, while alcohol is on the other side of the spectrum. Too much of it, and you’ll suffer loss of coordination.

• Food rich in sugar. Sugar-based food will only give you a quick jolt of energy, but once blood sugar rapidly plummets after a temporary high, you’ll be on an express train to exhaustion.

• Binging 2 hours before tee time. When you have food in your digestive tract, blood gets diverted away from your brain and muscle, which explains why you feel lethargic after a heavy meal. This is another reason why you need to spread out your meals to 5 small ones instead of 3 big ones. But with that said, you must also avoid;

• Skipping meals. Playing on an empty stomach is just as bad as teeing off on a full one. You’ll need a steady release of energy to get you through the long play. Going for small meals fuels you throughout the day without slowing down your metabolism (and yourself) and prevents sugar highs and lows.

It is important to note that your brain consumes 20% of the calories your take in. And if you’re fuelling your brain (and body) with the right type of food, you’ll be able to think on your toes all throughout the 18 holes.

Stay healthy. Have a great golf trip!

Now Trending: Night Golf

Have you ever wanted to swing your clubs at one of your favorite golf vacation destination only to back out because of the scorching heat from the sun? Did you ever wish it was a bit darker so you can comfortably move from one hole to another without much sweat? Here’s good news! While most golf areas operate during the day, some destinations now feature night golf tournaments.

Night golf utilizes the same standard golf rules and procedures, but typically use lighted golf balls and glow-in-the-dark sticks to mark pins. This way, equipment and accessories remain visible throughout the game. Players use golf balls that are the same weight as regular ones but these types don’t go quite as far.

Night golf is a lot of fun because players can actually see the lighted ball as it take off, unlike regular daytime golf sessions when balls tend to disappear because they blend with the sky. With lighted balls, players and spectators get to see when the ball actually reaches its destination. This type of game is also known to improve focus – a vital characteristic required of every golfer. 

If you are planning your next golf vacation and would rather stay out of the glaring sun, consider a night golf escapade. Invite your family and friends for a fun game under a canopy of stars.

Golf Terminology: Understanding Overseeding

In a previous or recent golf trip you might encounter courses that are closed or offer green fees because of the disruption caused by overseeding. This might have you wondering, what exactly is overseeding?

Overseeding refers to the maintenance on golf courses, wherein grass seeds are spread on top of the existing grass to promote new growth or to swap out seasonal turfs, replacing one type of grass with another.

Usually this is commonly done on courses that are made up of Bermuda grass, which goes dormant during winter months. In the fall, Bermuda grass is overseeded with ryegrass seed. In spring, the process is reversed. Ryegrass is overseeded with Bermuda grass, thus switching the course's turf back.

This process is considered one of the manifestations of modern golf course care, and most customers really prefer to have their golf vacation on green courses. This is one of the reasons why overseeding is performed in order to prevent the browning of Bermuda grass, and maintaining the greenness of the course throughout the year. This process is evidently used by courses in the Southwest to cater to the need of golf enthusiasts from the north.

However, there have been issues raised along the way, such as its impact on play, costs, water usage and chemical removal of the ryegrass because of its tendency to hang on too long in the Southwest.

For those who choose not to overseed, they are faced with variety challenges. Without overseeding, turf conditions are not improved during the winter. Courses face compaction due to the player and golf cart traffic.

However, they have their reasons for not overseeding. First, they can conserve water since dormant Bermuda grass uses far less water than overseeded ryegrass. Second, plays in the fall are uninterrupted since they do not have to overseed. Third, it is easier to control weed on dormant bermudagrass. Fourth, they sustain a stronger strand of warm season grasses. Lastly, the cost of maintaining it is lower compared to courses that undergone overseeding.

Nonetheless, golfers complain for the lack of green color of dormant Bermuda grass; worn areas, especially high traffic zones; and slow recovery from divot damage.

So which golf course do you think will give you the best golf trip experience:  Overseeded courses, or those that rely on older methods? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section below.

The Pros of Educating Kids about Golf Vacation

Consider the scenario of telling your kids your next vacation isn't just any other trip, but a golf vacation!... The enthusiasm might not be mutual. But there are also families that share their passion for the sport and even make these outings an annual event. If you are a part of one of those families, you can probably see how these experiences correlate to more than just golf and more than just a vacation. For those of you who are still a little skeptical of the notion, here are the obvious reasons why it's worth it:

Strong bonding

The best thing about sharing this personal interest with children is that it has the strong potential to strengthen parent-child rapport. To some kids, it might be the place mom or dad used to go enjoy time with their friends for a few days. But to a golf-loving child, it could be the one place where you and your child are most comfortable together.

Sportsmanship

Sportsmanship is a good virtue to impart at the very young age. By the time they reach teenage years, they won’t be too culture-shocked with old school concepts like “honor” and “respect” (the latter proves to become more ironic these days). Kids may not often take losing too kindly but the wisdom to gain that virtue often comes with age.

Educating precision

It may be a little too early for children to comprehend the idea of precision. However, allowing them to get used to the ways of this precision sport is a better idea when done a little too early. Adults may be excellent imitators, but science and common knowledge have proven that they fall a little too short on reflexes and muscle memory. Adults are more into the “why we do it” basis than how it is really being done. This is the very reason why martial arts experts encourage learning new things as early as possible. If the child gets used to swinging the golf club even without fully knowing the principles, he or she might have a shorter learning curve later on.


A family golf trip is guaranteed to be enjoyable for all parties involved!