For best competition performance on the golf course, maintaining proper nutrition is very important. Theres no one specific food or diet that will fit every golfers needs. A golfers nutrition plan should be individualized to meet the needs of training and competition or recreational play. Since carbohydrates are the primary fuel for performance related activities, they should be the primary consideration of a golfers diet.

Listed below is a breakdown of the amounts of food sources a golfer should have to maintain optimal performance on the course.

20-30% of daily calories from proteins.

20-25% of daily calories from fats.

50-60% of daily calories from carbohydrates.

These ranges leave you some room to create the ratio that works best for you. Here are some common ratios. They are listed in the order of carbohydrates, protein, then fat: 50-30-20, 55-25-20, 60-20-20. Each of these combinations promotes balance, while favoring carbohydrates to promote better energy. Whether eating for weight loss or to improve performance, here are 3 rules to follow which will guide you to a greater level of success.

1. Eat 5 to 6 small meals throughout the day.

2. Eat every couple of hours to increase your metabolism and keep energy levels constant.

3. Eat well balanced meals containing some carbohydrates, proteins and fat.

Other healthy eating tips include drinking plenty of water, taking a daily multi vitamin/mineral, limiting or eliminating alcohol from your diet and choosing whole, unrefined grain products over highly processed options. Sweat losses may be considerable especially when tournaments are played in hot and humid conditions. While you can always pick up drinks or snacks on the course, they may be at lengthy intervals and not allow sufficient opportunity for fluid replacement during a round.

Since players will usually miss a meal while playing a round, they may be faced with no carbohydrate intake for five or six hours. Combined with exercise and nervous stress, this situation may cause a drop in blood-sugar levels in susceptible individuals affecting brain function and skill. Packing a small snack in your golf bag will help to prevent this problem.

Susan Hill

Susan Hill is the President of Fitness for Golf, a website dedicated to helping golfers improve through golf specific programs.

Susan has earned national certifications as a fitness trainer with several organizations including the National Academy of Sports Medicine, the International Sports Science Association, and the American Council on Exercise. She currently trains golfers of all levels at the Sunriver Resort, a top U.S. golf destination resort in Sunriver, Oregon.

As a Chek certified Golf Biomechanic and Sports Performance Nutritionist, she is now among an elite group of golf fitness experts nationwide. Susan has worked with hundreds of golfers ranging in skills from beginners just taking up the game of golf to collegiate, amateur and tour players looking for a more competitive edge.

She is a contributing writer to Golf Illustrated, a guest speaker at private and public golf clubs, and a published writer on topics of health, fitness and golf. She was selected as one of the top three trainers as the Trainer of the Year 2003, having been chosen among over 85,000 trainers across the country.

Her work has also been featured in SELF magazine and on ESPN radio.