With the warmer conditions arriving as British summer time reaches its peakand the golf season gets in full flow, the effects of dehydration will be evident throughout golf clubs around the country. Unfortunately, the importance of hydration on both overall health and golf performance are vastly misjudged and consequently, golfers all over the world are missing out on one of the most vital and active performance enhancers. One thing research has been telling us for years is the importance of hydration and ultimately, this will never change, but rather only get more pronounced as people keep overlooking it.
But why is it so important?
We’ve all at some stage or another been dehydrated – especially when the temperature reaches 25 degrees or more – and we can all certainly understand what it feels like when our body reacts to this dehydration. Nevertheless, this level is around 3 – 5% dehydrated and at this stage, we are all very aware we need to do something about it and quickly! But what about being just 2% dehydrated? It doesn’t sound significant, but this is the percentage most individuals function at and it has become such the norm that they don’t truly realise how much it is affecting them daily.
The image above identifies the percentage of water that makes up our brain, blood, bones and muscles. This truly highlights why hydration is vital for normal function alone. Furthermore, it is essential for the process of absorbing the nutrients from our foods, healthy digestion and excretion of the waste products we consume. More than ever we see so many golfers consuming their nutrient bars and taking energy drinks every three to four holes but how many of you consider that your body isn’t absorbing the energy you think it is. Moreover, as golfers, the lubrication of our joints is a key aspect to performing our swings in the free-flowing motion we all desire. Overall, being just 2% dehydrated affects our bodies to a greater degree than most of us realise and as a result, we are often playing catch up by the time it is too late.
So how does this directly affect my on-course golf performance?
We now know why our body needs to be hydrated to function to the efficient levels it is designed to and as is the case with golf - without adequate hydration - even the chance of being able to practise for the number of hours you require are notably reduced.
Research has revealed that not replenishing lost fluids while out on the course can result in an increase in the number of errors a player makes and in-turn affecting their score. Smith et al., (2012) identified that even mild dehydration – a reduction of around 1-2 percent in body mass – significantly impaired mental and physical function during golf. They further showed that mild dehydration can unfavourably affect hitting distance, accuracy, and judgement of distance during play.
Effects on Mental Performance:
- Mental tiredness increases, and both alertness and concentration are reduced.
- Reduction in coordination resulting in lower consistency and poorer precision.
- Decision-making impaired, impacting club and shot choice, as well as judgement, which is made even harder when under pressure.
Effects on Physical Performance:
- Cardiovascular and central nervous systems affected causing increases in heart rate, lower blood pressure and loss of muscle strength.
- Fatigue causing loss of coordination, balance and stability, disturbing shot accuracy and distance requiring more effort.
- A very small amount of dehydration can reduce muscular strength by up to 6%.
Imagine the situation, you are playing well and reach the 15thtee knowing that if you perform strongly over the next four holes you are in the money. You’ve been out on the course at this point for three and a half hours in warm conditions; you step on the tee, go through your pre-shot routine and hit your drive in play. Walking to your ball you noticed that the last swing felt a little fatigued, the legs did not feel as strong and stable, the speed felt almost forced and your timing was out. You put this down to a little bit of nerves and a long round.
Now consider the elements we think we control, such as technique and our mental-state. The inability for our muscles and joints to work efficiently directly affects our technique and ability to execute the skills golf requires, which is arguably greater than any other sport. Also, our brain output will be slower and with golf, slower equals less swing speed and shorter distances hit, which is often correlated to a higher score.
It also drastically affects our decision-making, which across all levels is essentially what allows us to perform to the best of our ability, especially during pressurised situations. Your body and swing coordination are lesser, your speed and power are reduced, you are forcing your swing to hit your irons the same yardages you were easily doing so at the beginning of your round and your course-management decisions are inferior. Overall, your yardage control and ability to get the ball close to the pin in regulation have all been affected due to one common denominator, dehydration!
To this end, hydration is vital for amateur club golfers, and can be even more important for touring professionals who regularly play in hotter climates and compete over the progression of multiple rounds during a long week which include practise rounds, technical work and competing.
Well what can I do about it?
To discover how you can monitor your hydration levels affectively, get the correct intake for your body and playing conditions and understand which foods supplement this, subscribe to our app, which contains on course nutrition and hydration guides,.
