Welcome to Play Smart, a regular GOLF.com game-improvement column that will help you play smarter, better golf.
Many things go into playing a great round of golf, but one of the most important — nutrition! — is often overlooked. While most of us will manage to get some sort of food into our bodies over the course of 18 holes, often it’s not the fuel that will help us perform our best.
Nutritionists recommend that your snacks contain protein and fiber, which combines to satisfy your hunger and provide energy without weighing you down. Unfortunately, that means a couple of hot dogs and an IPA at the turn is not a great choice.
Don’t hang your head too much, though, if you like to eat. There are still plenty of options for mid-round snacks that are both healthy and tasty, one of which comes courtesy of 15-time major winner Tiger Woods.
In a recent Match VII promo from Bleacher Report, Woods revealed that his go-to snack on the course is a peanut butter and banana sandwich.
“I tend to lose weight when I play,” he says. “Every time I play, I lose 3 to 4 pounds per tournament.”
If Woods’ goal is maintaining weight, a peanut butter and banana sandwich is a great choice.
According to eatingwell.com, one peanut butter and banana sandwich contains 269 calories, 12 grams of protein and eight grams of fiber — all optimal numbers for keeping your energy levels high while on the course. (For what it’s worth, another GOAT — Elvis Presley — also had a taste for peanut butter and bananas, but he slipped a third ingredient into the mix: bacon.)
Next time you get to the halfway house and reach for a brat, reconsider your options. While a loaded sausage might be the tastiest option, the recipe for more birdies more likely includes peanut butter and bananas.
