TERRE HAUTE — How many times have you played a pretty decent front nine, took a break for a snack at the half way house, and found that when you resumed play you weren’t the same golfer that was on the course fifteen minutes before? Or maybe you only took the time to get a soda at the turn, and four holes later you’re flailing away like you’ve never had a golf club in your hand.
Maybe you haven’t noticed that extreme of a difference, but you might notice that the two nines differed in score. You could write it off to one nine being tougher than the other, or maybe you caught up to a slow foursome and had to wait on every shot, but it’s quite possible that the reason had to do with something you ate at the turn.
Golf has many extraneous forces that we have no control over: the layout of the course, the wind, the weather, the foursome ahead, or maybe a playing partner. We should at least pay attention to a part of the game that we can control, nutrition.
The problem is that most people, other than knowing what tastes good to them, don’t know what foods are good for them. Golfers need to know how food affects them because they are on the course often for four hours or more. A body needs nutrition and hydration in order to have energy and concentration for that length of time. For golfers, this specifically means carbohydrates and proteins.
Many people have tried a low-carb diet, which is high in fats and proteins. This is not the right diet if you’re a golfer (or any other kind of athlete, for that matter). Carbohydrates are the main fuels used in golf, and the luckily the ones that make up a base of the healthy food pyramid that you’ve always heard about. Being the base, that means you need the most of these foods. Carbohydrates are easily converted to energy, and they increase endurance and decrease fatigue. They’re also needed for your brain to function well. It’s hard enough to concentrate for eighteen holes of golf, make sure your brain has the nutrients it needs to function.
Carbohydrates also help to prevent dehydration, which makes them the perfect foods for golf. However, there are two kinds of carbohydrates: unrefined and refined, and they differ greatly on how they affect our performance on the course. Refined carbohydrates are the cookies and candies and soft drinks that we all crave. The problem with refined carbohydrates is that the energy they give is only a quick fix, causing blood sugar to spike high, and then plummet, leaving you more tired and hungry than before. Unrefined carbohydrates, which are fruits and vegetables, breads, rice, cereal and pasta, are better for you because their energy is stored and released over a long period of time.
Proteins are needed for building and repairing tissue but there’s a limit to how much a body can use in a day. Eating more protein than you can use will cause it to be stored as fat. The amount of protein a body can use in a day depends on size and amount of exercise, but somewhere between 70 and 150 grams is all that’s needed. A packet of honey-roasted peanuts has 10 grams of protein, and 250 calories.
When I golf, I like to take peanut butter crackers with me. They get me over any hunger pangs without weighing me down, and they’re easy to put in my bag. I don’t have to eat them all at once either, so one packet of six crackers can last for 18 holes (unless my son is with me, then they last about two holes!). Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam eat bananas when they play golf. They’re full of carbs and potassium. A peanut butter and banana sandwich before a round of golf is another way to get carbs, protein and potassium.
Energy bars are a good choice also, but I’d recommend staying away from the chocolate-covered ones! They’re a messy choice on a hot, sunny day! If candy bars are my only option at a snack shack, I’ll opt for a Payday bar, which is full of nuts, but not covered in chocolate!
Granola bars might be a better choice. There are so many kinds of Granola bars now, there’s got to be one for every taste. My family likes the Nature Valley Chewy Granola with strawberry yogurt flavoring. They have 140 calories, with 26 grams of carbohydrates and 2 grams of protein. I also like the Nature Valley Trail Mix bars, which have nuts, dates and raisins in them.
Try to eat some cereal or bread before a round of golf to give yourself a good head start, along with plenty of water. Then during the round, snack on peanut butter crackers, granola, fruit or nuts, and try to save that next meal until after your round is over. You’ll take less time, and you play better too.
Vigo County Golf Leagues
Elks Ladies 18-hole — Debbie Brown and Betty Cox tied for play-of-the-day honors. Cox had low gross. Chips-ins: Terry Mahalek (No. 16), Carolyn Sweeting (No. 7).
