At a recent player’s meet at TSG Academy led by Siddhant Sule, our expert sports nutritionist from Qua Nutrition, focused on helping players understand how proper nutrition can work wonders on their body and improve performance during tournaments.
The discussion covered strategies that our players can apply before, during and after their tournament routines. The session demonstrated that players can achieve great results through small daily dietary adjustments which include their hydration practices and their recovery meal choices.
The discussion proved to be very interesting because athletes participated by asking questions and talking about their tournament nutrition experiences.
Why Nutrition is as Important as Training
Most athletes spend hours training and enhancing their skills & building their game strategy. However, what they sometimes ignore is the nutritional aspect. Your training would drop significantly if you do not fuel your body with the necessary nutrition. During the session, Siddhant explained that several factors influence performance and nutrition plays a major role among them!
According to him, performance can be broadly supported by four main elements:
- 30% sleep
- 30% nutrition
- 30% training
- 10% discipline
This means that 60% of performance factors revolve around nutrition and sleep. And the best part- these factors are fully within the athlete’s control. For players who compete regularly, having a nutrition plan can help them maintain energy levels, stay mentally focused, and recover faster between rounds.
Hydration: A Simple but Powerful Advantage
One of the key points discussed during the address was hydration. Drinking water is extremely important for a healthy body.
Siddhant highlighted that 70–80% of athletes enter tournaments dehydrated, without even realising it. Proper hydration from the start of a tournament provides athletes a competitive edge against most opponents. Drinking water constitutes only one aspect of hydration. The human body needs hydration through water and other fluids which include various beverages and foods. When athletes sweat during a game, they lose essential energy elements from the body like:
- Water
- Electrolytes
- Glucose
- Essential minerals
Replacing only water may not fully restore what the body has lost!
Athletes should focus on balanced hydration, including electrolytes, and regular fluid intake throughout the day. Carrying a bottle & sipping water an electrolytes regularly during play was strongly recommended as a basic yet important habit in sports.
Never Compete on an Empty Stomach
Another important message from the players’ meet was simple yet very important: never go into a tournament on an empty stomach!
When the body does not receive enough energy from food, it begins to use its own reserves. This can lead to the possible breakdown of muscle tissues, weakness and other strength factors. Players must avoid such conditions during their tournaments.
Additionally, tournaments also bring nervousness, pressure, and excitement for players. And if they do not plan their meals properly during this time, food can become another source of stress and directly impact their game. To avoid this, Siddhant advised players to plan their meals and keep things simple.
Even with limited time before a tournament, it is better to eat two smaller meals rather than skip meals entirely. Some easy options include:
- Bananas
- Energy bars
- Granola bars
- Fruits
- Nuts and dry fruits
- Simple rolls or protein-rich sandwiches
These food options provide carbohydrates, which are the main source of quick energy for athletes.
Preparing for a Tournament in Advance
It’s never just the tournament day that you need to put all your effort into. An overall preparation for the game should begin one to two days before the tournament, encompassing every possible factor that performance on the course is linked to. During this time, players should:
- Increase their carbohydrate intake slightly
- Maintain balanced meals
- Stay well hydrated
- Avoid heavy or unfamiliar foods
Foods such as rice, roti, oats, fruits, and whole grains help the body store glycogen, the main fuel used during physical activity.
What to Eat on the Day of the Tournament
Meal timing becomes very important on the day of the competition. What you eat is what reflects in your performance!
1–2 Hours Before the Event
Athletes should eat a balanced breakfast that provides energy without making them feel heavy. Some good options include:
- Poha
- Dosa
- Pancakes
- Oats with fruit
- Sandwiches
10–20 Minutes Before the Start
As the start time gets closer, food should become lighter. Simple snacks such as bananas, nuts, seeds, or dry fruits work well.
A simple rule shared during the seminar was:
“The closer you get to the start time, the lighter your food should be.”
Maintaining Energy During the Game
Many sports events, including long games, can last 5 to 6 hours. During this time, athletes continuously lose fluids and energy. Only drinking water is usually not enough to maintain performance. Athletes should plan to eat light snacks during play to maintain their energy levels. Some recommended options include:
- Bananas
- Dates
- Berries
- Energy bars
- Granola bars
- Nuts and seeds
A useful strategy is to eat something small every two to three holes during play. Planning these snacks makes it easier to stay consistent throughout the round.
