Fairway Fuel Protein Bars

[iacas]

Fairway Fuel

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Fairway Fuel

Fairway Fuel is an Erie-based company that's creating new protein bars for golfers. The company labels their 60g bars as "protein-packed" and made with "nutritious, natural ingredients, and just the right amount [~230] calories to fuel you" on the golf course.

Fairway Fuel bars contain:

• Real ingredients and are made with natural ingredients. You'll be able to pronounce everything in your bars and will know what the ingredients are.
• 14g protein with a blend of whey protein isolate.
• 12g fiber for gut-friendly nutrition.
• 0g added sugar - no added sugar or artificial sweeteners. Just honey, dates, etc.

For example, here's the back of the Peanut Butter and Jelly bars:

As a retail box, it folds to look like this (blueberry flavor):

Individually, three flavors are currently being offered: Peanut Butter Cup, Peanut Butter + Jelly, and Blueberry.

I'll have more to say soon, as will @billchao, @boogielicious, and @phillyk, as they're being sent some bars to try out too.

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For now, I will add that my wife and I tried the Blueberry flavor. Our thoughts, in brief:

• The bar is substantial in heft. It's a thicker, heavier bar than some of the alternatives. It's like a thick fudge in consistency, and it's quite chewy (all in a good way - it feels like you're getting something that will tide you over for quite some time).
• The blueberry flavor is subtle, which I like. Everyone knows the "banana candy" flavor that's so strong, while real bananas are pretty mild. This isn't candy-like blueberry - it's a mild, subtle blueberry that tastes really good.
• The bar is not gritty or fibrous at all. Like I said, it's almost like a fudge, with some chewier parts (blueberries) and some slightly crunchy parts.
• I had a bar for lunch and was still feeling good and un-hungry (is that a word?) when I started to make dinner at 6. Consequently, I made a smaller dinner for myself than I otherwise may have.

I'll share more thoughts on the other flavors as I try them this weekend on my college team's trip to Ohio.

P.S. @AnthonyFF may pop in to say hi and/or answer anyone's questions. You can find out more by clicking the link at the top or by clicking https://fairwayfuel.co. Note: we're not being sponsored by FF nor are we in any affiliate situation. We'll add something on Monday with a discount if you want to try these bars out and provide feedback, as the company is receiving feedback and working to improve and evolve their offerings.

 

[saevel25]

Looks pretty good. I like stuff with small list of ingredients. Reminds me a bit of the RXBAR but with whey protein. 

I do like having these available before doing strenuous activities where eating too much food is just a burden. I will tend to eat a protein bar before volleyball, for example. 

[Clemsonfan]

I wish them the best of luck. “Un-hungry” is often referred to as sated or not hungry dependent upon your feeling😉.

I avoid bars with more fat calories than protein calories. Would like to read their thoughts on this macro setup for golfers.

[ChetlovesMer]

  On 9/1/2023 at 9:49 AM, Clemsonfan said:

I avoid bars with more fat calories than protein calories. 

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Hmm... Funny. I actually seek out calories from Fats. 

I like my fuel to come from proteins, fats and fiber. 

[saevel25]

  On 9/1/2023 at 9:49 AM, Clemsonfan said:

I avoid bars with more fat calories than protein calories. Would like to read their thoughts on this macro setup for golfers.

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Golf is an endurance sport, so fat burning is OK. In general, just do what macros work for your overall health goals. That should suffice for golf. 

Fat is OK, it isn't the enemy. 

  On 9/1/2023 at 12:16 PM, ChetlovesMer said:

I like my fuel to come from proteins, fats and fiber. 

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Fiber doesn't fuel. 😛 Fiber is good for a few things. If soluble, good for the arteries and bacteria biome in our digestive system. If insoluble, it is good for digestion. Our body doesn't have the enzymes to break down fiber to get any energy from it. That is why we have come up with the phrase net carbs. Where we subtract fiber from the carb count to get the total energy expenditure. 

The only nitpick I have is the use of tapioca starch. People have to be careful with the Tapioca Fiber. The kind used by most food industries is IMO (Isomalto-oligosaccharide) and is not a true fiber. Per the FDA, the use of IMO means it needs to be classified as a sugar additive not fiber. I hope these bars are using the non-IMO version of the tapioca fiber so they can claim the 12 grams of fiber and no sugar added claim. 

Soluble Tapioca Fiber: Is It Keto? - Ketogenic.com

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Soluble tapioca fiber has become so popular because it’s sweet and a natural binder for delicious treats, but is it keto-friendly?