Rea Park First Financial Ladies 9-hole scramble — April 24 results: VFW No. 1 39, Bratt Animal Hospital 42, Shepard’s Gas, Elliott Jewelers and VFW No. 2 43, Baesler’s 44.
Men’s Senior — Results of April 24. First place: Dew Drop Inn (Lloyd Boston, Ed Bard, Sam Lindsay, Jim Lindsay, Joe Adcox). Second place: Old National Trust (Bill O’Rear, Dennis Hays, Walt Nash, Joe Brewer, John Beecher). Hole-in-one: Charlie Kendall (No. 7). Longest drive: Jim Lindsay. Longest putt: Gordon Geckeler.
Terre Haute Savings Bank Senior Men’s — National League standings: Bush Restaurant 55, Bogey’s Family Fun Center 51, Pizza Hut 45, Lough Bros. and Paitson Bros. 43, Terre Haute Savings Bank 39, McGuire Excavating 37, SMC 33. Low gross: Jim Gormong 40. Low net: Seibert Thomas 34. American League standings: Heinl’s Flower Shop 50, Gurman Containers 47, Salt of the Earth 44, Poplar Flower Shop 44, Pabst Painting 44, VFW No. 972 41, Callahan Funeral Home 38, Lee Appraisal Service 32. Low gross: Don cook 39. Low net: Chuck Heinz 33.
On & Off the Course
On and Off the Course: Golfers need to know how food affects them
- On & Off the Course
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Death Notice: Feb. 7, 2013
• Gary R. Wright
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Donna Lynn Strahla Bown
Donna Lynn Strahla Bown passed away early Friday morning, Jan. 25, 2013, with her children by her side.
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‘The Match’ pitting amateurs vs. pros recalled 62 years later
Quote of the Day: “I play golf with friends sometimes, but there are never friendly games.” — Ben Hogan.
Bubba Watson has had a busy fall. Not only did he play all the way to the final round of the FedEx Championships, and in the Ryder Cup, he also played in an event commemorating a very famous match played at Cypress Point in 1956, pitting two of the greatest golf pros at the time against two of the best amateurs.
Come to think of it, all four were some of the best golfers of all time. This year’s event was celebrating The First Tee’s exceeding $100 million in pledges to reach 10 million new young people. It wasn’t televised and kept very quiet; only 225 people were in the gallery.
One of the people in the gallery was Mark Frost, the author of a book titled “The Match,” which is about that match played 62 years ago that was re-enacted in modern terms last week. The pros in 1956 were Ben Hogan and Byron Nelson and the amateurs were Ken Venturi and Harvie Ward. It was supposed to have been a private affair, built around a wager by two millionaires, George Coleman and Eddie Lowery. -
ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf from the wrong side of the brain
Imagine this scenario: a woman, small in stature (possibly freckled), walks into a hospital emergency room and says, “I have an emergency, I need a doctor quickly!” The admitting nurse, ever trying to be helpful, asks what the emergency is.
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Farmers looking at widely varying yields
Combines will roll through fields this weekend, bringing in the harvest from a summer with nearly no rain.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf debut in London would have been nice
As the Olympics get underway in London this weekend, I was thinking it’s too bad that the Olympic committee decided too late to add golf as one of the sports for this event; instead it will be added to the 2016 Olympics in Rio De Janeiro.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Getting to Hoosier country’s best golfing venue part of the fun
If you are looking for Indiana’s premier golfing destination, then you should look no further than French Lick.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Indiana's Pete Dye courses worth the drive
You’ve probably heard of the Robert Trent Jones Golf trail throughout Alabama, but you might not be aware that Indiana has its own “Pete Dye Golf Trail” comprised of seven courses.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fathers typically a big influence on golfing sons
Some events fall naturally into place around holidays. The Fourth of July always falls somewhere during Wimbledon, giving all of the Yanks in attendance something to be boisterous about, to the chagrin of their hosts; The Masters often, but not always, ends on Easter Sunday, which is fitting since golfers find it such a reverent occasion.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Memorial just one of many visions of Jack Nicklaus
When Jack Nicklaus was a young man, the golfer he most admired was Bob Jones.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: With some tricky rules, golf is not a walk in the park
Golf is not a casual sport, even though it has a term called “casual water.”
