If you have ever played a sport or gone to the gym then you most likely know about energy bars. There are so many brands out there that claim they will give you energy, help you play harder and help you play longer, but do any of them really work? I have personally always been skeptical about those types of promises but I am always open to giving something a try. Recently we had a reader recommend a company to us with these exact claims. So we contacted SCNS Sports Food and a few days later we had four boxes of bars and a box of energy shots.
The first two boxes we opened were called 1st Tee Pre-Round Golf Nutrition Bars. The company describes these bars as “fuel for sustained energy. These bars help you stay calm and reduce anxiety when you start your game. They each contain 11 essential vitamins and minerals: Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Biotin, Folate, Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Riboflavin (B2), and Thiamin (B1).†They also contain Chamomile, Hops, and Valerian root to help reduce stress, anxiety, nervousness, hyperactivity and to increase circulation. These bars come in two different flavors; chocolate peanut butter and oatmeal raisin. I took the bars to the club and asked a foursome about to tee off to give them a try. I gave two of them the oatmeal raisin and the other two the chocolate peanut butter. I wanted to find out three things:
1.How did they taste?
2.Did they help reduce anxiety?
3.Would you eat/buy them again?
Everyone agreed that the taste was great. The best way to describe them is a rice crispy treat dipped in either chocolate or yogurt. Normally I find rice crispy treats too sweet but all the testers agreed these were not too sweet at all. I also loved the taste and the size of the bar. I hate when you get an energy bar and it’s so small you can finish it in one bite, I feel like it’s a waste of calories. Speaking of calories one full bar is 280-290 calories and 7-8 grams of fat for the oatmeal and chocolate peanut butter respectively. I caught up with the group at the turn and asked them if they felt a little less anxious than normal, and if so do they think it was from the bar. Half the group said yes the other said it was too hard to tell. I am with the second half, I don’t know if I really did feel less anxious while playing or if it was all psychological because I knew what the bars were supposed to do. After everyone finished 18 holes I finally asked what their overall thoughts on the bar was and if they would eat one of these again or better yet go out and purchase them. There was a unanimous yes that everyone would absolutely eat the bars again and everyone also said they would go out and buy them. From a personal stand point I would have to agree with the testers, I thoroughly enjoyed the bars and have actually been eating one everyday for breakfast no matter if I am going to play a round or not. I would give the overall product an A+ and a must buy, but at $30 USD for a box of 12 they are a bit on the pricey side.
The other two boxes we received were the 10th Tee Back Nine Golf Energy Bars. The company explains that these bars are for “finishing your game with the focus and energy you need. Each bar contains 11 essential vitamins and minerals: Vitamin A, Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin C, Vitamin E, Biotin, Folate, Niacin (B3), Pantothenic Acid (B5), Riboflavin (B2), and Thiamin (B1).†Green tea Extract and Panax Ginseng Extract are also used to help regulate blood sugar levels and combat mental fatigue and improve circulation and energy. The 10th tee bars come in two flavors; Chocolate Peanut Caramel and Peanut Honey. We conducted a similar survey as above except instead of starting at the 1st tee we started at the 10th tee, hence the name. We asked another foursome to try the 10th tee bars giving half the Chocolate Peanut Caramel and the other two the Peanut Honey. We asked the same questions as above except instead of looking for reduced anxiety we asked about energy and focus. Here were the results.
For taste everyone once again agreed they tasted great. They reminded them of a Whatchamacallit candy bar. Instead of just being dipped on one side in a yogurt coating like the 1st tee bars these are completely coated in yogurt. The bar itself has a chewy consistency similar to a candy bar. All the testers seemed to enjoy the texture and flavor, I personally found these a little too sweet for me, but I seemed to have been the only one. As far as being more focused and having more energy I was shocked to hear that three of the four people said they had never felt so great on the back nine before. They said normally they start to get tired around hole 14, but after eating the 10th tee bar they had the same amount of energy they had on hole 4. Myself and a fellow staff writer tested these out for a week and we agreed with the testers, we felt more focused and we felt we had a lot more energy then normal. My cohort JB really enjoyed them, he said he is not a breakfast person but by the time he reaches the turn he is always hungry and he feels his hunger sometimes slows him down. Once he tried the 10th tee he said it cured his hunger and he was able to play with ease. He also liked the fact that in the hot Florida sun the bars did not melt in his bag. At the end of the round I asked everyone if they would start stocking 10th tee bars in their bags and the answer was an overwhelming yes. Even though I wasn’t a huge fan of the taste and texture of these I think they could still find a place in my bag as well, they really did seem to give me that extra boost I needed to make it through the back nine. The 10th tee bars are a bit smaller than the 1st tee and therefore come with a smaller price tag of about $24 USD for a box of 12.
The final product SCNS Sports Food sent us was a box of energy shots called Tee Shotz. They are just like the five or six hour energy shots you would find in the store but without the crash. There was a local tournament going on at the club I normally play at. I gave a Tee Shotz to eight willing participants to see what they thought. The first thing I noticed was the funny face everyone was making because the shots are a bit tart. We got the fruit punch flavored ones and we all agreed they didn’t taste much like fruit punch, more like very concentrated apple juice. After the first two sips, however, it starts to grow on you. So the players took their shots and were on their way. Four hours and eighteen holes later I met up with the testers to ask them how they felt. Not one person felt tired, or run down, or worn out. The entire group said they did not get jittery nor did they get that “crash†you get from ordinary energy drinks. The Tee Shotz were a huge hit, I had many people come up and ask me where they can get them. Of the three products we tested this was hands down the crowds favorite. I wish I had the same reaction as everyone else; however, I have been known to have a food allergy or two and I had a bit of an allergic reaction to the shots. I am still not sure what it was that caused it but I tried them on two separate occasions and within minutes I turned bright red and broke out in hives. I do not want this to discourage people from trying this product because I was the only one to have this happen, and like I said I have always had allergy issues. On a positive note, I did have a ton of energy without crashing after….I just had a few red bumps to deal with.
Overall I liked what this company had to offer and so did the testers. I would recommend giving them a try I believe you will be pleasantly surprised. SCNS Sports Food also represents a company called Snacktrition, which sells nuts and trailmix. This is another great company that I would recommend checking out, the individually wrapped bags of almonds, cashews, and fruit & nut trail mix are great. They are the perfect size for someone on the go, they taste great and are good for you. You can learn more about the 1st and 10th tee bars at Golf Energy Bar and Snacktrition here.
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