Midpoint Refueling
Around the middle of the round, players should have a slightly larger portion of healthy snacking to maintain their energy levels. Some excellent examples include:
- Sandwiches
- Rolls
- Meal bars
- Simple roti-based snacks
The goal is to choose foods that are healthy for you, energising, easy to eat and digest, and not messy to carry during competition.
Post-Tournament Recovery
Recovery nutrition begins immediately after the round ends. When the body is exhausted, it absorbs nutrients very efficiently. This makes the post-tournament meal extremely important for players. Siddhanth advised the players that they must focus on meals that include:
- Protein for muscle repair
- Carbohydrates to restore energy
- Healthy fats for overall recovery
A recovery snack containing 10–15 grams of protein along with carbohydrates is a good starting point. Balanced meals also help players prepare for the next day if the tournament continues over multiple rounds.
Monitoring Hydration with Body Weight
Siddhant also shared a simple technique athletes can use to track hydration levels. Athletes can weigh themselves:
- Before the round
- After the round
If an athlete loses 1 kilogram of weight, it usually indicates a loss of about 1 litre of water through sweat. Replacing that within the next one to two hours helps the body recover properly.
Even a 1% drop in body weight due to dehydration can reduce performance by around 25%, making hydration extremely important for players heading for tournaments.
Smart Eating During Travel
Tournaments can last up to many days, especially when played back to back.
While heading for tournaments, you may need to travel across locations, ranging from a few hours to a day-long journey. This can make it challenging for players to maintain healthy eating options. Such situations call for players to prepare in advance. He advised the players to:
- Carry snacks like nuts, seeds, and energy bars
- Avoid experimenting with new foods before competitions
- Choose simple and familiar meals when eating outside
- Try to avoid fried foods
Your not-so-regular food options may fill your stomach but may lack the essential nutritional value your body might need. So, it is always better to keep some backup food options so that you can have access to healthy choices, even during busy schedules or new places.
Managing Cravings and Portion Control
Cravings during tournaments or travel can happen for several reasons, including dehydration, low protein intake, or irregular meals. Drinking enough water and eating balanced meals with fruits, vegetables, and protein can help control these cravings.
Siddhant also advised the players to practice portion control by eating until about 70% full. Doing so would help address the physical discomfort, bloating, or poor digestion that could occur on tournament days.
Concluding Words
The meeting concluded with three simple principles athletes should always remember:
- Eat at the right intervals before and during the game.
- Maintain balanced portions without overeating or skipping meals.
- As an athlete, you need to make some conscious choices. You must choose nutritious foods that support performance.
Following these principles helps athletes maintain energy, focus, and recovery during demanding tournaments.
The session concluded with an engaging Q&A round where players shared their doubts and asked practical questions about nutrition and performance. Siddhant humbly took up every question and addressed them from the base level.
He explained that daytime cravings emerge when people experience alterations in their activity levels, drinking habits, and regular eating patterns. For instance, how magnesium deficiency can lead to sweet cravings. So it’s not just cravings; the mechanism lies in the back-end of the body and must be addressed properly by fulfilling the body’s nutritional demands.
He also said that one can safely eat dark chocolate when they control their intake, and their bodies respond positively to it. He asked the players to organise their nutritional needs before the tournament, bring additional food supplies, and develop their emergency response strategies. Also, players who participate in consecutive competitions must increase their intake of complex carbohydrates while keeping their protein and healthy fat consumption at moderate levels, and prioritizing their sleep and recovery.
A Valuable Learning Experience
The session was a valuable learning experience for the players at TSG Academy, providing them with the right approach towards their nutritional needs especially for a balanced training ahead of tournaments. From fueling strategies to recovery nutrition, the session helped our budding golfers look at nutrition from the perspective of their game.
A big thank you to Siddhant and the Qua Nutrition team for their continued support and expertise. We hope you find this read helpful in your athletic journey. Wishing every player a good and steady nutrition regime!
Happy golfing!