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On and off the course: Sycamores seeded sixth heading into MVC golf tourney
It wasn’t too long ago that Indiana State University didn’t even have a women’s golf team.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: A hard ticket to come by
This is the weekend of the Masters Tournament, the first of the four major tournaments.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Some things on golf course are worse than steep putts
It’s not often that anything gets more scary on a golf course than a steep downhill putt, but on some courses around the world, things a little more on the supernatural side might give you a bigger fright!
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The shot heard round the world
I don’t know if the Golf Channel will show a “Best Shots of 2011” highlight reel, much like ESPN does for baseball or football.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Red, White and Blue visits the Isle of Green
In 2006, the Ryder Cup was held in Ireland at The K Club in County Kildare.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Fall may be coming but golf season is far from over
Once the major tournaments are over with, what’s there to look forward to in the world of golf?
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Golf… simplified!
Golf is not a simple game. A golf course is made up of 18 holes, all different. There are par-3s, par-4s and par-5s; they all vary in length and elevation, and each has its own challenges. There can be water hazards, trees, sand bunkers, tall grass, hills, valleys — and then, if that’s not enough, there’s probably wind too.
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On and Off the Course: Northern Ireland builds on golf history
Northern Ireland is only about 5,452 square miles in area and has a population about the same as West Virginia, which is about 1,880,344.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Women’s Open at the Broadmoor
This is the weekend of the U.S. Women’s Open, and this year it’s being played at The Broadmoor, East Course, in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: The Fort Golf Course: A Walk in the Park…
Indiana has some pretty spectacular state parks, but one of them gives you the ability to “spoil a good walk” by chasing a little white ball.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Father’s Day is a good day for golfers
Most people consider the time around Christmas to be the gift-buying season.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Playing with lead a difficult task
As exciting as last week’s Masters was, with six players being tied for the lead at one point on Sunday, it was very difficult watching Rory McIlroy fall apart to shoot an 80.
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ON AND OFF THE COURSE: Masters a rite of spring
This is Masters weekend, the grand kickoff to the golf season for a lot of golfers. Sure, there have been tournaments on TV, because the professionals have been playing in Hawaii, California, Texas, Dubai, and other areas not so affected by winter as we are here in the Midwest, but to me, watching The Masters is a rite of spring.
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ON THE OFF THE COURSE: Some history on the Ryder Cup
I fell asleep in way too many history classes to ever qualify as a history buff. However, since I have grown up a bit (not much), I enjoy learning about all kinds of history. I often have questions about how something began, or how something came to be.
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On and Off the Course: Purdue's Kampen Course a gem in Indiana's rough
About a month ago, Indiana was still heavily mired in heat and humidity, making outdoor activities such as golf less appealing than usual. At that time it felt like the repressive heat would never go away, it would never rain again, and all of the grass was just going to continue to wither and die. And the month prior to that we kept getting rained out of golf events!
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On and Off the Course: Successful golfers know ... focus is the key
I have a good friend who coached his daughter’s basketball team for a number of years, and told me that his theme with the girls was always “focus”, until it was ingrained in their brains. Now when they play high school ball, if they hear “focus” yelled from the stands, they know the source.
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On and Off the Course: Technology adds even more fun to the course
You’ve hit a drive into some brush in an area marked as a hazard, but you can’t find the ball to prove it is there. And no one actually witnessed it go in the hazard. You just think that’s where it probably is. What is the rule for this situation?
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On and Off the Course: Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic a worthwhile charity event
On Monday, I worked as a volunteer for the Anthony Gonzalez First Tee Classic, Golf Tournament and Auction at Eagle Creek Golf Course in Indianapolis. It was an absolutely beautiful day, with clear blue skies, just a few wispy clouds here and there and a high temperature of about 76 degrees.
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On and Off the Course: Trends show golf in decline
You don’t have to watch the news or read the paper to understand that America is struggling on the economic front. The evidence can be witnessed at the local golf course.
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