No Golf Food Cart Around? Energy Bars To Power Up! Nutrition Fuels Performance
- Details
- Category: Inside Golf
- Published: 2021-05-03
By DR. BARRY LOTZ, Inside Golf
Critical to your performance, on or off the golf course, is the fueling of your body. In playing golf, you need to perform your best or suffer the consequences.
Due to the fact that a golf round takes such a long time, it’s important to eat and drink during the duration of the round. What you eat in the morning, or before you start playing, simply doesn’t last the whole round, and, therefore, you have to refuel the body to maintain your ability to perform in the later part of the round.
You absolutely need to drink as much water as possible, especially if you play desert golf courses. A study that was posted on the TPI website indicates that a golfer hits it 12% shorter and 93% less accurate when just mildly dehydrated.
Keeping your blood sugar even-keeled is the critical goal. I know from personal experience, in fact, it was how I found out that I had Type II Diabetes!
The spikes and drops that come with fluctuating sugar levels are what can cause fainting, mood, energy, focus and scoring issues.
An energy bar is a lifesaver, easy to find, and the best energy bars are those that tend to have the least amount of bad ingredients in them. These types of bars are simply made from real food, and not lots of sugar.
When purchasing energy bars, you must check out both the nutrition label and the ingredient list. What you are looking for are the ingredient lists that have whole, real foods like nuts, seeds, fruits, and spices. The order in which the ingredient list is written reflects the abundance of the ingredient in the product.
Bars should be selected with at least 3 to 5 grams of protein and at least 5 grams of fiber to stay fuller longer. Choosing products with less than 15 grams of sugar are ideal. And preferable are those bars sweetened with natural sugars from dried fruits, like dates.
Of all the bars we tasted and tested, the leader of the pack was 1st Tee’s range of products developed by SCNS Sports Food.
1st Tee’s mantra, “We provide great-tasting "better for you" products to help active people and golfers sustain energy and perform at their best. Stated simply, we blend nutritional science with great taste because we understand the direct link between nutrition, energy and performance. What makes us different is our core belief that "better for you" foods have to taste great.”
1st Tee Bars are also great to have in your vehicle for when the hunger monster strikes. They are so satisfying and the perfect on the course snack!
Our testing group loved the two varieties offered by 1ST Tee – the 1St Tee Plus+ Bar that allows you to start the round calm and focused. Chamomile, hops and valerian root is deliciously blended into every 1St Tee Plus+ Bar to boost calmness and focus, and then the 10th Tee Plus+ Bar to finish strong and energized (10th Tee Plus+ Bars have protein, green tea and Panax ginseng extract to sustain energy for any activity).
As for flavors, you can pick from Chocolate Peanut Caramel, Peanut Honey, Chocolate Chip Trail Mix, Oatmeal Raisin, and a Dark Chocolate Caramel (High Protein Bar).
1st Tee’s USP is that these bars were developed for golfers, as opposed to other energy bar makers who basically have a single product that is for general consumption.
Other bars that are non-golf specific brand energy bars are available such as: GoMacro Bars, Beachbars, and RXBAR.
1st Tee’s bars usually sell for $2.99 each. Amazon is a great source or visit golfenergybar.com.
New to 1St Tee’s product line is Beef Jerky.
$29.99 (8 x 1.5 oz-bags per box)
Where I hail from, South Africa, jerky is known as Biltong. In South Africa, biltong comes in all types of game flavors; think Ostrich, Kudu, Springbok, and Wildebeest, to name a few. For me personally, the Kudu and Ostrich biltong, are incomparable to ANY (beef) Jerky offered in the US, present company excluded!
Without any fear of contradiction, 1st Tee’s Jerky is the BEST of any jerky product currently on the market.
We tested many Jerky products currently available in the market place. Our testing group found that 1st Tee’s Jerky product to be superior in taste and nutritional value. There are no artificial ingredients in 1st Tee Beef Jerky products-just delicious, satisfying taste.
Biltong differs from jerky in three distinct ways:
The meat used in biltong is often much thicker due to the slower drying time in dry air conditions; typically biltong meat is cut in strips approximately 1" (25 mm) wide – but can be thicker. Jerky is normally very thin meat.
The vinegar, salt and spices in biltong, together with the drying process, cure the meat as well as adding texture and flavor. Jerky is traditionally dried with salt but without vinegar.
Jerky is often smoked; biltong is rarely smoked.
Biltong normally does not contain any sugar additives, while jerky most of the time has these additives.
To make biltong, you need cold, dry air to dry out the biltong much more effectively, and in the best possible food safety environment. Think cold winters of the South African Highveld.
If you really want excellent beef biltong made here in the US, in either lean or regular, I highly recommend Perky’s biltong (photo), sliced or uncut. It is as close to the real South African biltong as you can get. Graham Perkett, the South African proprietor, excels in all South African favorites.
Their Droewors (dried sausage) and Boerewors (house made sausage), is amazing!
Visit him at www.perkysfoods.com.
About the Writer
Barry Lotz, J.D., Ph.D. is the director of the Professional Golf Teachers Association of America. He is a member of the Golf Writers Association of America, the California Golf Writers Association, and serves both as a Consultant and Mediator to the golf industry.
He is also the author of numerous books, including “333 Best Web Sites for Golfers” and “How to Build Business Relationships Through Golf,” which is in the Top Ten Golf Business Book’s best seller list. His latest book, “The Right Mind for Golf,” is now in its 10th printing.
He currently works with 14 Tour Players on mental coaching and scoring techniques.
He can be reached at www.pgtaa.com or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..