The Surge and DJ discuss what to eat and NOT to eat during a round.
The Surge: Another big part of playing good golf is that it involves physical activity. So you need to be physically fit. I mean today even when DJ was young we weren’t into lifting weights and all that other stuff, like you are today, and there is nothing wrong with that. If you want to do it and physical conditioning, cardio and running is good because you have to walk a long way.
But the other thing is diet and nutrition. I am not an expert on it but fortunately my wife, DJs mother, is an RN, so she knows a lot more about it than I do, but I studied a little bit of it. I was always big on doing good things, like when you go to the golf course and eat a good breakfast that has carbs and protein in it. The big thing is that you eat enough so that you do not have to eat anything big during the round.
You don’t want to at the turn wolf down a hamburger or a turkey sandwich or a hot dog or whatever. You want to eat snacks. You want to keep snacks in your bag. I have been told by a leading diet and nutrition expert eating almonds is one of the best things. Eating peanut or cheese crackers at the turn is good. Never, ever eat anything or drink anything with sugar. Like candy bars are a no, no. Ice tea and soda are no-no’s. I taught DJ that at the turn we drink water and/or, it is really good in super heat, that you drink some of the Gatorade type drinks because you need to put back the electrolytes and a lot of chemicals into your body that you sweated out, that water doesn’t give you. So you need to drink those and eat the crackers.
I will never forget. We were at a tournament and it was at Mid Pines and we were at the half way house at the 10th hole and he is playing with three other guys and he started with a 1 or 2 shot lead and things were still fairly tight. We get over there and the other three young boys had their mothers with them and I was with him. I go and get him his Gatorade and his crackers and he is sitting down eating them and all the others are sitting over the side over there and all of a sudden he goes, “Dad, Dad, come over here.” So I come over and he goes “Dad, look at them, they are all eating candy bars and drinking cokes.” He says, “I got them, they are mine.”
Sure enough about two holes later you could see it all of a sudden these nice calm cool kids swing are getting jerky and every one of them ends up going bogie, bogie, double bogie and he ends up winning by about 8 or 9 shots. It is because they ate and drank the wrong things at the turn. It is amazing that how many people do not know that sugar and anything with sugar in it is like suicide.
I had a man say to me one day, “Man, I played the front nine good and I always blow up the back nine.” I asked him what he had for breakfast. He said, “I don’t eat breakfast, just a cup of coffee.” Well high tess or low tess? He said, “Caffeinated, absolutely. I’ve got to get going.”
I said so you eat dinner the night before at 6 or 7 o’clock, you tee off at 8, you make the turn at about 10. So now you have been 14 hours without anything to eat and you wonder why you are falling apart on the back side.
So the same goes that what you eat is important and that you eat is important. So it goes both ways whether you are an adult or a kid and probably even more for a kid because they have a lot higher metabolism than we do. So start studying and learning what you are suppose to do with good diet and nutrition. I mean you follow that to a tee now, right?
DJ: Absolutely, even to this day I eat and snack on the golf course every day. I make sure that I drink plenty
of fluids. It is important to keep your energy levels up. If your energy levels are up, your focus is up. More importantly you don’t want to be shaking and you don’t want to feel nauseous out there, but at the same time you can’t focus and concentrate at the proper level if you haven’t eaten and drank enough and kept your body full of fluids and full of energy. It is imperative. You can’t give up that edge. That is one edge that you have total control over.
Some days you don’t have control over your swing. Some days you don’t have control over your mind. Sometimes you are just not thinking clearly on the golf course, but you always can have control over making sure you eat and drink properly on the golf course. It is just a simple decision to be made and to do every day on the golf course. Nutrition is imperative. You need to take care of it. You need to watch it closely, because you can control it, every single day.
It will always help you play better golf if you are doing the right things with eating and drinking while on the golf course.
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to SURGE:
RIGHT ON! Great advice.
