Making improvements to nutrition strategy can often seem like the last thing on a golfer’s mind, yet getting nutrition right is vital for ensuring you perform at your peak on the course. With the Masters on everyone’s screens this weekend, we caught up with EUROPro Tour golfer Steve Robins about his experiences tailoring his nutrition strategy by integrating supplements into his pre, during and post-game routine – along with how this has impacted his game for the better.

What frustrations were you experiencing on the course and during competition that led you to seek more nutritional support from supplements?

"I had purchased the occasional protein product in the past but hadn’t ever had a developed nutrition plan or used supplements consistently alongside my game. I knew that with some competitive rounds lasting close to five hours, I needed to improve my attention to detail when it came to my on-course nutrition. I have always been very dedicated to practicing and working on my game and felt that neglecting to plan and manage my nutrition with the same attention to detail was undermining all the hard work I had done in practice.

Ultimately, if I was becoming fatigued on the course, I recognised that it would reduce my capacity to execute and perform as well as I hope to."

How is your nutrition strategy for a competition different now to before?

"Sam Barrows, the nutritionist I work with, has advised me to eat something every 5 holes, as well as it being essential to eat during my warm-up. Previously, I may have just eaten something at the halfway point of a round or if I felt hungry.  Now I eat a sandwich, flapjack or banana bread - and a Pro X protein bar- during my time on the course. I am also far more conscious of my hydration levels during a round and, in addition to water, I’ll have Hydra 10 to keep electrolyte levels up."

What top tips do you have when it comes to on-course nutrition that have really helped to make a difference to your game?

"I can see now that I used to be too reactive in managing my on-course nutrition, only drinking and eating when my body told me I needed to. By then it was too late and my performance may have already been adversely affected through poor energy and hydration levels; something I just wasn’t aware of at the time.

I now take a much more proactive approach and don’t wait to feel hunger or thirst, but take a much more structured approach of eating every 5 holes and constantly sipping my Hydra 10 formula.

It’s been incredible to see my scores drop and mindset change, becoming much more positive and confident in the later stages of my rounds. In my last four competitions, for example, I birdied two or three of the last four holes and have been under par on the back nine in five out of my last six tournament rounds.*

When it comes to finishing rounds, I’m ending things strongly when it comes to scores and energy. Support from Sam and the Nutrition X supplements I’ve been taking have given me the opportunity to just focus entirely on my game, and the results speak for themselves! I’d strongly advise any golfer to look at their own nutrition strategies; the smallest changes could make all the difference to your game."

Keep up to date with Steve's golfing performances on Twitter @SteveRobins123 and Instagram @steverobinsgolf

*correct at time of writing