“ YOU HAVE STRATEGIC USERS and dependent users,” says Dr. Ara Suppiah, a tour performance coach. “The strategic user turns to nicotine for a pick-me-up, and the dependent user relies on it to just feel normal.”
starts using nicotine. Mündel says all of this must be weighed at the societal level: “These pouches might be the least harmful way of getting nicotine, especially compared to tobacco, but because they’re legal and so readily available, the high number of potential users is the big concern.” Where do we go from here? “GREAT PLAYERS ARE ALWAYS FINDING ways to manage their minds and bodies for better performance. Nicotine is one option they have, like caffeine or CBD,” says Suppiah, who has served as a Ryder Cup team physician six times. “Once they learn how it affects them and can tolerate any adverse effects, it can 100 percent give them an advantage.” Can nicotine make a golfer better than they would be without it? The issue of dependency clouds the picture. “When someone becomes dependent, it gets difficult to disentangle whether the nicotine is giving them any enhancement or cognitive benefits over and above their normal abilities prior to nicotine initiation, or if they simply feel an enhancement because they were in a state of withdrawal from not using nicotine recently,” Spindle says. We’re left to consider three types of players: the non- user, the non-dependent user and the dependent user. Non-users have no risk of dependency but might be passing up performance benefits. Non-dependent users likely experience favourable effects from nicotine, but they walk a tricky line between occasional use and addiction. Dependent users need nicotine to feel normal and battle withdrawal symptoms. Bryson DeChambeau, the reigning US Open champion and a non-user, sums up the situation well: “I think there are potentially benefits for a lot of people, and it’s not illegal. Does it help players? It may or may not. We’re all looking for an edge out here, and if that gives them an edge, hats off to them. It’s not illegal. What I can tell you is, definitely more research needs to be studied on it.” One evening while reporting this story, we approached a multiple-major winner on the driving range of a PGA Tour Champions event. He had never heard of the potential benefits of using nicotine, nor did he know much of anything about nicotine pouches. After a few minutes of conversation, he asked if we had any on us. He wanted to try it the next morning in the tournament and then let us know how it went.
use it, the higher the dose they need,” Etscorn says. “It’s not even to get a benefit as much as it is to reach normality. After a while, they’re not really getting pleasure from the nicotine, they’re just getting rid of withdrawal symptoms. “They might turn to more harmful behaviours, like smoking or vaping. Nicotine can act like a gateway drug, and the question is, what will they do to get more nicotine? That’s the real health risk.” Other issues can result from the rapid arousal of the heart and circulatory system. “Nicotine, as a stimulant, primarily affects the user’s cardiovascular system, but exactly how it impacts athletes during play needs to be studied further,” says Mündel, who worked on the nine-year nicotine study. “We know nicotine use could certainly increase the health risk for people who have underlying cardiovascular issues.” “There are concerns that it might cause oral pathology. We know nicotine is inadvisable for pregnant women and people with a history of heart disease,” UCSF’s Benowitz says. “If someone were to have a heart attack while using nicotine, the odds of it being a fatal event would increase.” The negative impact of individual doses could range from minor physical annoyances to performance- destroying consequences. “Changes in heart rate or blood pressure are common side effects that may impact sports performance,” says Tory Spindle, PhD, a researcher in behavioural pharmacology at Johns Hopkins, “but there are other effects that may be relevant and likely lead to worse performance, such as nausea, upset stomach, sweating and lightheadedness.” One PGA Tour player told us nicotine mostly has a negative impact on him. “I do it when I need to reset or change my mood, but I think it gives me anxiety. I get heart palpitations. It’s part of my routine now, but I wish I didn’t do it.” The LIV golfer who called his dipping a nasty habit also said it takes away his appetite. “I saw a nutritionist, and they couldn’t believe I was going so long without eating on the golf course. The dip keeps you from eating, so that’s a downside for sure.” Also highly concerning is the explosion in popularity of nicotine pouches among teenagers, who are still developing mentally and physically. Peer pressure can cause them to try these products and then face dependency. Related behaviours, namely smoking and vaping, are exponentially more dangerous and more likely the earlier in life someone
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