The game stems from a sheer laziness for not wanting to fill the car up. So what he does on his way home, is gauge how far the journey is and how much the car’s computer says is in the tank. If the two amounts are the same then the game is on. If the distance to be travelled is more than the mileage the on-board computer believes to be in the fuel reserves, the pressure truly is on.
Now you might be thinking at this stage this is a ridiculous game. Why doesn’t he just stop and fill the car up? It’s not as if he wouldn’t be on expenses or can’t afford it.
He freely admits that he is lazy and an awful husband and it’s a childish game. After all it wouldn’t be the first time his wife has jumped in his car and only made it to the end of the road before running out of fuel, sometimes with the kids in the car. Her anger and frustration being somewhat misplaced as the very reason she used his car and not hers was because her car was low on fuel!
So how on earth does the Clarkson’s family fuel issues relate to your ability to score and concentrate on the golf course? Well it’s a risky business running low on fuel in the car and on the golf course. The golfing equivalent is playing under your handicap with four holes to go and you start feeling tired or even nervous. A fog appears, the rhythm disappears and shots seem to slip away. Fourteen holes of good solid work destroyed and all because you didn’t have enough fuel on board to get you home.
This does beg the question, what should you eat during a round? The answer can come in many forms but lets start with some figures which will help us get to the right answer. You will burn around 1000 to 1500 calories whilst walking the course depending on whether you are carrying or pulling.
What’s just as important to remember is that you are more than likely to miss a meal due to the normal length of a round, so the tariff is around 1500 calories plus a meal (if you play over lunchtime) for you to maintain your normal energy levels.
There is a lot of speculation around the world of golf in relation to course nutrition and the perfect blend of carbohydrates, proteins and sugars to put in your bag (I am anticipating your eyes glazing over from an overdose of techno babble here). It happens to me, so I tend to subscribe to the simplistic version initially and then move on from there.
This comes from an experience whilst managing an England Under-18 regional squad a couple of years ago. We had a renowned nutritionist come in to coach and advise our players on what to eat whilst on the course. We even went as far as to make up some packs to put in their bags so they could see the effects immediately.
Imagine how disappointed the coaching team were when we discovered, over a month later, that these packs had been mostly untouched and now answerable to a very funky, musty smell in the locker room.
The lesson learned was it’s better to be eating something you like, albeit not ideal, rather than nothing at all. The general guidelines would be to stay away from processed foods especially sugars. Nuts, fruits and whole grain breads are a good way to go. My darling wife became a great flapjack maker with her crystallised ginger variety becoming a famous favourite with my playing partners.
The important message here is make sure you have something you enjoy to eat, a treat, something to look forward to. Even when playing a slow round, steal yourself away from the frustration of waiting and indulge yourself whilst refuelling.
As my last article said, drink plenty of water and now alongside a golf bag full of food you would enjoy eating, you will have all the hydration and nutrition elements covered to remain focused and bring that score in under your handicap.
Of course, if you feel that what you consume on the course is not an issue and it’s more of a technical problem please visit us at BLiP this weekend (10-11 October) - I’m sure we can help.