Amy O’Donnell: Fuel Your Game

LET Nutritionist Amy O’ Donnell explains how managing energy levels is now a key performance consideration for the leading players on the Ladies European Tour.

Amy: what is your role with the LET?
I’m the nutritionist for the Ladies European Tour. With access to professional sports nutrition advice, the LET golfers have the knowledge and tools to fuel their training and performance properly. I have seen the results of this when working with the successful 2021 European team at the Solheim Cup in Ohio. We are excited to be able to offer the entire LET membership an enhanced service offering the information they need for optimisation of their energy requirements to help sustain energy levels, reduce feelings of fatigue, improve their recovery, optimize additional training, enhance mental clarity and hydration, which will ultimately elevate their performance on the golf course.

What was your role at the Solheim Cup?
I was at the 2021 in Ohio as part of my Masters placement. I was the nutritionist for the European team, making sure that the players were fuelled throughout the week, making energy balls, snack bars, dried fruit bags and then making sure the snacks were regularly available in the locker room before each round. I was in contact with the hotel and golf course beforehand to make sure we had the best possible food choices for high performance whilst we were there. It’s a very long week and a warm climate as well.

What advice did you give the European team around their nutrition?
Nutrition may only play one per cent difference in their performance but of course one per cent can be the difference between winning or losing a match. It was just a case of making sure the girls were fuelled correctly and eating enough, especially in the hotter climates as well. You tend to expend more energy than you would when it’s colder, but it’s all very individual, too. That week, the days are very long with 4 am starts and you’re not finishing up until 9.30pm or 10pm. It was about trying to get as much sleep as they could to recover as best they could, especially with 36-hole days. It was about ensuring that they were getting enough high-quality foods, getting enough carbohydrates in, protein for recovery and repair and an array of vegetables and fruits to help and aid repair, too and to keep hydrated as well.

How did this advice impact performance?
It may have impacted a lot, or it may have impacted a little. Fuelling yourself correctly will affect how you feel as a person, how you’re going to perform, gut issues, all those types of things. I definitely think it did play a role in giving the girls that extra little boost, especially in the last stages of the latter matches. It’s such a long week that you want to make sure you’re keeping your energy levels up as much as you possibly can. Nutrition can be an easy win if you’re eating the right food.

What would be the ideal breakfast before a round of golf?
We recommend trying to get a good breakfast in the morning with good quality carbs and protein, so for example, muesli, porridge, Greek yoghurt, a glass of milk and mixed fruit. Sometimes at that early time of the morning players don’t want to eat, so it’s maybe getting something that’s lighter on the stomach such as Greek yoghurt and berries, or smoothies, as sometimes it’s easier to drink your energy rather than trying to eat it We found smoothies were great that week as well. If it’s an early tee time then maybe about an hour or 45 minutes before you go off, having an energy boost like a coffee or a carbohydrate bar. The likes of “Get buzzing” are great, or any sort of nut bars. Omelettes are great, as they are full of protein and having it with ham and vegetables is great. It’s making sure that you accompany it with carbohydrates as well if you are going out to play. Having a glass of orange or apple juice can help if you’re struggling to get carbs in. Topping it off with wholemeal toast is good on days of high activity.

What would you eat during the round and how frequently?
Once on the course, it’s completely individual but maybe trying to eat every four or five holes to keep those energy levels sustained. Good quality carbohydrate sources, such as the likes of energy balls or bars and then some nuts, a chicken salad wrap and different snacks like that, it’s trying to keep your bag as full as you can and try to drink as often as you can, too. Using good quality batch tested electrolytes can help with hydration, replacing any that you have lost through sweat, especially in the warmer climates. You can also create your own sports drink using the likes of some pineapple juice, some water and a pinch of salt. There is a time and a place for all foods but I would definitely recommend making your own sources up.

What options would you recommend for an ideal lunch before or after a round?
When you come in, get a good meal with carbohydrate sources, protein, vegetables. An ideal meal would be a chicken stir fry, with noodles, vegetables and chicken. Have a snack on the course, pre-bedtime a snack of a glass of milk or a recovery smoothie, something like that. On days of lower activity, you will require less fuel- therefore you manipulate your carbohydrate intake to ‘fuel for the work required’. For example, only filling a quarter of your plate with carbohydrates (e.g., noodles, pastas, rice etc). On days of high intensity, you would want to increase this to 50% of the plate.

Are there any recommendations on calorie intake or how to avoid gaining weight by over-eating?
With regards to calories, we did research in that area and we found 16 players who had a handicap index of 5 or better. We tested them over 18 holes with three methods, one was pushing their bag, one was using an electric trolley, and one was carrying their bag. We found they used between 650 to 750 calories over the course of 18 holes. The electric trolley was the lowest and interestingly the carry bag was in the middle and the push trolley was the highest expenditure. When we looked at the results individually, there was a large range of energy expenditure. It’s important that we’re fuelling ourselves correctly when we’re out on the course to ensure we don’t experience levels of fatigue which affect our game. As we know, the pro shop sometimes has limited options. The biggest piece of advice that I can give when it comes to showing up at a tournament is to be prepared, if that means stopping at a shop beforehand or making up your snacks the night before. Sometimes that doesn’t come to plan, so it’s about picking the best option that you can from the pro shop. The likes of flapjacks etc aren’t the worst in the world. No food is a bad food. You just need that energy out on the course, so bananas, nuts and seeds are all great. We are all going to expend energy differently so it’s individual and it depends what level you’re playing at and what other activities you’re doing throughout the day. It’s all about energy balance and what you put in versus what you take out. If you do this successfully then you won’t gain any weight. You can of course manipulate this to build muscle mass or lose mass or whatever your goals are. It’s very hard to put a number on everyone’s calorie intake because it depends on your lifestyle factors, your age, your gender, weight and activity levels.

How can we alter our eating habits and diet around the different stages of the menstrual cycle?
Again, it’s very individual. It can vary on whether you have a standard 28 to 35 day menstrual cycle or if you’re on contraception. You have the two phases, the follicular phase and the luteal phase. Week one is usually our period when ideally, we would replace the iron through blood loss with other iron sources, such as steak and spinach, paired with vitamin C which helps with iron absorption. Before exercise, it’s important to warm up to get the blood flow around your body. In week two, you want to increase your carbohydrate content, on day six or seven of your cycle to increase energy levels. On day 12 or 13 you can decrease the carbs but ensure you’re getting some decent snacks. It’s a great time for strength training as this is where our testosterone levels are meant to be the highest. You may find that you’re hitting PBs in the gym. In week three, the luteal phase, your strength may decrease and that you’ll maybe be more prone to injury. Your energy demands increase, so you may want to have an additional high protein snack. It’s been shown that energy demands can increase by 100 to 300 calories a day for that week. Week four is your PMS, which could be mood changes, cravings and lower energy, so you may want to eat more slow releasing carbs such as oats, wholemeal pasta and rice to try and keep your energy levels stable, combined with low energy exercise such as pilates or yoga. It’s good to try and track your cycle for a minimum of three months to find any trends that appear. This could perhaps make some difference in the future.

Amy O’Donnell can be contacted via email: amy@closenutrition.com