The modern-day golfer has a support team of nutritionists, therapists, their caddy and various mentors to optimize their playing ability during a championship. Their training regime, as with many professional athletes, is focused on building up levels of energy, strength and flexibility. While the average amateur will not usually have the time to put in the same level of off-course training, they can benefit from the following key pillars of on-course performance optimization techniques that the pro golfers use.

Hydration

If you watch any professionals golfing you will always note them sipping water throughout a round. At most tee boxes in a professional championship there will usually be a cooler full of bottled water for the players. One of the caddie's tasks is to regularly offer their player a bottle of water. The key with staying hydrated is to take sips of water throughout a round at regular intervals. The moment you start feeling thirsty is too late, in scientific terms, as your body is already performing in a sub-optimum manner.

You can choose to use other drinks that are high in sugars or caffeine but you should be aware that this causes peaks and valleys in blood sugar levels potentially causing similar peaks and troughs in the way you play (over hitting greens on one hole, short driving/putting on the next).

Nutrition

Filling your car with high quality fuel makes it run/perform better. Likewise, the food you eat before and during a golfing round will affect the energy levels and performance you will experience. Golfing professionals are like other athletes in that they take several small meals each day to keep their energy levels consistent.

Once they are out on the golf course, the professional golfer ensures energy levels stay topped up by eating fruit (bananas are a favorite due to the fact that they release energy slowly into the blood stream).

Stretches

All professional athletes and golfers use stretching techniques and exercises such as Pilates and Yoga to improve their flexibility and reduce the chances of muscle strain. Staying flexible in the core area (stomach and back) is essential to keeping the golf backswing consistent and reducing the risk of muscle strain.

All amateurs should take a few minutes before a match to perform stretches of the lower back and legs to loosen up the muscles. The stretches should also be performed during a round as it will also help stop the back/legs stiffening up as the body becomes more tired.

Awareness

These on-course performance techniques are not ground breaking. However, by becoming actively aware of what your body is telling you while golfing you give yourself the chance to remedy it the next time you head out for a round.

Being thirsty or becoming tired during a round are signs that you are not fuelling your body correctly. Body aches/pulling muscles or wayward shots could well be down to the fact that your muscles are over-strained and would have benefited from some pre-round stretches.

Trying to perfect your golf swing at the driving range is one way of improving your game, but you should also look to improve your golfing performance through the use of nutrition, hydration and stretches.

Looking for more golfing tips? Stop by Stephen's site where you can discover the Perfect Golf Swing ebook. Each ebook comes with free extras covering golfing tips

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