I heartly adivse Gatorade, specially here in the Phoenix(Valley of the Sun) area where the summer time temperatures can reach 110F to 115F. I put a 32 oz Gatorade in the freezer for about 2 or 3 hours, then move it to the refrigerator for about 5 or 6 hours. Then it goes in a ice filled styrofoam coller on the golf cart — makes a nice cool refreshing drink that lasts for 18 holes.
In addition, in the desert heat — NEVER pass a water cooler without drinking at least one 4 ounce cup of water.
I also believe in eating a good breakfast about 2 hours before my tee time — usually consists of bacon, scrabled eggs, hash brown potatoes and dry whole wheat toast with very little jelly and no more than 2 cups of coffee — with artificial sweetner, not sugar!
BEST WISHES and my PRAYERS for a continued and speedy recovery
Keep hitting them STRAIGHT and LONG
Amos
hi Surge,
I have been following your story and glad to hear you are doing better. I am writing to ask, since golf season has just begun in Minnesota, what should be the first thing to work on before hitting the course. I golf 3 or 4 times a month( would like to golf more) and haven’t even swung the clubs yet. My score is consistently 100. Would like to buy your videos, but that another story. Thanks for your time.
Brian
I agree with most of your advice. In my 30 years of clinical practice and treating athletes I have learned that Gatorade and the other popular “sport” drinks have 2 flaws. They are too concentrated or what is known as osmolality. You need to pull water from the blood into the digestive tract to dilute it before it can be absorbed.
I used to cycles race and a full strength Gatorade will slow you down quickly. Dlute it in half then it works fine.
The other problem with those drinks is the fructose and HFCS. The research on this is coming out and it is best avoided.
When you take a drink that gets electrolytes into you cells quickly you feel refreshed. Dilute to sport drinks and find those with out fructose and HFCS.
For lower scores,
Dr. Darrel Hestdalen.
WELL AS USUAL AT EIGHTY BEEN THERE DONE THAT HAVING STOMACH CANCER I HAVE TO EAT CONSTANTLY TO KEEP THE PAIN AWAY AND I NOTICED THE RIGHT FOOD IS A ENERGY BOOSTER ,I FINISH ROUNDS OF GOLF LASTING UP TO FIVE HOURS (DAMN SLOW PLAY) ,BY RUNNING AND JUMPING OVER THE SMALL BUNKER ALONGSIDE THE 18 TH HOLE KENNETH. OF COURSE ATTITUDE HELPS
Surge has given advice like this once before. I certainly agree and always bring snacks in my bag along with a large bottle of drinking water. Usually healthy stuff like a peanut butter sandwhich or two and some almonds. Another advantage is (lets face it) food on the course is way too expensive, though sdometimes I’ll get something from the cart girl cause they’re trying to make a living including a tip. So I’ll spurge on occasion.
DJ ’s one shot better than Tiger today so maybe he’ll bne right there near the lead after tomorrow.
Down the middle,
Robert
Hey Brian Robertson of Minnesota,
Go top right and type in “New Season” in the search area (above right) and you’ll find a great article intitled,
“Winter workout; Reprise”. There you’ll get some super ideas on how to prepare for the golf season.
Good golfing,
Robert
How often should you replace your golf glove? I’ve heard that you should replace it every 6 practices and every 6 rounds of golf. Is this true?
What is the opinion on some fruit? I like taking two apples with me during a full round of 18 holes. And of course enough to drink, mostly just water. I live in the Netherlands, and temperatures are usually not that high; 25 celcius / mid 80’s is already a very beautiful day here.
Your breakfast is the most important meal of the day. This goes for a regular day at the office, so why not when going for a round of golf…?? Only a cup of coffee is a stupid start.
Don: best wishes and keep up your sound advices.
DJ: Good luck on Quail Hollow round 2….!! Go beat ‘em.
Great advice Surge and hope you are recovering nicely.
