How much do tour golfers sleep before a big tournament?
The amount of sleep a tour golfer gets before a big tournament or round of golf must play a huge role in their performance the next day.
We loved this piece from Guy Yocom at Golf Digest that ponders just how much professional golfers sleep on the tour. Particularly those tour players in contention ahead of the final day of a big tournament.
We’re often surprised how rarely this question is asked, particularly in the wake of a major championship and we wonder how much a lack of sleep as contributed to final round capitulations. Late on a Sunday afternoon on just a few hours sleep, you cold be forgiven for thinking it’s probably one of the biggest factors leading to poor concentration and poor golf.
The article gives some great insight into the sleeping habits of some of the game’s best golfers including Gary Player, Jack Nicklaus and Tiger Woods. And the tales of striving for sleep from Jim Furyk, Paul Casey and Brandt Snedeker are worth the read itself:
Brandt Snedeker sleeps eight hours, too, but recalls that on the eve of his first Masters in 2008 he slept only three hours, his mind racing certain tee shots he’d face the following day. “After it dawned on me that one tee shot wasn’t going to decide the whole tournament, I started sleeping better,” he says. “In fact, I started sleeping so deeply that I had a recurring dream of holing an 8-iron from 159 yards on the 18th hole. It’s very vivid. But I haven’t lived the dream yet.”
Check out the full article at Golf Digest.com: The trickiest challenge for a tour pro? A good night’s sleep