Water intake

[pluthb]

Would you agree that your water intake should be 1/2 your weight in ounces? Thanks for participating and being a resource Vicki!

[stimpson]

Water intake IS an interesting subject. As Vicky just pointed out in another thread it probably deserves a thread of its own. Martee had some interesting info about playing in the desert.

Here's my point of view:

42 C = 108 F and very humid
I once played a round in very humid condisions in Asia in that temperature. When the round was over I was pretty exhausted & could ACTUALY squeeze sweat of of my briefs(!). I walked, but had a caddie. After each three holes there was a kiosk serving stuff such as fresh coconut milk and fruits. Had a lot of that. I was pretty confused as to how to handle intake while playing. Any advice on the matter would be good.

20 +/- 3 C = 68 F and dryish
The temperature I normally play in. Walking with a pullcart. I have found that the best intake procedure is:

1/2 - 3/4 litre of water about 10-15 minutes BEFORE playing. If I do that I do not have to fiddle with drinks while playing the first 9 holes. After 9 holes I again drink 1/2 - 3/4 litre of water before starting the back 9. Again this leaves me without having to either go to the restroom, wanting to drink more or feel exhaused afterwards. Some of my buddies drink a lot more (saying "you should drink A LOT") and need to go into the woods 2 or even 3 times in a round - while I prepare for my next shot.

10 +/- 3 C = 50 F and dryish
Under these conditions (walking with pullcart) I am normally ok drinking just 1/2 litre of water for the full round.


Finally. In my mind: If you need to go to the restroom all the time you are having too much. If you feel exhausted afterwards you probably had too little.

And:

I prefer drinking what I need well BEFORE starting out. I feel it lets me focus on the game & not having to fiddle with bottles or looking for restrooms or big bushes all the time.

And:

Coke and sweet drinks make you tired at 12th tee.


Now tear me apart.

[Martee]

Not an expert, have experienced heat exhaustion several times, in a variety of environments. (Low Humidy, High Humidy and Freezing Cold, figure that one out)

One thing a doctor told me was that if the fluids passed are not clear, then you are not over hydrated. Anytime the fluid is dark, then you are low on water. It won't always be clear, but dark is bad. If it is clear, then you are definitely hydrated.

Granted those terms are subjective, I have found that if I need to go to the bathroom and it is not light, I need some water. Why, cause the fluids being passed are not water but byproducts of other stuff in the system.

Also drinking Adult Beverages is definitely one way to abuse your body's hydration. It only took me 40 years to learn that one. So on the course it is a rarity I ever partake. After the round may be a different story, but I can asure you for every ounce of Adult Beverage I drink I will drink 3 to 4 times that of water. Also it helps in not getting hung over...

[Matt]

In my high school state tournament the other year, it was unbelieveably hot and humid the second day. I was slamming water like crazy, and in that weather you have zero appetite. It ended up catching up with me and I got jittery on the second nine. I'm talking a 16oz bottle of water every other hole here.

One thing to make sure of if you're drinking a ton of water is that you're getting some sort of food in you too. Everything's getting flushed out and leaving you in need of nutrients. And drinking Coke, etc, isn't a good idea either because the sugar will spike your insulin, inevitably leading to a crash a few holes later. Up and down, up and down. From alert to tired.

[Vickie]

Well there is really little more that anyone could say after all of these accurate responses. But ofcourse, being a woman I will try. FirstLet me say YES, a general rule of thum is half your weight in ounces. I have a formula that I use with private clients to take into account all of the stresses and all of the good food and supplement intakes and determine a more personal amount of good fluid. I weigh 125 pounds and would be very exhausted if I only took in 60 ounces. I typically drink a gallon a day but remember I exercise daily and sometimes twice a day.

The tricky thing about wateris that it is so individualized. Some people handle their fluids better than others and urinate less frequently because they can. Other people can drink too little and still feel like they are in the bathroom all the time, especially in the beginning of increasing their water.

As Martee said alcohol will definitely demand a replacement of water as will caffeine.