I like diluted sports drinks without fructose as Dr. Hestdalen mentioned above.
For the solid portion of the snack, I prefer fruit orange and grapefruit slices, grapes and bananas and the old Al Gieberger staple of PB & J sandwiches, easy on the jelly and thicker on the PB. In the fall I like rail mix dried fruit.
Finish strong at Quail Hollow DJ so you can tear it up at the Players.
Surge, you say never, ever consume sugar during your round, but you say drink Gatorade which has 14 grams of sugar. Gatorade 2 maybe a better choice because it has only 5 grams of sugar, but Powerade Zero is even better because it contains no sugar. An even better health choice is a diet that contains two tablespoons of chia seeds daily. The chia seed is a great source of energy and it has additional health benefits such as omega 3, calcium and fiber. Ultra marathon runners consume chia seeds as a part of their regular diet. By making it a natural part of your diet you don’t have to do anything special on golf day. The chia seed won’t help you hit a ball longer, but you will not be tired approaching the 18th green.
Surge, this is a great subject. I totally agree with Dr. Hestdalen’s comments about electrolytes and sugar (and it’s various forms) content. Google on “glycemic load index insulin.” Read some of the reputable sites and books. It’s all about maintaining a stable blood sugar level and understanding YOUR body. Become familiar with glycemic load. Read labels on packaged food. Compare these foods to fresh fruit and nuts. Limit your coffee, tea, and cola on golf days to one starter cup (not an extra grande). I prepare my own oatmeal with dried cranberries (1/2 c oatmeal, 1/2 c skim milk, 1/2 c water, 2 TBS cranberries; microwave for 2.5 minutes). If you haven’t eaten for 2 hours, have some almonds and an a small apple before you start. Have another small apple and some almonds at the turn (or along the way). Of course drink water and low/no sugar Gatorade if you’re sweating a lot. Avoid trail mix with M&Ms or candy. And finally, Surge & DJ, avoid crackers. They are usually made with white flour and are nearly as bad as sugar!
What about a “COUPLE OF NICE COLD BEERS” during the 18 holes.
I agree that you must eat a good breakfast prior to your round, but bacon, eggs, hashbrowns, etc., would just wear me down. I go for cereal, fresh fruit plate and maybe an Un – buttered English Muffin. At the turn, it’s Power Aid “Zero” and an apple to keep this 72 year old going.
Surge: Keep up with your speedy recovery and get back to us soon. Paul is doing an excellant job, but you are truly missed. God bless
I have recently purchased the DVD set including the one on driving. I cannot watch them because of the bad sound quality. Has anyone else had this problem? I have now sent 5 emails between support and Don but no response. Any suggestions.
Don, DJ:
Thanks ever so much! Absolutely! By the time I’m on number 15, I’m losing ten yards, way too much of the course’s well-coiffed turf, my concentration, my focus, and, possibly more signifi-
cantly, my temper! I think I’ve committed every one of those golfing nutrition-related faux pax
you mentioned. With your mentioned accompanying results! In triplicate. Even when much younger, the identical mistakes happened to me. How much better I might have handled the back nines and been able to regroup had I maintained a decent level of energy going into the final nine,…?
You guys are great! Thanks again,
Dave
Don, I have been receiving your weekly e-mails on the surge since December in the introductory offer. I retired last May and turned 60 in October. I have been changing my swing and stance as you recommended. I used to never keep score as it was depressing and I never seemed to improve. Well I played last Monday and shot a 46 on the back 9 after a 60 on the front nine. Not only that but I played with the same ball from the 7th hole to the 18th, another first! I was never able to hit an Orlimar driver and fairway wood without a huge slice; well I can bang both of them reliably now. I am astounded with the accuracy of my shots. Before there were so many facets of the game that I “sucked” at that I didn’t know where to start. After Monday I need to work on my chipping game. Thanks for all of your tips on the ‘Surge”! As far as your nutrition suggestions, I was a nurse before I retired and also worked for a fire department, all of your suggestions are right on and are the same things we preached to the fire fighters during summer wildland fires. Drink plenty of water before you start and keep drinking while you are active. Also eat light foods that give you energy and don’t slow you down
Thanks for everything
Danny
Hey Danny,
Congrats on your breakthrough! That’s great. And you’re absolutely correct, as you start focusing on your short game (pitching, chipping & putting) your score will plummet. Wait until you score your first 39 on 9 holes
Keep it up, it will only become more enjoyable,
Dean
I play golf because it’s fun and it’s more fun to shoot lower scores. However, although I do not disagree with this nutritional advise, I enjoy my beer.
