Can Dietary Supplements Improve your Golf?

Slow equipment news weeks allow us to highlight products that might not be an obvious fit for this page, necessarily, but which we think golfers might stand to gain from.

A few weeks ago, we were sent a jar of Roundhouse Provisions’ Morning Kick – a dietary supplement designed to “kickstart your day, aid healthy digestion, and help manage stress.”

Roundhouse Provisions are “approved” by Chuck Norris, the implication being, of course, they will eventually help turn you into a muscular martial arts champion and all-around fitness alpha.

Thinking this might be worthy of an ‘equipment’ page somewhere down the line, we looked at adding a similar supplement to

1) Make the eventual story about more than one product

2) Give each product plenty of time to do what it’s formulated to do.

So, interested in the benefits of improved hydration (the body’s ability to absorb water, which it needs to function at its best), we scoured the internet and ended up purchasing three bottles of Buoy Hydration Drops.

It’s worth stating sooner rather than later that the tester is not a 20-something gym rat and is a little bit cynical of, and apt to roll their eyes at, anything promising to help “support overall nutrient absorption” or “transform the way your cells utilize water”. They are, however, inclined and willing to give something that’s independently recommended (a friend said they had a positive effect on them) and verified the benefit of any doubt arising from numerous failed tests of such things in the past.

And actual people on the end of telephone lines or live online chats with humans who considered their answer before typing, as opposed to bots who send copy-and-paste-able, legally-approved, one-answer-fits-all responses, was also a massive plus, if not an imperative.

Because this page tends to use golf equipment terminology rather than that used to review dietary supplements, it’s possible/probable this won’t read like your standard dietary supplement review. We didn’t think that was important here, though, as all we’re concerned about is if these products can make us better golfers.

Suffice it to say, neither of these products is specifically designed to make us better golfers. And, because they are dietary supplements, they do come with advisories to talk to your doctor before consuming (the CAG tester did mention to their doctor they were thinking of trying them, to which the doctor said “yeah, no problem”).

There are no guarantees, of course, but being a healthier you probably will make you a better golfer. And if something genuinely can help you manage stress or allow your cells to utilize water more efficiently, then we think it’s worth looking into.

Roundhouse Provisions’ Morning Kick comes in two flavors – Strawberry Lemonade and Watermelon Mint. We tried Strawberry Lemonade and two things were quickly apparent. First, the color of the resulting liquid (drop an 8.6g scoop of the product into 8 fl. oz. of whatever drink you choose – we chose water) does not put you in mind of strawberry lemonade because it’s green. But, second, it does indeed taste of strawberry lemonade and is quite pleasant.

It’s probably not going to replace your favorite drink but you probably won’t dread or delay taking it either. So our tester set the jar (it’s more of a tub than a jar, really, but that’s what the makers call it) on his office desk and partook as soon as he sat down.

As non-dieticians, we don’t know what each of the ingredients is supposed to do…but here’s what they did do: After a couple of weeks, they began giving the tester a minor jolt each morning, which seemed to put them in a better frame of mind about work and the day in general. No, the mix didn’t have the same effect as one of Jeeves’s pick-me-ups after a late night (see ‘Jeeves and Wooster’), but the tester thinks it helped them focus a bit better and get a bit more done. Did it make them a better golfer? No idea, but it didn’t make them any worse.

Something to keep in mind, though – you either need to drink it quite quickly or have something with which to stir it, as the powders do settle at the bottom of the glass before long. That’s not a deal-breaker, perhaps, but you don’t want to finish your glass of whatever it is and find a centimeter of sediment at the bottom.

The Buoy Hydration drops don’t have that ‘problem’ as they dissolve instantly. It’s suggested you add a squeeze of the drops to 4-7 drinks per day. We probably didn’t use/drink quite that much, but almost.

There is a slight mineral taste – the company says each bottle has the equivalent Electrolytes of 13+ Sports Drinks – but nothing that will make you wince or crease your face. And, like the Morning Kick, it does have an effect. It promises to “Hydrate better than water by 64%” which seems like one of those eye-rolling stats to us, but if this is what 64% better hydration feels like, then bring it on. We tried the Morning Kick for one month and the Buoy drops the next, so as not to mix them and felt a similar improvement in mood, focus and general well-being.

Nothing excessive, you understand. Neither product transformed our tester into a high-achieving, over-producing action hero or plus-handicapper, but they were pleasantly surprised by the results and would consider continuing with both. They’ll probably continue with the Buoy Hydration Drops, however, as it works out less expensive but has about the same effect.

Plus, it’s unlikely (though we can’t be certain) that the ingredients of Morning Kick responsible for the slightly improved state of mind naturally taste of strawberry lemonade.

Roundhouse Provisions Morning Kick
$80/jar
30 servings per jar
20 calories
4g carbohydrates
4g dietary fiber
2g protein
10mg sodium
Includes: Jerusalem artichoke, Kale powder, alfalfa powder, ashwagandha, and Lactobacillus rhamnosus.
roundhouseprovisions.com

Buoy Hydration Drops
$30 for three bottles
40 servings per bottle
No sugar, sweeteners, flavors. Uses pure, unrefined sea salt.
Includes: Ocean-harvested Electrolytes and 87+ Ionic Trace Minerals
justaddbuoy.com