Exploratory Investigation Of Blood Glucose Response For Collegiate Golfers During A 9-hole Round

Maintenance of appropriate levels of blood glucose (BG) is a crucial factor when considering cognitive function and performance for collegiate golfers during a round of golf. Carbohydrate intake before and during competitive golf directly affects BG and when limited, can cause a noticeable decrease, negatively affecting performance including mental and physical fatigue. Due to individual athletes' different responses, it is of the upmost importance that each athlete receives an individualized nutrition plan. PURPOSE: To observe the BG response for college golfers during a 9-hole round of golf. METHODS: Twelve DII college golfers (19.4 ± 1.3 yrs, 69.3 ± 3.6 in, 164.6 ± 26.8 lbs), nine males (19.8 ± 1.2 yrs, 71.2 ± 2.3 in, 176.4 ± 22.9 lbs) and four females (18.8 ± 1.5 yrs, 65.4 ± 1.9 in, 141.0 ± 17.3 lbs) participated. Age, height, and weight were collected using a scale and stadiometer. All subjects played 9-holes of golf (male: 3,270 yds; female: 2,763 yds), while walking and carrying their golf bag (11 subjects) or using a pushcart (1 subject). Prior to the round of golf, participants completed a food recall and a baseline BG measurement. During the round, the subjects were instructed to only consume water, and BG was collected after the completion of every hole. The average and standard deviation for all subjects was calculated for each data point. RESULTS: There was variation in BG throughout the round of golf. Average baseline measure for BG was 91.6 ± 17.7 mg/dL, followed by an immediate decrease after the first hole (86.1 ± 13.8 mg/dL). After hole two, BG attempted to maintain (87.9 ± 11.2 mg/dL), however, BG continued to decrease to a low point of 80.6 ± 8.6 mg/dL following hole eight. Average BG following the round of golf was 82.4 ± 9.1 mg/dL. For all subjects, an average decrease of 9.2 mg/dL was observed from baseline to post-round. CONCLUSIONS: The observed changes in BG varied significantly between subjects, evidenced by large standard deviations. In CONCLUSION: , the data suggests that sport coaches, strength and conditioning coaches, and sport dietitians work with golf athletes individually to provide nutrition programs specific to the athlete to help them achieve peak performance. Maintaining an optimal BG level is multi-factorial, however specifying nutrition for each athlete during the round is imperative for performance.