I’ll settle for hitting the ball fairly straight and a few brews. Golf is a social experience for me. Some time with good friends.
Thank you so much for your lessons up to this point.
Pat
Hi Don: I never thought about diet and nutrition playing such a big part in my game. I know now that I was not do or eating the right foods..Thank you for bring this to my attention.
Arnie
JackBrown,
There is no absolute. You replace it when it’s worn out.
I agree fully about keeping your electrolytes replenished. I am 67 and a diabetic so any sports drink with sugar is a no-no. And it is very important to keep a steady sugar level. Recently at a costco they were serving a replenishing drink in powder packets with zero sugars and carbs and calories and full of vitamins with a much larger amount of antioxidants than any of your sugar filled or non sugar sports drinks.It is called Eco Drink. It contains 30 packets for a 16 oz mixture. I prefer to mix it with 32 oz’s of water. I have used it twice and found it to be exactly what they claimed. I was still refreshed after 18 holes. I do walk the courses if at all possible. I am not a salesman for this drink but I found it to be the best drink I have ever used for golf and give it a 100 % recommendation. It costs about $20 for 30 packets or about 65 cents for a 32 oz drink.
Guys,
After my stroke, as part of my recovery, I began to play golf. Atlanta can get darn hot from Spring through Autumn and I was have cramps in my legs and arms towards the end of a round and for several hours after. I mentioned this to my doctor and he suggested I drink more during play. He told me to mix Gatorade and water to drink while playing. I toyed with the mix for a while and now have it down. I put 10 oz. Gatorade plus 22 oz. water into a quart (32 oz.) bottle, shake it up and refrigerate. Got a new golf bag with a “cooler pocket” and now fit two 32 oz. bottles in my bag. Drink about a third at #3 tee, then at #6, #9, #12, #15 and #18. No more cramps and during the round I feel fully refreshed.
Best wishes to Surge and everyone else for good health!
Michael
I would like to add that Nuta Sweet/aspertame and MSG can really make some people jumpy, agitated and easily angered. Its being studied at Ole Miss i think. Its known as excitatory toxin to those brain cells that regulate energy, focus and motor activity. Also certain medications and food allergies can be a real problem with the way you feel. Had the yips until I looked into what I was injesting. Billy Casper became a great player when he went on his “strange diets”
DJ could have been at the top of the leader board at Quail Hollow yesterday if not for 2 things: Poor putting (I think he missed 4-5 from inside 6 feet) and 2 horrible chips that looked like “I” hit them. That’s too bad. He sometimes seems more comfortable and accurate 200 yards out on the fairway than close in. Is this a part of the PPGS that needs refinement?
What should you eat before a round of 18 starting around 2:00 PM (as far as a lunch)?
