Let’s spend some time together… ’cause that’s what it is about. Why do we play golf? For some it is to get outside, get some exercise, enjoy a few laughs, hit the little white ball, and yes, to spend some time together. The call My sister called me one day and said, “Let’s spend some time together.” Which I thought was a fabulous idea and wondered what she had up her sleeve. We had to figure out what we were going to do, which is often a challenge because we are sooooooo different. Much to my surprise, she suggested coming golfing with me! Why a surprise you ask? Well, as…
-
-
Increase your Clubhead Speed and Hit it Farther
Increasing your clubhead and swing speed and hitting it farther, is about getting your body to move faster, through neurological training, during a movement your body already knows how to do. There are physical fitness and strength aspects to swinging the club more quickly, but all things being equal, the key to increasing your swing speed may, in fact, lie right between your ears. Yes, training your brain! The typical male golfer doesn’t drive the ball more than 225 yards. A lot of it has to do with their inability to generate enough clubhead speed. Most recreational golfers are sitting all day at work and not doing enough physically to…
-
Hole-in-One Nutrition
Let me present the Book of the Month – “Hole-in-One Nutrition” A guide to fueling better golf. Authour: Robert Yang, M.S., C.N., C.S.C.S. with Sean Hyson, C.S.C.S., C.P.P.S. Have you ever experience that feeling of “running out of gas” on the back nine? I know that feeling. If I haven’t eaten enough, it happens to me around the 15-16th hole. Did you know that by eating proteins, fats, and fibre before, during and after your round, you could keep your blood sugar level, your body energized, and your brain thinking clearly!? Keep reading, and you will find out how ☺ What if I told you that dropping strokes from your…
-
How to Test and Exercise for Single Leg Strength
Information about how to test and exercise for single leg strength is what you have been waiting for!!! And just in case you forgot… is balance important? Single leg strength is paramount for stability in the golf swing and in life. Last blog post I wrote about why you need single leg strength. This post is all about the how. The Test First, you need to perform a test to see where you are and to create your baseline to gauge your improvement. Easily done anywhere, although preferably on solid ground. You may want to enlist a trusted person to count the time for you and to catch you if…
-
Build Single Leg Strength to Improve Your Balance
Use single-leg exercises to build leg strength and improve your balance. Improper balance causes a variety of compensations in your swing, which ultimately leads to bad shots and, in many cases, injury. By “improper balance”, I mean being stronger on one side, versus the other. Whether it is your right arm over your left, or your left leg over your right leg it is usually easy to see the difference. One of the assessments used to test your lower body strength is a single leg balance test. According to TPI (Titleist Performance Institute), more than 60% of amateur golfers cannot balance on one leg for more than 10 seconds. The Gluteus muscles…
-
Components of a Fitness Program
What’s in a good fitness program? There are many elements in a good fitness program. A few examples are:1) You must identify your goal2) You must create a plan to achieve your goal3) You need to have a deadline for when you will get it done4) You need to find your accountability partner Firstly, the important thing is that you have a goal. You have something to work towards.Baby steps work well in a fitness program. Take apart the mountain one rock (or pebble) at a time. Your goal might be: ~hitting the ball 10 more yards~losing 10 pounds~gaining 5 pounds of muscle~following a nutritional health plan~sleeping 7-8 hours a…
-
You Should Drink Water and Why it Helps.
How Much Water Should I Drink and Why? I am often amazed by the amount of water a golfer doesn’t drink. Your body uses water to function properly. The body is made up of 70% water. The brain is made up of 85% water. If you stopped eating you could probably survive for three weeks, but if you don’t drink water you can only survive for two to three days. Therefore, we need to replace or replenish that store daily. On average, that amount is 2-3 liters per day. Yes, you heard me correctly 2-3 liters. So, how much is that exactly? Since it varies per person, you can figure…
-
Book of the Month Club
This month’s Book: Be a Player – A Breakthrough Approach to Playing Better on the Golf Course I believe that personal growth and learning are important cornerstones to health and wellness. So, every month I will deliver a book title to you. A book that I am currently reading or have just finished. A book that will cover one of the five areas of health and wellness, or one that teaches you how to play better golf. The ability to be a player is what a we are after. The path to being a player is not quick. Also, the path is not often straight. But with the proper tools,…
-
Five Areas of Growth that golf Provides
5 Areas of Growth Playing golf helps us improve in these 5 areas of our health and wellness- Physical, emotional, intellectual, spiritual and social. Who knew? A landmark Scandinavian study (B. Farahmand, G. Broman, U. de Faire, D. Vågerö, A. Ahlbom May 28, 2008) of over 300,000 golfers estimated they lived a remarkable 5 years longer than those who do not play golf, regardless of age, gender, or socioeconomic status. A study published in the British Journal of Sports Medicine (A D Murray, L.Daines, D Archibald, R A Hawkes, C Schiphorst, P Kelly, L Grant, N Mutrie. October 2, 2016) concludes that “Practitioners and policymakers can be encouraged to support more…
-
Body Swing Connection – Why a Fitness Program?
Body Swing Connection – Why a Fitness Program? Neck Rotation When you make a turn into the backswing, your chin has to be essentially touching your collarbone. Often, a lack of Neck Rotation will be exhibited by lower back pain caused by arching the back to get into that position over the golf ball. In an attempt to stay connected to your collar bone while rotating, you will move side to side or stand up, falsely creating the illusion of rotation. Neither compensations are good for consistent ball striking. Torso Rotation Backswing turn, loading the back leg, how much separation and how you can get through the ball on the follow…