As Matt said you can consider the water in your food as part of your intake. I also loved that he encourages you to eat in addition to drinking because the water in food corrects one of the greatest dangers of over-hydration and that is the loss of sodium in your blood. By eating on the golf course you replace some salt that you are diluting with your water and also salt that you loose in your sweat.

I also agree with stimpson that it is most beneficial to hydrate before you begin your play as opposed to trying to play catch up once you're already in the middle of the game.

I would again cautin using urination as a sign of overhydration and I will warn you that the symptoms of over-hydration are the same as dehydration, fatigue, dizziness, mylaise, confusion, disorientation.

Determining what you need is tricky as I said. Use the minimum as a guideline and eat well an hour before you start your game. For lower level play in moderate temperatures you can add the 1/2 cup per 15 minutes I suggested. If you start your game tired or dehydrated or it is really hot or if you are walking more than usual then you could increase this as much as 1/4 cup per 15 minutes.

There are many doctors that would like to see people eliminate the toxins from their kidney's on an hourly basis. Most people think this is excessive. You'll probably hate this inclusion but bowel habits are also important and instead of the once a day that most people think is good, there are many that would prefer to see elimination after every meal.
Elimination is a way to purify your body.

Let's not flush our systems to excess but great to see golfer's paying attention to fluid. Proper hydration will keep your energy high to thru to the end of a great game.

vik

PS Pluthb has a obviously found his system. That is a great example!

[loubert]

One thing a doctor told me was that if the fluids passed are not clear, then you are not over hydrated. Anytime the fluid is dark, then you are low on water. It won't always be clear, but dark is bad. If it is clear, then you are definitely hydrated.

Martee,

Recalling my days as a chemistry lab instructor, I just wanted make the distinction between "clear" and "colorless." Urine should be clear (i.e., not cloudy) regardless of how dark the color.

Lou

[Bagger Lance]

Originally Posted by Martee

One thing a doctor told me was that if the fluids passed are not clear, then you are not over hydrated. Anytime the fluid is dark, then you are low on water. It won't always be clear, but dark is bad. If it is clear, then you are definitely hydrated.

Martee,

Recalling my days as a chemistry lab instructor, I just wanted make the distinction between "clear" and "colorless." Urine should be clear (i.e., not cloudy) regardless of how dark the color.

Lou

When we set up this forum in January, I don't think we ever imagined we would take golf to this level.

Gotta love it!

Bagger

[Vickie]

Great Bagger . . . I agree. Thx for the clearification on clear vs. colorless. I try to stay away from such diagnosis because changes in body products can be affected by so many factors beyond water.

We could get into a whole conversation about 'what' bottled water to drink or just what kind reverse osmosis, tap, spring, or distilled. Which waters are really better and which ones are just water purified and put in a bottle.

This would atleast get us out of the wter shed.

Vik

[pluthb]

Thanks for all the responses, I think this forum is exceeding expectations in many ways for more people than me.
So next, lets chat about what to eat before and during a round of golf.
What do you think about energy bars, their use and best time to use?
I see a lot of tour players eating bananas, what else would be good to eat on the golf course or pick up at the turn?

[Trig]

My second hobby is long distance triathlons. I live in Texas. So I have had a lot of experience with hydration - both under and over!

Most people do not drink nearly enough. Or they drink the wrong things. As Vickie said, hydration is very individualized. It is dependent on your body size and fitness level and probably other genetic things that I know nothing about.

I like the rule of having to "pee clear" regularly throughout the day. That works in my events, works on the golf course, and works when I'm just sitting in the office all day.

Over-hydration is hard to do but it can happen and can cause a potentially dangerous condition known as hyponatremia. This usually happens to extreme-endurance athletes who hydrate with pure water for many hours and all of their electrolytes get flushed out of their bodies. I seriously doubt any golfer has to worry about this, however, the easiest way to avoid the problem is to make sure you hydrate with a fluid that includes electrolytes (sodium and potassium) when the weather is very hot. Drinks like Gatorade are a perfect choice. When playing golf here in Texas, I drink mostly water. But in the summer I take in plenty of Gatorade in addition to water. I will venture to say pure water works for most people on the golf course in most conditions.

Personally, I just remember the "pee-clear regularly" rule no matter where I am or what I'm doing.