I enjoy the feedback from your fans, but they need to know that HFCS and artificial sweetners both have the same affect on your insulin level. Artificial sweetners and drinks that say zero calories causes the same spike in your insulin level as sugar, but with out the sugar, the insulin targets the sugar in the blood stream and causes you to feel hungry and crave sweets. I drink a natural energy drink that is safe for diabetics, does not spike your insulin level, and provides me energy for 4 to 5 hours, and curbs my appitite. It also has a bonus of converting my fat to energy. I am 65 years young, and enjoy walking the course when they let you. I drink a product called Nuvo-Gene Tea, and it is great for energy and completely safe with no sugar (uses a natural sweetner from the ACIA Berry), and burns as much fat as working out for 30 minutes. I found it at http://www.nevada.bfreesystem.com and it was created by a Nobel Prize Nominated Dr. I eat a good balanced breakfast, drink my Nuvo-Gene Tea before I start my round, snack on fruits and nuts and feels great after 18 holes. I enjoy the PPGS teachings and the great information shared by the fans of Surg. Please continue to get better and good luck to TJ.
Hi Jim Hender,
If you’re watching the videos on the internet, you’ll experience some jerky pictures and interrupted dialogue. At the top right corner of the picture, you’ll see a tag, inviting you to ‘download this video’ Click on this tag and the video will be downloaded onto your PC in RealPlayer – or something similiar. You will then be able to view the lessons at your leisure, without the problems which you’re presently experiencing. Hope that this helps.
Cheers
To Ed Dunphy,
The short game requires a ton of concentration, and there is less room for error than with the driver or fairways. Since DJ’s Pop had open heart surgery, it may take him a week or two to reestablish the concentration level required at his level.
He did make the cut, so hoopefully, he will get a good nights sleep, and come out firing in the third round.
Hit’em Long and Straight,
Bob
The videos are very poor quality. They only show you from the waist up. I believe that they should b focusing on what is going on with your hand and feet. I believe you need another video person .
That is why I am not ordering your videos on lessons.
I do get a lot out of the published lesson under the video. Hope your feeling better>
Glad to see your back Don . Now stay healthy.
Joe
Our group of seniors usually only plays 9 holes. Would there be anything in the rules against me giving each of them a nice big chocolate bar while we are waiting for the first tee?
For 5 or 6 years on the day of our club championship, the club provided an all-you-would-like-to-eat lunch at the turn. I always loved those lunches! … especialy the desserts!!
The second 9 was played from the forward tees and I always took about 6 more strokes than for the first 9 holes.
I guess we now know why!
Dear DJ,
Nice to see you again… I remember you and Todd having a Swedish hamburger while I was working behind the Front Desk and I saw you guys eating hamburgers and you looked very guilty. I had no idea why you, DJ, looked so guilty eating that burger so I started to giggle a little bit because it looked like if you were hiding your face behind that burger. Then you asked me why I was laughing… And I blushed. I was so embarrassed. Anyway, now I know why you looked so guilty! I guess you had a guilty conscience because it was the day before your practice at Arlanda Stad Golf in August 2008. I wish your Dad had seen your face. It was funny… Nice memory. I hope your Dad will have a fast recovery. You’re my favorite golfer. Hugs from Vanessa (in Sweden)
I like coffee before golf, with heavy cream and no sugar. I play better and exercise easier while fasting. Eating drains energy for digestion, and food shunts circulation to the GI tract. For some it can cause indigestion or heartburn– especially while bending over to pick up balls or marking puts. During the week I eat two low-carb, nutrient dense meals. So I don’t suffer the insulin/sugar roller coaster most people do — my blood sugar stays around 88 all the time. After golf on Saturday I usually do a carb-up day splurging with a little rice, fish, potato and a piece of fruit. Gatorade is processed sugar so, I use cider vinegar in water or Morton’s lite salt in water if needed to hydrate. Nuts are also good if a snack is required and high in magnesium. The beer (alcohol) is used for energy before sugars are, but too much can cause dehydration in the heat, so I generally avoid it while playing and save it for the 19th hole
just as you stated, I also would wear down completely everytime around hole 14 or 15. I do carry peanut butter crakers now. Also, Thanks for everything, I dropped my score 10-12 strokes the last 2 times I played just watching your first 6 video tips, and my friends were amazed.
No sugar, but Gatorade is good. Gatorade has 6% sugar content!
where are the tapes I purchased
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