What Do You Drink During a Round?

[leftybutnotPM]

6 hours ago, Osnola said:

Bet you thought this was about alcohol....I'm asking about hydration on the golf course.  I currently doing the GatorAde zero, but it is sweetened with the same product that is in Splenda..  I am looking for something that will provide hydration but not kill me....any ideas or recommendations.

Water. Nothing else is required in 99% of conditions.

If you are going to drink Gatorade or "sports drinks" you may as well drink coke.

A round of golf is not strenuous exercise or a "workout".

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) concludes that sports drinks can be helpful for intense exercise that lasts more than an hour. Gatorade-funded researchers and trainers would prefer that you drink sports drinks at every opportunity, but that advice benefits their bottom line more than your body.

Edited January 29, 2020 by leftybutnotPM

[Double Mocha Man]

Italian Sports Drink.  (pinot grigio in an opaque container)

[cooke119]

Ice tea or water. I never drink beer or other alcohol on the course, I play bad enough already. I wait to the 19th hole for that.

[Sandy Divot]

Water

[RickK]

Depends on what the round is all about and time of year.  Dead heat of summer tournament, I drink PowerAde Zero Grape.  Usually 2 large bottles per round maybe 3.  Add some water in between.  Dead heat of summer, out having fun...up to 7oz Scotch on ice...not over 8 oz or it goes downhill fast.  Wintertime golf(tournament or fun...does not matter) start out with 1/2 coffee and 1/2 Baileys, then switch to Dr. Pepper and Canadian whiskey.  

 

[bkuehn1952]

Water, from a re-usable bottle.

[snapfade]

10 hours ago, dagolfer18 said:

When I’m on the course, I normally take Lipton green tea, but I’ll drink the water from our water coolers, which is normally ice cold. I generally don’t drink water unless it’s cold. Sometimes, at the turn, I’ll get a Dr. Pepper and sip on that throughout the back nine.

Here’s something I’ve tried that I like: take a 20oz water bottle that 3/4 full, then get a Sprite and fill the other 1/4.

In Germany its a thing to mix Sprite and Beer, they call it alsterwasser. 

[Shindig]

Water.  I keep (golf and otherwise) citrus in house, so I have some slices of lemon, lime, and/or orange in the main bottle.  I refill it from other bottles I carry.  Warmer weather --> more ice and more water being brought.  I also will have the equivalent of about 16 oz PowerAde Zero (I haven't bought any Gatorade-branded in over a decade since they cancelled my favorite flavor) in another bottle.  Discovering the bottles that keep cold cold (thermal bottles?) over about four years ago has been an absolute blessing.    Time was the ice would have melted before I got to the turn.  Now I sometimes have ice leftover for the drive home. 

[Nagah]

Water. I use to drink Coke Zero.

[boogielicious]

15 hours ago, leftybutnotPM said:

Water. Nothing else is required in 99% of conditions.

If you are going to drink Gatorade or "sports drinks" you may as well drink coke.

A round of golf is not strenuous exercise or a "workout".

The American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM) concludes that sports drinks can be helpful for intense exercise that lasts more than an hour. Gatorade-funded researchers and trainers would prefer that you drink sports drinks at every opportunity, but that advice benefits their bottom line more than your body.

As someone who has done a lot of bike racing, I would add that if you do sweat a lot golfing, some electrolytes can help. If I play on hot days and sweat for 4+ hours, I will need electrolytes or I will have cramps later. On really hot rounds, I will have one or two electrolyte drinks in addition to 2 or 3 bottles of water. 

[billchao]

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

As someone who has done a lot of bike racing, I would add that if you do sweat a lot golfing, some electrolytes can help. If I play on hot days and sweat for 4+ hours, I will need electrolytes or I will have cramps later. On really hot rounds, I will have one or two electrolyte drinks in addition to 2 or 3 bottles of water. 

Electrolytes are fine. Sugar, not really necessary. Drink pickle juice 😜

[boogielicious]

41 minutes ago, billchao said:

Electrolytes are fine. Sugar, not really necessary. Drink pickle juice 😜

I've tried pickle juice for cramping and it doesn't help for me. I avoid sugar with my electrolyte drink as a rule. But you've seen how much I can sweat so I do need electrolytes! 

[IowaGreg]

12 hours ago, snapfade said:

In Germany its a thing to mix Sprite and Beer, they call it alsterwasser. 

I do miss cola weizen…….

Just my personal preference after riding several thousands of summertime miles on a motorcycle from North Carolina to Texas,,,,,,,,,  I felt better at the end of the day after Gatorade than water.

[Cantankerish]

I find that drinks with chemicals to replace sugar are not much for quenching thirst.  Honestly, a beer when you are very thirsty is about as good as it gets.  But you can't go wrong with water.  Summer in S. Florida means you have to have a plan for replacing water during your round.  I lose about 2 lbs. during a round in summer, even drinking lots of water.  Most of that is liquids lost from perspiration.

[billchao]

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I've tried pickle juice for cramping and it doesn't help for me.

There are pills for cramps, Scott 😜

[HJJ003]

2 hours ago, boogielicious said:

I've tried pickle juice for cramping

Yeah the research is pretty uncertain on the effects of pickle juice and reducing leg cramps. One study found that a decent amount of pickle juice could be linked to reduce duration of cramps, but not reduced frequency. Few studies have been properly conducted, and a few have even been debunked due to better more methodical studies coming along. 

[boogielicious]

9 minutes ago, billchao said:

There are pills for cramps, Scott 😜

I've tried a bunch of things and only hydration and electrolytes work and even then, I can get night cramps. Even swimming, I get foot cramps. I've had the issue since I was a child and you know I am no spring chicken anymore!

4 minutes ago, HJJ003 said:

Yeah the research is pretty uncertain on the effects of pickle juice and reducing leg cramps. One study found that a decent amount of pickle juice could be linked to reduce duration of cramps, but not reduced frequency. Few studies have been properly conducted, and a few have even been debunked due to better more methodical studies coming along. 

There was a drink that came out a couple of years ago by a Nobel Laureate that was linked to those studies. I tried that too with little improvement.

So golfing on hot days, I use Ultima Replenisher Electrolyte Powder every couple of bottles, plus plenty more water. Then I won't get cramps later. It is similar to Vitamin Water Zero, but less expensive.

[Patch]

It's my opinion that when hydration is important, the player needs to start the hydration process the day before their event. 

I drink copious amounts of water all year long, all day long. More so in the warmer months. Yes there are a few beers, and mixed drinks thrown it there. 

During an 18 hole round of golf in 115*, July heat, I will drink 6, to 8 bottles of water, with food supplements. That is just a continuation of the hydration process I started the day before.

It's also my opinion that once the dehydration process has started, there is no instant, quick fix. A lot of scoring rounds have been higher than normal, because the golfer didn't realize they were becoming dehydrated during their round. .