On these dark, cold days of winter after the holidays have passed I find myself longing for activities of spring and summer. For me, one of those activities is golf. One way to deal with these cravings, is to start preparing for the upcoming season. Now is a good time! You don't have the lush green fairways calling your name so you have time to "work" on your game. In addition, the off-season work done now will pay dividends come June and July.
As Tiger as shown us, golfers are indeed athletes and training like one can certainly help. No, I'm not saying that you have to devote the amount of time and effort to golf conditioning and working out that he does. That's unrealistic for those of us who have to do real work. But even a small amount of conditioning for the average golfer can really pay off.
A basic golf conditioning program can consist of a combination of stretches, light resistive strengthening, balance activities and aerobic exercise. Most of which can be done in the comfort of one's home with very little equipment or the equipment you already have in as little as 30 minutes per day.
What are the benefits of such a program? First, you will reduce the chance for injury when you really don't want one ... during the season. Second, the improved strength and flexibility that can be obtained will allow your body to work better for you within the golf swing. You can achieve greater efficiency, range of motion, and power which can equate to better accuracy and distance in your shots.
I have been lucky in my current position as a physical therapist at the Froedtert & The Medical College of Wisconsin Sports Medicine Center to be able to combine my passion for golf with my physical therapy knowledge. As a result, we developed a
Golf Swing Program to assist golfers improve their physical abilities. If you are interested in seeing what a golf conditioning program can do for you, I am co-presenting a seminar on the topic being hosted at the Sports Medicine Center on Wednesday, Jan. 28th from 7:00 to 8:30 pm. If you're interested, sign up through our
online class calendar. Hope to see you there.
Hit 'em straight!