Ever wonder what those couple drinks you had during the front nine is doing to your back nine score? Golf Digest did the research and made this awesome video all about how drinking effects your golf game!
So it looks like drinking can have positive, and negative effects... The narrator Dr. Ara Suppiah M.D. explains that the effects on your game has a lot to do with how much you drink. The early stages of inebriation often provide a sense of euphoria, and a boost in confidence. These early stages can be good for your game. You become more loose and relaxed. In this scenario, you might be better at making intimidating shots, like ones where you can't see the target, or when there isn't much room to land the ball.
The late stages of inebriation on the other hand, can have detrimental effects on your game. Lack of inhibition can make your swing path erratic, and with that boosted confidence we talked about, you’ll be swinging hard. Many golf experts say that you shouldn’t have to swing hard in order to achieve distance. Distance should be a result of a perfectly struck ball, and not the result of a really hard swing. Usually when you are swinging hard, your swing path will be inconsistent. Combine that with the lack of accuracy when drinking, and your game is likely to go down hill...
As you can see from the video, once the golfers get six beers into them, they are having a really hard time keeping that ball straight. Making contact with the ball at this point is hard enough, let alone trying to accurately land it somewhere.
There is clearly a “sweet spot” as far as alcohol consumption is concerned. If you have a little bit of a buzz, your improved confidence and relaxation can help your game! The game of golf is a long one though, and it’s next to impossible to maintain the same level of inebriation throughout your round. As you start to feel the effects of drinking more and more, your game will get worse and worse. But when you’re out on the course with good company, it’s not easy to turn down a beer at the halfway house, especially on a hot day!
Hopefully, if you’re having a couple drinks during your round, you won’t be taking things to seriously anyways… Golf is meant to be fun and a couple casual drinks should make it even more enjoyable.
Please remember to drink responsibly, and ALWAYS call a cab if you’ve had too many!
