The evaluation process at Tarun Sardesai Golf (TSG) Academy considers all performance elements simultaneously. The golfer training system requires a blend of swing mechanics, strength and mobility training, recovery techniques, and nutritional methods to develop a golfer who can train & compete at the highest levels of competitive golf. Most people fail to appreciate the importance of nutrition, particularly calorie intake, either ignoring it or underestimating its value. Yet calories serve as the fundamental elements that drive all energy needs and support growth and performance requirements.
Golfers need to understand that calories function as their body’s primary energy source to sustain all activities. Just like a car needs petrol to run smoothly, likewise your body needs calories to function, train, recover, and grow. That’s where one of our nutrition sessions was placed. Our nutrition expert Ayush talked about the essentials of a healthy calorie intake and what happens when that fuel is missing, poorly timed, or coming from the wrong sources. So, let’s get going and give you a sneak peek into the session!
What are Calories and why do they Matter?
Calories serve as energy measurement units. Your body requires energy to perform all its activities, which include breathing, thinking, walking, training, lifting and swinging a golf club. The food you eat provides your body with energy. Your body receives energy from three macronutrients: carbohydrates, proteins and fats.
- Carbohydrates – provide 4 calories per gram and act as the body’s primary energy source, especially for training and brain function.
- Protein – also provides your body with 4 calories per gram and are essential for muscle repair, recovery and growth.
- Fats- provide 9 calories per gram and help with hormone health, energy storage and joint support.
For a golfer, calories are not just about body weight alone. The calories a golfer consumes determines his ability to concentrate and react during performance, his capacity to endure and recover during competition, and his progress over time.
Calories and Daily Energy Burn
Ayush also focused on daily energy burn, noting that your energy requirements increase when you combine golf practice with gym sessions, mobility work, and your regular daily activities. The off-season brings higher training intensity, which requires athletes to increase their calorie intake.
Most often, athletes fail to notice when their body enters a calorie-deficient state, even with regular food intake, as their training load increases. This is where problems begin!
Calorie Deficit vs Calorie Surplus
A calorie deficit stage occurs when you burn more calories than you consume, while a calorie surplus occurs when your food intake exceeds your calorie expenditure. These terms exist in fitness discussions, yet young athletes often misunderstand them.
Ayush further advised that young golfers should avoid a calorie-deficient dietary approach. Adolescence is a phase of growth and development. The body requires energy to support training, height growth, muscle development, bone density, and hormonal balance.
The body uses its energy reserves to achieve essential survival functions when people restrict their calorie intake. While doing so, the body will supply energy for active needs, which include training and basic bodily functions. The process of achieving growth, development, and recovery needs to wait until you feed your body with more energy. The body will experience a series of effects, including fatigue, growth plateaus, difficulty recovering, decreased performance, and an increased risk of injury if not fed well.
Why Eating Too Little Hampers Performance
The effects of under-fueling the body become evident as athletes experience:
- reduced energy levels and extended recovery times,
- struggle with focus,
- and persistent physical discomfort.
These kinds of situations require close attention. Athletes who consume insufficient calories will deplete their energy stores, which leaves them without fuel for their competition days. Such energy depletion can lead to hormonal imbalances that alter emotional state, sleep patterns, and physical development. As for sports, young players who train intensely yet consume insufficient calories face a real risk of developing Relative Energy Deficiency.
The Role of Calorie Surplus in Growth and Development
The discussion continued with the surplus aspect of calories. Young golfers need a controlled calorie surplus during their off-season training, with just specific nutritional support. It does not include eating junk food or consuming excessive amounts of food without an organized eating pattern. Athletes need to consume sufficient healthy food to support their training, recovery, and muscle development.
TSG’s nutrition department monitors each player’s dietary and nutritional habits throughout their training period. Our nutrition specialists use all their resources to maintain players’ energy levels and health standards.
When people consume more calories than they expend through practice sessions and other physical activities, their bodies build sufficient energy reserves to support sustained stamina. This leads to muscle repair and growth while boosting recovery speeds, hormone balance, and stance levels. At TSG, we define “bulking” as a process that leads to weight gain through excessive body fat accumulation. And to overcome it, we support our players with the necessary dietary and nutritional plans to build strength, resilience, and increased functional capacity without going beyond what is required.
Food Quality Matters as Much as Quantity
As sportspeople, we must understand that all calories are not the same. The body needs nutrients and healthy fat from food to perform and recover, but processed foods, junk foods, and sugary snacks only deliver empty calories. Junk foods have a high calorie content, yet their small size leads to weight gain that does not help build muscle or provide energy.
Therefore, players need to have proper plate balance. And balanced food intake includes-
- rice and chappatis
- chicken, paneer, and curd for protein
- vegetables and salads are an essential source of dietary fiber
- vital nutrients and minerals
- healthy fats from ghee, nuts and
- seeds to generate hormones
Young golfers should eat healthy meals before increasing their overall food intake to avoid unhealthy snacks.
Consistency Is Key
The body reacts differently when people eat nutritious food on some days but skip meals on others. The body needs time to adapt to the changes in body weight that occur between high-calorie and very low-calorie days.
Therefore, you must remember that your body operates best through scheduled activities. The same nutritional approach should be used every day, including training days, rest days, weekday activities, and tournament days, to maintain consistency. The process of meal preparation and carrying snacks , alongside maintaining body hydration and following tournament routine calorie consumption, enables golfers to sustain their training performance throughout summer tournaments and beyond.
Planned nutrition for tournament performance
The outcome of a tournament begins to take shape well before players arrive at the first tee. The process takes several weeks to complete. Ayush suggests that proper nutrition should begin 2 weeks before the competition to help build energy reserves. This method will create conditions that keep players’ focus constant while maintaining stable energy levels and improving recovery between rounds.
The player’s energy levels will remain stable throughout the golf round when they adhere to the suggested food and authorized supporting supplements (again, as per the nutritionists prescription only). Performance nutrition requires accurate, science-based data that excludes any uncertainty or side effects. Furthermore, he advised the players to follow the plan, without changing their supplement intake until there’s a change in the guidance. And still, if the energy levels drop, the players can get in touch with the coaches and share their concerns.
Eat to Perform, Not Just to Weigh Less
TSG Academy measures success at every phase of training through performance evaluations rather than arbitrary weight requirements. The session moved towards its conclusion, where players were again advised to maintain a balanced diet that includes essential energy components like carbohydrates, proteins, and fats, and to stay hydrated, as this enables golfers to increase their training capacity, with their bodies restoring and their competitive performance improving. The message is simple: fuel your body properly, respect the process, and let performance follow.
Take care of your game and your health, golfers!
