Eating right helps PGA Tour players be at their best under Player Dining Nutrition Program

PONTE VEDRA BEACH — A golf clubhouse or 19th hole grill usually entails meals such as a fried egg sandwich before golfers head for the first tee, and a cheeseburger and fries, chased by some beer, following the round.

PGA Tour professionals eat a lot better at tournaments such as The Players Championship — and healthier.

The level of golf required to be successful in the 21st century PGA Tour requires a much different approach to nutrition. And a program begun on the Tour in 2021 to upgrade player dining the week of tournaments is offering healthy alternatives with one overriding theme: golfers at the world-class level are athletes and need to fuel as such.

“A lot about diet for athletes depends on the energy systems of that sport,” said Ryan Harmon, who has a Master's Degree in Nutritional Science from the University of Florida, was the former head of nutrition for the Tampa Bay Rays and is now the nutritionist for the Tour’s Player Dining Nutrition Program, in its fourth year. “There are power sports and endurance sports. Golf is a little bit of both. They tap into both energy systems and there’s no question they are athletes.”

Unlike team sports, where coaches and a training staff might have to educate their athletes, PGA Tour Vice President for Food and Beverage Kent James said the greater push for healthy alternatives in player dining came from the athletes themselves.

Some Tour players have employed nutritionists and their own cooks for years, and since Tiger Woods set the example of training for golf like an athlete, and their overall knowledge of nutrition and health has increased far beyond the cheeseburger and fries days.

“The starting point has been, what are the players asking for,” James said. “We’re giving them what they need and we’re here to help craft a program that focuses on pre-round energy and post-round recovery. It’s not like a meal plan. It’s not like we’re telling them these are things they must eat. But there are things we recommend and a lot of it is coming from them.”

James described the goal of providing food in all groups that are “nutrient dense.”

Chef Matt at TPC Sawgrass executes the plan

The nutrition program is in place at The Players Championship and the PGA Tour’s eight other Signature events, with the hopes of expanding. TPC Sawgrass Chef Matt Voskuil served 144 players and their families during The Players at an upstairs dining area at the clubhouse that can seat around 100 at a time.

Voskuil has been at TPC Sawgrass for just over a year, coming from the Ocean House in Rhode Island, a Forbes triple five-star resort. He worked in restaurants early in his career but said he enjoys his current position.

“It’s a highly sought-after destination and it feels like a hotel without rooms,” he said. “We have so many things going on, with different, unique customers and groups ... it’s really, really fun and challenging.”

Voskuil and his staff arrive at the TPC Clubhouse at 4 a.m. the week of The Players, with the dining room opening around 5:30. He said he had a staff of around a dozen cooks and food preppers, plus double that for wait staff and cleanup for tournament week and was open mostly for breakfast and lunch.

He makes food orders based on the 144 players “times 1.5” to account for guests and family, which adds to around 215 people each day before the cut is made, and slightly more than 100 after the weekend field is pared to the low 70s, plus ties.

Based on mostly breakfast and lunch, that can add up to more than 1,000 meals during the week.

Voskuil said almost all of the players’ wives and girlfriends are just as interested in eating well as the Tour players. But he also said there are allowances made for children: Mac and cheese is on the menu and there’s an ice cream bar.

Voskuil also attempted to replicate the chocolate pie recipe of Scottie Scheffler’s grandmother, Atlantic Beach resident Mary DeLorenzo.

“She said it was really good,” Scheffler said of his grandmother’s verdict when both visited TPC Sawgrass a week before the tournament. “I also thought it was really good. It didn't quite get to grandma's level, obviously, but it was pretty good.”

What are PGA Tour players eating?

Voskuil said if a player wants the usual clubhouse or grill fare, his staff can make a burger or hot dog as good as anyone. TPC Sawgrass also is known for its fries, homemade potato chips and chicken tenders.

“We’ve put all this energy into crafting this program but at the same time, we're not in in in a place where we're accustomed to saying no to anyone,” James said. “Our players are going to get what they ask [for].”

But he said few players are asking for those items during tournament week when they want to be at their best.

To that end, the proteins are heavy on chicken and seafood options and lean meats. And at every food station on the buffet line or on the menu, there is information on which foods are best for muscle mass, heart health, oxygenation and recovery.

James said players are in tune with vegetarian and vegan options, which are in plentiful supply during The Players: he estimates that around 60 varieties of produce were available to be prepared in almost any fashion.

The desires of international players, especially those from Asian countries, are also considered. The Nutrition Program recently added Kimchi, a Korean staple made of salted or otherwise seasoned cabbage and radishes and

There also are varieties of seared tuna and food with Japanese spices.

Voskuil said American players could take a cue from their Asian peers.

“When you look at the average Asian or perhaps even European diet, their cultural defaults are perhaps more healthy food traditions than sometimes what I grew up on,” he said. “I think we probably key on some of those cuisines as starting points and inspiration for the dishes we create here.”

What are the food reviews from Tour players?

Players are giving the TPC Sawgrass food rave reviews.

“It’s been a very valuable thing for us, especially at the TPC courses,” said Akshay Bhatia. “The smoothie bars are huge because we can’t get enough nutrients. The food is amazing and the freshness is a key for us ... the food just tastes better, just cleaner.”

Billy Horschel admits he ate too much like the college student he was at the University of Florida deep into his professional career, but he’s seeing the benefits of the Nutrition Program.

“I’ve learned as I’ve gone and it’s been very helpful for them to have the cards that go with every meal so you know what the benefits of each food is,” he said. “I’ve never been conscious of nutrition ... I’m still not. But the food here is a hell of a lot better than 15 years ago. It wasn’t bad then, but they’ve done a great job of giving us options and educating us.”

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: PGA Tour nutrition staff, TPC Sawgrass chef help players eat smart