If you’ve seen enough professional golf games, you’ve probably noticed the players sipping on something and wondered what they were drinking. After all, golfing is a type of sport that can require quite a bit of strength and stamina and, in turn, leave you dehydrated. If one were to get dehydrated by as little as 2% of their body weight, their athletic performance would rapidly decrease – so, what do pro golfers drink while playing?
Pro golfers usually drink water or a sports drink while playing, as these beverages help them rehydrate and maintain optimal performance by replenishing lost electrolytes. Other beverages like protein shakes and juices can also be consumed; however, these aren’t as popular among pros.
If you want to learn more about what your favorite pro golfers drink during their most important games, keep reading.
4 Popular Drinks for Pro Golfers
Though there are no official restrictions on the beverages players can and can’t bring onto the course, some options are more popular than others due to the positive effect they have on performance. Overall, the most popular drinks for pro golfers are water and sports drinks, followed by juices and protein shakes.
Let’s take a look at them in more detail below:
- Water
Water is undoubtedly the most popular drink for pro golfers. Seeing as some of these athletes have to play for hours on end, they’d probably faint from dehydration if they didn’t have a water bottle nearby.
Pros already have a team of nutritionists guiding them on how to eat to optimize performance, so they’re well aware of how important keeping proper hydration levels is for their overall performance. For more info on the matter, I suggest heading over to the link embedded in the opening paragraph of the article.
- Sports Drink
Electrolytes are minerals in your body, such as potassium, chloride, and sodium, that carry an electric charge, affecting how your body works in several essential ways. When you engage in extensive physical activity (e.g., golfing for hours on end), you don’t only lose water but electrolytes as well, and it can be of the essence that you replenish them.
That’s why you’ll often see pros chugging Gatorade, Lucozade, or Powerade mid-game to help with muscle contractions, nerve impulses, and fluid balance.
- Protein Shake
If an athlete is particularly selective about what they want to consume mid-game, they might opt for a pre-made protein shake that provides everything they need in one beverage. Sometimes, if you see clear branding on the bottle, the player is likely consuming the shake as part of an endorsement deal.
- Juices
Fruit and vegetable juices filled with vitamins and minerals are also a choice many pro players opt for when they need a quick refreshment mid-game. These juices are usually carefully crafted to optimize performance, though, and not your run-of-the-mill boxed OJ.
Conclusion
Though each golfer will bring their beverage of choice on the course, most of them prefer to stick to water. While golfing isn’t the highest-intensity activity out there, it can still be tiring enough to leave you dehydrated. That’s why it’s best to ensure you have a bottle of water or a sports drink near you at all times, especially if the game is expected to last more than an hour.
PGA doesn’t have any clearly stated rules prohibiting alcohol use. However, most pros prefer to avoid it, as it can notably impair their game.