The REAL golf water hazard isn’t the infamous pond guarding your par three, but rather… DEHYDRATION.
Proper nutrition is fundamental to your health and performance on the golf course. Although many golfers may regulate their food, they may pay little attention to their body’s fluid needs. They often misunderstand and, as a result, underplay the importance of water to good nutrition and optimum performance.
Through normal perspiration, respiration, and urination, your body can lose up to half a gallon of water a day. On a hot and humid day, you could lose up to 2 quarts of sweat (3-6 pounds of body weight) during a single round! To replenish fluids properly, the body’s digestive system can only absorb about 1 quart of fluid per hour, so it is imperative to drink fluids at regular intervals before, during, and after exercise and golf (rounds or practice).
Since water is considered the single most important nutrient needed by athletes, maintaining proper hydration is absolutely essential. Golf is typically played in the heat of summer, so making sure you have you have plenty of water on the course will help you eliminate several potential problems associated with dehydration.
• Dehydration can result in memory lapse, lightheadedness, difficulty breathing and headaches.
• Golfers need to rely on water to ensure that their mental capacity is at an optimal level. A lack of water short-circuits the brain.
• Excess water loss through perspiration if not replenished will speed up physical fatigue.
• Water with added electrolytes can also a good choice. Be wary of sports drinks with sugar and artificial sweeteners added, as they will give you a quick boost of energy (simple carb) but cause you to “crash” within an hour. Our simple solution is to add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt to each bottle of water.
• Water is essential in maintaining strong and healthy muscles. Our muscles are over 60 per cent water; so proper fluid replenishing is vital.
• Hydration helps to maintain constant body temperatures by providing perspiration for cooling and blood circulation for warming.
• Water helps to lubricate and cushion the joints and tissues of the body.
Many golfers wait until they are thirsty to take a quick drink from the water bottle – This is too late.
Besides quenching our thirst, water transports the valuable nutrients that encourage our muscles to keep working and to continue the combustion of glycogen in our bodies.
At 1% dehydration, a golfer’s body temperature is increased.
At 3%, performance is impaired.
H2O Recommendations
Drink at least 50% of your bodyweight in ounces per day i.e. you weigh 200 pounds, then drink 100 ounces of water a day.
You should have a large glass of water prior to starting your round, and constantly replenish your stores every two to three holes.
If you don’t make sure your water consumption is maintained, concentration and overall mental function is compromised.
In other words, you might suck… when you don’t have to.
Don’t suck… just drink some water!
Avoid the real golf water hazard… And get after Old Man Par!
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Great advice here. Golfers often wonder why they “crash” over the last 4 or 5 holes (esp. here in Australia), and it would more often than not be due to lack of water intake. Instead of sports drinks, just add a teaspoon of salt, a couple of teaspoons of sugar and a dash of lime cordial to a litre of water.