Drink lots of water in desert heat

If you are going to play golf in the hot sun, be sure to hydrate your body with plenty of fluids before, during, and after your game, even if you're not thirsty. Once you become dehydrated, no amount of water will replenish your body - your absorption functions will be shut down.

'Stay hydrated' is a common phrase, you often hear from playing sports and on the golf course. Optimal hydration can improve your golf game mentally and physically. Since the brain is made up of 85 per cent water and is water inefficient, it has top priority with regard to blood circulation.

Drinking the correct amount of water will ensure optimal blood flow to the brain which will enable you to focus on the golf course. Water also acts as a lubricating agent for joints which will help with a smooth swing and can relieve pain from chronic joint pathologies.

Some people say "drink lots of water". But what is a lot of water? Others say "drink eight glasses of water per day". This is not an accurate way to determine the amount of water to drink each day.

Through research, here is an accurate amount of water you should be drinking during a day playing a round of golf:

In every day life you should be drinking half your body weight (pounds) in ounces per day. For example, a 200lb person will need to drink 100 ounces of water per day.

The optimal amount of water to drink during a round of golf is half your daily intake more. Just so you know, the 500ml bottle of water you get in the buggies is approximately 17 1/2 ounces of water. This means that a 200lb man would have to drink almost nine bottles of water during the day.

A key point to remember is that other fluids do not count toward your goal. Those fluids include: coffee, tea, juices, soda, milk, sports drinks, and flavoured water. In fact, fluids like sports drinks and juices can actually dehydrate the body because it takes water to actually dilute these high sugar drinks before it is assimilated in the body.

Drinking the proper amount of water may be the missing link to improving your golf game mentally and physically. So, here's drinking to your golf game!