Ryder Cup Punting
Golf Fitness
The Strengthening Euros
HYDRATION: what do drink and when
The 2008 Ryder Cup at Valhalla is gearing up to be a ray of light for those inclined to back the Euro cause this autumn. Unlike the free-falling currency, Nick Faldo’s European golf squad is packed with power and—most importantly— momentum. Archie Albatross previews the bi-annual contest.
Why the right fluids will help you perform better on the course…
I
t's a searing hot, humid day and you just reached the turn drenched with sweat. Will a bottle of water hydrate you best, or should you go for the sports drink? Maybe the caffeine and sugar in that soda will give you a boost, or should you have a couple of beers to help keep loose? What many golfers don't realize is that what, and how much, you drink are actually among the most important decisions you make on the golf course. Your choice can mean the difference between playing with energy, focus, and coordination, or can leave you suffering from fatigue, mood fluctuations and poor motor control. In extremely hot Beer? Jimenez has an excuse. conditions, such as we experience regularly in Hong Kong, you can lose as much as two litres of water per hour. If those fluids are not replaced, the body becomes dehydrated, affecting virtually every system of your body. Your heart has to work harder, your muscles lose strength and flexibility, your brain function slows and you can experience cramping or dizziness, and even develop heat exhaustion or heat stroke. A loss of just 4 to 5% of one's body weight can cause exercise performance to decline by as much as 20-30%! So what and how much should you drink to avoid duffed shots and missed putts due to dehydration?
WATER
The human body is made up of 45-75% water by weight (muscles are about 75% water and fat is about 10%), and the body cannot survive more than a week without it. So it makes sense that water really is the best thirst quencher. However, by the time you feel thirsty, you are already somewhat dehydrated, which is why it is recommended that you drink water before, during and after exercise. Ideally you should have 2 cups of water about an hour before your round, then aim for half a cup every 20 minutes thereafter (adjusting for hot weather and your body size/type), and then have another cup within half an hour after your round.
SPORTS DRINKS
For vigorous exercise that is over 60 minutes in duration, or if you are an individual who sweats profusely, sports drinks are also a good option. Most sports drinks have about 6 to 8% glucose per glass, and also contain electrolytes such as sodium and potassium to replace what is lost in sweat. This is important for muscle functioning and will help prevent muscle cramping and water intoxication—your blood becomes too diluted if you have lost too much sodium through sweat. However, it is important to bear in mind that each bottle contains almost 200 calories from sugar, so you may 54
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want to dilute your sports drink with water if you're watching your weight, or if you are already eating food that contains sugar and salt.
ALCOHOL
In short, alcohol provides no benefit to your exercise performance. Alcohol is a depressant, acting immediately on the brain to decrease your psychomotor skills, slow your reaction time, decrease hand-eye coordination, hand steadiness, balance and alertness—a performance enhancing substance it is not! It also increases inflammation in the body, hastens the onset of muscle fatigue, interferes with muscle recovery, and diverts blood flow to your skin causing further dehydration. And with chronic consumption of the stuff, your liver accumulates fat, your body's ability to absorb essential vitamins and minerals is diminished, your testosterone levels decline (making it more difficult to keep muscle mass) and your cortisol (stress hormone) levels rise. Sober yet?
JUICE and SODA
While fruit juices and sodas can help contribute to your body's daily fluid needs, they are not the best choice for on-course hydration. They both contain a lot of sugar, which slows the rate of water absorption into the body. Also, the initial rush of sugar into your blood stream might give you a temporary energy boost, but after about an hour you'll then feel your energy crash down, as your body excretes insulin to balance out the blood sugar spike. It obviously isn't ideal to have such fluctuations over the course of a round, as your mood and focus will fluctuate along with your blood sugar levels.
The money’s on Faldo and team to retain at Valhalla
The European Team
How much is enough?
One easy way to judge whether you are well hydrated is to check the colour of your urine. It should be pale yellow, unless you are taking supplements which will darken it. You can also try weighing yourself before and after your round, and for every pound lost through sweat, drink about 2-3 cups of fluid. Bottom line: drink up! WWW.HKGA.COM
Gareth Jones
BY HEIDI REYES
The twin factors for Ryder Cup success are experience and current form—and the European team has both in its favour. In Padraig Harrington, winner of three of the last six Major championships, an unlikely new superstar has emerged for the blue team. Paddy’s confidence keeps on increasing and he will surely be the only player sauntering down the fairways, in his now familiar loping gait, with seemingly not a care in the world. The support cast is just that; secondary in achievement but competitive rivals too, pushing him to new heights whilst WWW.HKGA.COM
proud of his triumphs. With Paddy’s recent nemesis, the red-hot Sergio Garcia, and seasoned European stalwarts, Westwood, Jimenez, Stenson and Karlsson all having earned their automatic places, the top of the order is filled with reliable, straight-hitting players. Young punks Justin Rose, Ian Poulter and Paul Casey (the latter two, Captain Faldo’s picks) will bring cocky confidence as well as colour to the European locker room. The pick of the two young Englishmen has meant no place in the line up for the emotional Irish pair, Darren Clarke and Paul McGinley—both Ryder Cup veterans who have hit some recent form. Captain Faldo also wisely resisted the slim (not often a word used in this context) temptation to pick Colin Montgomerie. Although Monty’s Ryder Cup track record is astonishingly good (especially in the singles where he has never lost a match), it is clear his time has come and gone. Readers of this column will know that I have very much HK GOLFER・SEPT/OCT 2008
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