One 2001 TV broadcast of This is the PGA Tour in the US noted that, in the past, “\u2019golfer\u2019 and \u2018athlete\u2019 were rarely mentioned in the same breath\u201d. Times change, however. \u201cOn today’s PGA Tour, they are one and the same. Players are concentrating more on their health, nutrition and mental game.\u201d
\nThe programme asked the question, \u201cHow many players can reach the benchmark Tiger Woods has set?\u201d For many, the answer is \u201cnone\u201d – at least this generation – but that doesn\u2019t mean the Garcias, Duvals, Westwoods and Scotts are not trying. Equally, Woods\u2019 benchmark is a worthy model for amateur golfers to heed – if not to aspire to realistically.<\/p>\n
For Dr Pernille Knudtzon, a Danish GP specialising in nutrition and acupuncture, Woods is \u201can example of how relaxed and concentrated you can be on the course, the result of a good diet and lifestyle\u201d.
\nThe key, especially important for golfers and other sportspeople, is \u201cbaseline food\u201d: i.e. pure proteins, fats, specific carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals. If these are present in sufficient quantities in a golfer\u2019s diet, he or she can then, like Woods, indulge in the occasional hamburger.
\n\u201cIf you have good baseline food, you can play for four, five or six hours, but you still have to eat something after three hours and also drink water throughout the round – though not too much because your body won\u2019t feel right.\u201d
\nShe notes that golf is different to other sports such as tennis and short-distance athletics because it involves varying paces of exercise.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe thing about golf is you walk a long distance, stop, concentrate, hit the ball, walk another long distance, etc. To be a good golfer you have to be in control of every muscle fibre of your body: \u2018slow\u2019 (red) for replenishing oxygen on the walks between shots; and \u2018fast\u2019 (white) for quicker movements such as hitting the ball.
\n\u201cIf you are not in shape you will overuse the muscles and cause a build up of acid, which is very common in sport, so the key elements are training and supply.\u201d
\n\u201cSupply\u201d depends on a variety of factors.
\n\u201cIf you are going to be out on the course for five hours, you don\u2019t want to start with fast carbohydrates such as chocolate and sweets,\u201d says Dr Knudtzon. \u201cIf you only eat a chocolate or candy bar, for a \u2018quick fix\u2019, the blood sugar level will rise too quickly, and drop just as quickly, and you will crave for more and become worn out. You have to maintain a consistent level of supply.\u201d However, if you are in a \u201cstress situation\u201d or having to \u201cpeak perform\u201d – for example, on the final hole – go for it; it\u2019s okay to have fast carbohydrates.\u201d
\n\u201cMedium-fast\u201d foods such as bananas are particularly popular with golfers, because they are a fruit, are not too heavy and \u201cgive the feeling of having something in the stomach\u201d. Though a \u201cfaster\u201d food, oranges are also recommended because they have the dual benefit of being a liquid. And calcium, phosphorous, magnesium are ideal for improving concentration. (The slower carbohydrates include bread and vegetables such as carrots, potatoes, onions and beans.)<\/p>\n
Not surprisingly, Dr Knudtzon advises against a heavy breakfast or meal before heading out on to the course. \u201cThe blood will go to the stomach and you will need time to relax and let the blood go to the head (for concentration) and the legs.\u201d<\/p>\n
She recommends a light snack for breakfast: yoghurt, juice, perhaps a tiny amount of bacon and scrambled eggs or a boiled egg – which provides protein for hours. \u201cIt really depends on what you normally eat – if anything – for breakfast.
\n\u201cHaving only a coffee for breakfast is like kick-starting an engine and expecting it to run without fuel. Coffee stimulates metabolism and, if there is no food to digest, the body will become stressed, especially the liver and blood sugar system.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Knudtzon warns that inadequate diets are causing potential health problems among the young. \u201cDiabetes type 2 used to be restricted to heavy drinkers and overweight people in their 40s and 50s: now it is affecting teenagers, including Europeans.\u201d<\/p>\n
She says the \u201cMediterranean diet\u201d is still highly recommended but notes that it is invariably accompanied by Coke and chips, white bread and too much fried food (for example, fried fish and chips). \u201cTo be a true, original Mediterranean diet it should comprise fish a la plancha (grilled), fresh vegetables, fruit – and olive oil on salads, not used for frying. Again, food metabolism depends on physical activity: if you are a heavy manual worker you can metabolise and remove the energy from the fat: if you are sitting down at a computer all day, you can\u2019t burn it up.\u201d
\nDr Knudtzon suggests that \u201cserious\u201d golfers take a blood test to determine their levels of minerals, red blood cells (for oxygen), proteins (for muscles), fats, etc. – then have their doctor prepare a taylor-made diet.
\nIt won\u2019t turn them into a Tiger Woods, but it might shave a stroke or two off their handicap.(Pernille Knudtzon can be contacted in Spain on Tel. 696 534 485 or 678 253 510.)<\/i><\/p>\nThe mental game<\/h2>\n
Apart from nutrition, Dr Pernille Knudtzon has also closely studied the mental side of sport. As with musicians (one of her clients is a Danish violinist), it is important for sportspeople to stay calm and relaxed, she says. \u201cOne champion expressed his strategy for making golf easier: he sets his sights on the next hole like a zoom lens on a camera. He makes the distance in his mind shorter, the hole bigger and the ball smaller.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dr Knudtzon recalls an interview with a top baseball player who said he visualised the ball slowing down as it approached him. \u201cIt is the same with golfers. Being a good golfer is all about learning to control your own state – controlling pulse, breathing rate, muscles, etc. With a golf stroke you can see if everything is harmonic, if everything is aligned.\u201d<\/p>\n
She stresses three key aspects of the mind game:
\n\u2022 control of state of mind: be resourceful and limit negative thoughts.
\n\u2022 strategy: which includes certain techniques and behaviour.
\n\u2022 belief: \u201cbelieve you can do it; Woods wants to win in every fibre of his body and mind\u201d.
\n\u2022 rapport: \u201cbe in control within yourself and when handling the golf club\u201d.<\/p>\n
According to Dr Knudtzon, players and especially coaches should be aware of the temperament of a golfer: phlegmatic, choleric, sanguine or melancholic.
\nPhlegmatic golfers are advised to have a caffeine-based drink (or Red Bull with its taurin); cholerics require proteins to help maintain a steady balance; sanguine players should stay away from sugar, but need fats to calm down; and those in the melancholic category need a \u201cpep up\u201d with a candy bar or other sugar-based food.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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