Posted by Mark | in Cardio, Golf Fitness, Golf Fitness Boot Camp, Golf Fitness Exercises, Golf Stretches, Golf Workouts, TPI Golf Fitness | No Comments

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness, Golf Humor, Junior Golf | No Comments

A majority of amateur golfers will go directly from their car to the first tee, with little or no thought of warming up. They perceive golf as a low-level activity with little or no risk of injury, and thus forego any type of  preparation for their bodies—the same bodies that have undoubtedly been doing nothing for hours.  “There’s no chance of getting hurt,” they think, “after all, it’s only golf.”

Wrong!

This notion of invulnerability is a mistake, and one that can have serious physical consequences.

The golf swing can indeed be very demanding on specific parts of the body.  Injuries to the back, hips, shoulders and wrist are quite common, and can be very serious in nature.  In fact, over 50 percent of tour professionals have missed at least one tournament in their career due to injury, and they are trained athletes at the top of their games.  With this in mind, it goes without saying that amateur golfers, who are usually not as well conditioned, are usually much more susceptible to injury and thus should take proactive measures before each round to help prevent them.

A pre-round stretching routine will significantly reduce the risk of injury and could probably increase performance as well.  When you golf, the act of swinging the club puts stress on muscles and joints, both in the upper and lower body.  It’s a forceful movement that will need to be repeated on a regular basis and one that can cause injury, especially if you fail to stretch these areas beforehand.  Regardless of your age or skill level stretching before any kind of physical activity is ALWAYS a good idea.

Golf injuries are most common in the back, hips, shoulders and wrists.  The following exercises are but an excerpt of a comprehensive stretching program, but they should help get you started. All you need is five minutes before your round dedicating approximately one minute per exercise and I guarantee you these movements will help improve your overall flexibility and success out on the course.

1. Helicopters – Standing tall with your feet shoulder width apart and your arms out to your sides, begin to rotate your arms and trunk back and forth.  Keep your arms elevated and let your whole body rotate.  After a short warm up, try to stabilize your lower body and just rotate your upper body around your lower body. (This exercise will help loosen up the spine and lengthen the muscles that help rotate your shoulders.)

1. Front Leg Swings - From a standing position use a club for support and swing your leg up and down several times to increase the range of motion in your hip joint.  Then repeat on the opposite side. (This exercise will help increase the circulation around the hip and help increase the flexibility around the hip.)

1. Palm Up Club Lifts - Start by grabbing a golf club about shoulder width apart and holding it out in front of with your palms facing the sky.  Press the club out in front of your body and slowly raise the club as high as you can above your head. Make sure you are constantly pushing the club away from your body. (This exercise will help open up the lats and warm up the shoulders.)

1. Figure 4 Walks - Standing on your right leg grab your left ankle and try to lift your foot up to your waist.  Give a little pull up and return your left foot down to the ground.  Repeat on the other side. (This exercise will help open up your hip joints and increase flexibility in your hips.)

1. Prayer Palm Presses w/ Rotation – Start with your hands out in front of your chest, palms pressed together, fingers extended, and elbows out parallel to the floor.  Now press each hand against each other keeping your elbows parallel to the ground. Finally, pressing your hands together, make big rotations with your forearms forwards and backwards, three times in each direction. (This is a great warm up exercise for the wrist and forearm as well as the rotator cuff.)

There are, of course, many different stretches designed to improve flexibility.  These are just a few that specifically target areas essential in the golf swing.

The movement of the golf swing is a powerful one, requiring flexibility and strength throughout the technique.  From the backswing to the follow through, golfers utilize the muscles of the back, hips, shoulders and wrists.  These simple stretches target those areas.  They are very easy to learn, require no equipment and take very little time to perform. Making them part of any pregame routine can significantly reduce the risk of injury and may ultimately lead to lower scores.

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness, Golf Fitness Exercises, Golf Stretches, Golf Workouts | No Comments

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness, Golf Fitness Exercises, Golf Workouts, Junior Golf | 1 Comment

I bet there isn’t a golfer reading this article whose game hasn’t been affected by the “six inches between their ears”.Many unwelcomed mental stressors A.K.A. “stinkin-thinkin” could quite possibly be a result of poor hydration. Without adequate hydration, chances are both mental and physical components to your golf game are being limited.

Now let’s be sure we’re on the same page when talking about hydration. I’m referring to “ice cold H2O”, not the beverage of choice for many of you golfer’s out there, “ice cold beer”. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but alcohol and other beverages such as soda, sports drinks, and juices can actually cause the body to dehydrate and brain to lose focus. We already know that staying focused on the golf course can not only be a big challenge; it’s an even bigger challenge when you’re dehydrated. Made up of approximately 85% water, the human brain functions best when it has a sufficient supply.

The big question then is how much water should you drink? To be optimally hydrated, it is recommended that you drink ½ of your body weight in ounces per day. So if you are 150 pounds then you should be drinking 75 ounces of water per day.

Here are some H2O recommendations that Dr. Greg Rose, co-founder of the Titleist Performance Institute suggest for golfers to follow during a round of golf.

• Drink three swigs (one big mouthful) of water per hole.
• Take one swig on the tee box, one while walking to your second shot, and one on the green.
• You should be refilling your water bottle every three to five holes, depending on the temperature and if you are walking or riding.
• For proper sodium balance, add a pinch of Celtic Sea Salt to your water bottle at the start of the round and at the turn.

Happy hydrating…

Mark

Posted by Mark | in Golf Fitness, Golf Fitness Exercises, Junior Golf, Sports Nutrition | No Comments

With the soccer season over until the spring, Mason has more time to work on his taget practice down at the range.

And no he doesn’t have a swing coach. He’s only 6! In fact he hasn’t even taken a single lesson…

Posted by Mark | in Junior Golf | No Comments