Effortless Golf

Most sports that involve striking an object do so while the object is in motion. Unlike baseball, tennis, hockey, soccer, and the like, golf requires that contact be made with a stationary object. That may sound like a simpler task, but consider that productive contact relies upon the physical characteristics of the golfer along with the environment from which the shot is being made. In this regard, swinging a golf club is perhaps one of the tougher skills to perfect.

Granted, hitting a moving object requires good eye-hand coordination and plenty of practice. The environment, though, by which most of these actions are performed is predictable. The batter’s box, tennis court, and hockey rink, for example, are all fixed, even surfaces that remain that way throughout the event.

A golf course, however, is anything but predictable. Except for the tee box, rarely does the golfer experience the same shot twice during a round. The golf ball may be stationary, but the conditions upon which the ball rests are varied.

Due to this fact, a golfer must condition the body to mimic these playing conditions. The influence of ground and gravitational forces, while hitting shots from various angles and body positions, dictates the need for a functional training program that prepares the golfer for these conditions.

For example, an uphill lie will generate ground and gravitational forces that will cause the golfer’s knees to lean down the slope of the hill, while requiring an adjustment of the upper body. This places a different type of load to the leg and trunk muscles compared to when hitting from a flat lie.

The same goes for when the ball’s above the golfer’s feet. In this position, the feet are more flexed, the calves are stretched, and once again the upper body must adjust to accommodate the lie or the golfer may wind up falling backwards during the swing sequence.

To maximize performance, the functional training program should adapt the golfer to these conditions. Since the tasks for golf are performed standing on varied terrain, exercises done while only standing on a flat surface will not completely cover all elements of the game.

In addition, while swinging a golf club, there is no machine or device that supports the golfer or his weight as body parts are moved through multiple planes of motion. Therefore, sitting in an exercise machine will not provide the added benefit of stabilization or balance nor will it likely offer the multi-joint, multi-plane movement required for golf. It does provide a strength component to the muscle group being isolated, however, and should not be totally banned from the program.

A better option would be to perform standing exercises, as much as possible, using free weights or other functional training apparatus, and moving through multiple planes of motion during each exercise. For example, performing a single-leg forward lunge with a lateral shoulder raise of the opposite side arm would provide both sagital (front-to-back) and transverse (rotational) movements for the hip and frontal (side-to-side) motion for the shoulder. This enhances specificity to the golfer and the mechanics of the golf swing.

By incorporating these functional training guidelines, golfers will maximize the training session and better prepare themselves to perform the unsupported task of swinging a golf club, no matter what circumstance the golf course may hand them.

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Bob Forman has a Master’s degree in Exercise Science and is a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor through the Titleist Performance Institute. He is the owner of GolFIT Carolina, located in Greensboro, NC, and establishes golf fitness programs in North and South Carolina.

Improve your golf game right now you say? I say, absolutely! Don’t waste another dime on new golf equipment: taking one more lesson or hitting one more ball at the range, until you finish reading this article.

You see it’s not what you think that’s not allowing you to improve your golf game.

It’s something very simple and easy to remedy. It’s YOU! How your body moves throughout your golf swing.

Let me ask you, do you feel nice and loose, relaxed and fluid when you swing a club on the golf course? Do you feel like your backswing is what it should be? How about your distance off the tee? Are you happy with it?

Now let me ask. What have you done to improve the above situation? And has it worked up to now? If it has – congratulations! I am very happy to hear that another golfer is improving.

If it isn’t working, don’t you think you should try a different approach? One that makes total sense from a mechanical (technique) standpoint.

If you’ve tried all the above, there’s only one thing left. As I said above. YOU!

Your body is what swings the club and produces the end-result. Not the equipment, balls or all the lessons you take.

You’ve got to start with the engine (your body) first, to be able to make a mechanically sound and repeatable swing for 18 holes of golf.

Your body has physical limitations. All of ours does. Each person is unique, and has a different set of physical issues that need to be addressed. But when they are, look out! The game gets much easier and a whole lot funner.

With our country getter bigger (heavier) by the day, this is a great reason to embark on a golf training program that will not only improve your golf game, but help you achieve your health goals also. Now isn’t that reason enough to get started right away?

You will be amazed at your fast rate of golf improvement once you take this approach. You will be making swings and producing power you’ve never seen before. Why? Because you are eliminating your physical limitations that have kept you from achieving the golf swing you know you are capable of.

The jury is out! All the pros are doing it. You’ve got to be next!

It’s time to improve your golf game once and for all!

Other Handy Golf Tips:
1. Source any natural dietary supplements which will help to keep you fit and healthy and keep your body in good shape to play golf.
2. Develop complete confidence in yourself and your game – need to be tough-minded and totally focused when you play golf.
3. Learn all known golf bets so that you can bet to your advantage and apply psychological pressure on your opponents at opportune moments.

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Golf weight training program. In a sport that hardly has any controversies; few issues have come as close to being controversial as golf weight training programs have. More so with amateur and non-professional golfers. A golf weight training program need not be controversial at all, if you really examine the facts . Amongst the other golfers golf weight training programs are still looked on with a lot of fear and apprehension, although professionals have now fully embraced the