 

[ChetlovesMer]

  On 9/1/2023 at 1:47 PM, saevel25 said:

Fiber doesn't fuel. 😛 Fiber is good for a few things. 

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You are correct, sir. 

I should have just said it's something I seek out in the foods I eat. 👍

[klineka]

They look pretty good. I'll probably try a box, I've been in a good habit of eating a protein bar throughout my front 9s so I'll have to give these a shot.

[iacas]

I’ll be trying the other flavors this weekend. Probably saving peanut butter and jelly for last as I think that may be my favorite.

[snapfade]

I'm kinda wishing that had a sample pack. I'd hate to cough up 35 clams and not like it. I am leaning towards the peanut butter cup one though. I will wait for the reviews to come in before I jump in,  but then I seem to buy everything else you guys recommend so why should these be any different. LOL

[iacas]

  On 9/1/2023 at 5:31 PM, snapfade said:

I'm kinda wishing that had a sample pack. I'd hate to cough up 35 clams and not like it.

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Pretty sure their site says if you want a sample pack to email them.

Actually even better.

[iacas]

  On 9/1/2023 at 1:47 PM, saevel25 said:

The only nitpick I have is the use of tapioca starch.

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From FF’s nutritional developer:

Thanks. I can confirm it is not an IMO. We are using a soluble fiber which is indeed resistant to digestion and will not spike blood sugar.

[AnthonyFF]

Hi Erik,

Thanks for your post, we're excited for you to try the others (PB&J is my favorite)!  For anyone that wants to give Fairway Fuel a try, please use promo code SANDTRAP20.

We just soft launched two weeks ago and are available at courses and golf simulators in Erie, PA, Buffalo, NY, and Atlanta, GA. We are currently seeking as much feedback as possible from the golf community so we can fine tune our bars so that they are perfect to start next season. If you try them and would like to provide feedback, or if you have any questions about our bars or company please feel free to send me an email anthony@fairwayfuel.co.  I reply to every email!

Thanks again, and we hope you never miss another fairway.

-Anthony

[Darkfrog]

These look good. I just ordered a box of the peanut butter cup. Usually I pack an apple and small bag of nuts to snack on when I golf, but I'd prefer a bar that I can just stick in my bag the night before. Problem with bars is that (in my opinion), nutritious bars taste like sawdust or worse, and the bars that taste good have the nutritional value of a Snickers.

For me statements like "no added sugar" and "natural" don't matter, just a pet peeve I have about product marketing language.

Looking forward to trying these. I'll share some with my 4-some too.

 

[iacas]

I've tried the other two flavors.

That right there is the "Peanut Butter Cup."

Like the Blueberry, both the Peanut Butter Cup and the "Peanut Butter & Jelly" flavors are very understated. I liked this for blueberry, where a strong blueberry taste might be too candy-like and "fake."

I didn't like it as much with these. I like peanut butter flavor (I like blueberry flavor, too) in foods - shakes, snacks, sandwiches, etc. While I called the blueberry "subtle" or "understated" I almost struggled to taste the "peanut butter" or the "cup" (chocolate) or the "jelly" in either of these flavors.

I wanted more taste.

The taste they had was "good," it just wasn't very strong at all. On a scale of 1-10, where 8 is "real peanut butter" (I'm leaving room above 8 for the fake, overly done peanut butter taste from some candies and things)… this is about a 1. I'd love at least a 3 or a 4 - enough flavor to taste "peanut butter" without it being "thick."

As with blueberry, the bar itself is substantial and chewy. I like those aspects.

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Are the rest of y'all getting some of the sample packs and/or your own box? Post what you think when you get them.

[dennyjones]

I have samples coming.  I'm looking forward to reviewing them.

[Darkfrog]

I ordered a box of peanut butter cup. After my order I got an email from FF (Max) and they said they are also sending me samples of the blueberry and pb&j bar as well to try, so I will share my thoughts on all three once I try them.

[DrizZzY]

I got to try the Peanut Butter Cup today and quite liked it.  I echo what @iacas mentions about the chewiness. I was surprised about how chewy it was, but that was in no way a bad thing. The taste was slightly lacking in terms of peanut butter taste, but it did not ruin the experience of eating it. I did however, really like it wasn't "chalky" like some really high protein bars can be. So that was a big +1 for me. Overall I enjoyed it,and if they were in my pro shop I would buy one at the turn to boost my back nine. 

[klineka]

  On 9/6/2023 at 1:37 AM, dennyjones said:

I have samples coming.  I'm looking forward to reviewing them.

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Same here