Golf Fitness

Photo Cred: American Golf

Believe it or not Golf is an active sport, even when you play with a cart (which is good news for me)!  I often feel very tired after a round of golf, and I always attributed it to the fact that I have been out in the sun most of the day.  Then I started doing some research on the fitness side of golf and found out the real reason why it can be so exhausting.  By spending one hour at the range you can burn up to 200 calories.  One round of golf is equal to a 45 minute fitness class, plus it is more fun and a lot prettier.  Playing 18 holes with a cart burns over 400 calories, 18 holes walking with a caddie burns over 600.  Next time you are at the course and you are asked if you want to walk or ride, remember this, playing 18 holes is equivalent to a 5 mile walk and you can burn over 720 calories!  This last fact might make me ditch the cart and become a walker.

Golf is a very repetitive sport too.  Hours of the same motion can wear on your joints and muscles.  This is a game we all want to play into our years of retirement, I'm only in my 20's and I am already keeping my eye open for a nice place to retire where I can play golf year round!  To avoid injury that will prevent you from playing your best game or even playing at all, you need to strengthen your joints and those muscles that are used over and over again in a golf swing.  You also need to stretch and warm up before each round.  Doing this will help to increase your power and your control of the club.

In fact the number one player in the world, Rory McIlroy, along with Nike have been showing the world some of Rory's training routine that helps him do what he needs to do on the course.  I love what they have been doing to show that golf really can be an athletic sport.
  

While doing my research I found several simple workouts that will help to strengthen your body specifically for the game of golf.

1. Side Split Squat.  To do this stand with your feet wide apart and sit down into a squat, shift your weight to the right foot then to the left foot.  Slowly shift back and forth for 20 repetitions.

2.  Golf Twist.  To do this start in a golf position like you are addressing the ball.  Hold a 5 pound medicine ball or dumbbell at your chest with your elbows up.  Then twist your body while keeping your feet and head still similar to a back swing.  Do this on both sides.

3.  Spell Your Name.  To do this lie flat on your back with your legs about 6 inches in the air with your feet together and simply write your full name in the air with your feet.
To find these and other workouts check out this article on golf-pros.com.

GolfDigest also shared a great video that shows three simple stretches to help you warm up with your clubs before your round.  Watch the full video here.

1.  Hold your club out in front of you with both hands in a golf stance.  Simply turn your body into a back swing on both sides, similar to the Golf Twist above.

2.  Hold your club above your head with both hands and your feet about shoulder width apart.  Then lower into a squat as far as you can, don't let the club come forward in front of your body.

3.  Hold your club above your head with both hands and simply lean to the side to stretch out your oblique muscles.  Repeat on both sides.

For more golf fitness tips and ways to improve your game with an off course workout program.  Check out Golf Fitness and Training Tips.

Golf Tips

"Happiness is a long walk with a putter." 

- Greg Norman

It doesn't matter how good a person is at golf, there is always room for improvement.  Golf is a never ending game of improvement.  It seems like as soon as you fix one problem, another develops.  I think this is the reason the game can be so addicting.  To assist you in this never ending improvement I have complied a short list of golf tips from my own personal experience.  Some of these tips may seem pretty simple, but in my experience going back to the fundamentals always improves my game.  We often think it will be a tough fix, but it could be as simple as ball placement, or posture.  

1.  Ball placement.  Where you place the ball in your stance can have a major effect on the outcome of your swing.  When I first started playing golf I always placed the ball in the center of my stance regardless of which club I was hitting, with the exception of my woods. I found this picture to the right to be extremely helpful.  Lofted clubs, like your 8 and 9 iron and wedges should be close to center.  When hitting your 5-7 irons they should be placed a little further forward in your stance, your 3-4 irons and fairway woods even further forward, and your driver almost off the top of your front toe.

2.   Grip.  There are two things you should always remember when you grip the club.  First place the club in your fingers, not your palms.  I have a tendency to grip with my right palm, this makes it very difficult to get any motion in my wrists and always results in my ball going astray.  Secondly, don't grip too tight, or too loose.  To feel the right amount of grip pressure hold your club out in front of you at a 45 degree angle.  If you hold the club straight up your grip is too loose, if you hold the club straight in front of your it is too tight.  The wrong grip strength also limits wrist motion.  This is also something I struggle with, and my shots are always much straighter with the correct grip strength

3.  Use a full swing.  There are also two parts to this.  On your back swing always turn your body, you get a lot more power out of a short swing with your body coiled up, than a long swing without any power behind it.  Then on the other hand, always finish your swing.  A lot of golfers tend to stop swinging once they hit the ball, but if you finish your swing with your club over your shoulder and you will see a much straighter shot.  Also keep your head down and eyes on the ball, this will help you to finish your swing if you don't look up too quickly.

4.  Be Confident.  Have confidence in your game and in your ability to hit a good shot.  Fear will keep your from reaching your potential and from making those great shots.  When you have a bad shot, or even a bad hole, you just need to forget about it and focus on the next shot.  Always remember that a 4 is better than a 5, and a 8 is better than a 9.











This is an amazing game, you will have good and bad rounds, but always come back.  Continue to improve and have fun!  I have learned a lot on the golf course, but this quote by Sam Snead is something I take with me into all that I do, not just golf.  Fear will keep you back, so be confident in all that you do, and you will be successful.