10 Best Supplement And Sports Nutrition Products For Golfers

10 Best Supplement And Sports Nutrition Products For Golfers

Although many would link the word supplement to a rugby player or a bodybuilder, golfers, whether amateur or professional, would benefit from supplements to some degree. This is especially true if you are a player who travels overseas or even nationally as supplements can play a vital role in ensuring a solid nutrition strategy is followed while away from home.

Related: Best And Worst Things To Eat At The Halfway Hut

Similarly, if you are an amateur who is serious about bringing your handicap down, there are many supplements that will help you refuel and recover after a round of golf, as well as enhance in-round performance. It is important to note that there isn’t actually a single definition, either legal or within nutritional science, of what constitutes a dietary supplement.

As such, the International Olympic Committee recently defined a dietary supplement as the following:

"A food, food component, nutrient or non-food compound that is purposely ingested in addition to the habitually consumed diet with the aim of achieving a specific health and/or performance benefit".

Below are the top 10 supplements I consider for myself as an amateur and also recommend to my friends who take the game more seriously.

Related: Best And Worst Things To Eat And Drink While Playing Golf

There are many companies you can purchase similar products from, however, contained in this list are a handful of my favourites as they provide that trust factor and are tested where needed, which are key components for the professional athlete.

10 Best Supplement And Sports Nutrition Products For Golfers

These handy ready-to-drink proteins contain 24g of high-quality protein and 6.5g of branched chain amino acids. Filled with milk and a few ice cubes and then stored in the bottle pouch of your golf bag, you will have a great source of protein to help support your muscles throughout the round. The chocolate flavour is a particular favourite.

These shots, especially when teeing off early on a cold morning, have become a real go-to recently. Ginger helps support the digestive system to function properly, can boost the oral cavity enzymes, and also helps you stay sniffle free. Not only that but there are also links with reducing soreness. These little shots really do give you a good kick!

Containing 20g of protein and 1.6g of high-quality fish oils, this handy and convenient ready to drink can be consumed at room temperature or cooled. Consumed at the end of a round, this will ensure the recovery process begins straight away. On hotter days, this is very refreshing when ice cool.

Having successfully come back from a double knee surgery, this 60ml shot has been a staple in terms of looking after the health and integrity of my tendons and ligaments. For those who may experience sore knees after a long round, this collagen protein and vitamin C combination is a great option.

There are many hydration formulas on the market, but one of my favourites is the Hydra-10 from Nutrition-X. It’s very light, does not cause gut issues and they have it in either in a large tub, which will allow you to make up at home, or handy tablets that can be dropped into a bottle of water from the clubhouse. Having one of these during the front 9 and one for the back 9 would be my advice.

For those that prefer more of an oat-based bar, this cherry nut-free option from the team at Get Buzzing is outstanding. Slow-release carbohydrates provide you with a good amount of energy going into the back 9, as well as an awesome taste to go with it.

Similar to the ginger shots, but more focused on alleviating sore muscles and aching joints following a long round. There is some nice preliminary research coming out of rugby clubs showing how daily turmeric can help reduce soreness and perceived inflammation with rugby players. So, if you experience sore knees at the end of a round like many of us do, then these should be a staple in your bag for the 19th hole.

This has to be one of the best tasting protein bars on the market. It’s ideal for storing in the cold pouch of your golf bag alongside a cold drink and best consumed at the halfway hut. Again, a great source of protein to help support the tired muscles heading into the final 9 holes.

These caffeine gums from Healthspan Elite are a big favourite of mine. Each one contains 100mg of caffeine, so just a little bit more than a can of Red Bull (250ml can = 80mg of caffeine) and give a pretty instant kick. That’s because the gum is being chewed and so the caffeine is in the salivary fluid, allowing the taste buds to send a message to the brain that caffeine is on its way. These come in very handy for the final few holes when you’re looking to finish strong.

Now, this is normally a supplement that is linked with strength and power athletes. However, any golfer than is keen on improving their distance will have seen the arrival of the big hitters and big lifters like Bryson DeChambeau and Brooks Koepka. Strength training is now common practice for the pros and one supplement with a plethora of evidence supporting its use is creatine. Taken daily, 5g will increase gains in muscle mass from the gym which, in turn, will help golfers hit the ball further and begin to dominate those long par 5s.

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For more information on sports nutrition in golf, check out the Golf Monthly website.