Like any athletic activity peak performance is not just superior technique, but having a body that does what you need it to do. Toning, stretching, warming-up, and easy weight training all help improve scores on the course. For years golfers would (and still do!) spend hundreds and even thousands of dollars on new clubs, shoes and gadgets to improve performance. Most of the time these flashy tools end up being replaced with the latest and greatest the following year. The most… I repeat most overlooked solution to improving your game is golf conditioning. Period.

I will cover a few areas of concern and give you a few basic tips on how you can slice a few strokes off your game and stay injury free.

STRETCHING

Ah… the art of flexibility. If you asked 100 golfers at your local clubhouse to touch their toes, I bet you a round that 90 out of 100 can’t even come close. Being flexible is a lot more than touching your toes. Having the optimal range of motion (ROM) in each joint can save you a ton on doctor bills and improve you drive distance, as well as, your short game.

Muscles that tend to be tight and short on most golfers include; the hip flexors, hamstrings, calves,

lats, and internal/external hip rotators.

Putting requires relaxed concentration, driving mandates strength and limber joints. Start by rotating all the ‘golf’ joints — hands and fingers, wrists, elbows, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles. Then loosen up that all important neck and spine by rotating the head gently counter then clockwise.

Start slowly, stretch less than the maximum possible. Hold each stretch for several seconds, and then repeat until you work smoothly out to the maximum extension. It is recommended that you hold each stretch for 20 seconds.

Standing straight, stretch the arms straight up, rotate the forearms, then wrists, then flex the finger joints. Follow by rotating the entire arm, first one then the other then both together. Reverse directions and repeat.

With elbows bent and hands clasped above the head, use the right hand to pull the body right, followed by the left hand to pull the body left. That stretches those major muscles called the latissimus dorsi. (The long ones running from the shoulder blades down to the waist.)

Separate the feet to about shoulder width and bend side to side, front to back. Remember to keep pressure off the lower back, by keeping the angles shallow until you’ve achieved athletic fitness.

Keep all angles and extensions age appropriate and never stretch into pain!

WARM-UP

Warm up? I don’t need no stinkin’ warm-up!

Does that sound like a stubborn teammate of yours? A proper warm-up helps lubricate your joints and raise your internal body temperature. While current research will tell you that warming up can lead to decreased power, I bet you would sacrifice 3 yards on your drive to cut your chance of injury and soreness in half.

Here is a quick and easy warm-up you can do next time you are out on the course.

Start by walking around in a circle of about twenty feet in diameter, building up to the distance around a city block. To elevate muscle temperature, start with simple aerobics. A short jog on a gentle surface, or even a few minutes running in place. Keep in mind, you’re not doing weight loss exercises, just getting lots of blood flow to the muscles and raising the heart rate slightly.

Take a few light swings and emphasize the ‘rotational’ part of the swing.

LOW IMPACT EXERCISES

When designing a custom strength and conditioning program, it is important that you over all the bases and focus on strengthening your weak and long muscles. This is where you should consult

a quality conditioning program or certified strength and conditioning specialist.

In the meantime, here are several basic exercises you can do to get you started.

Hip Internal Rotation

Sit on a chair with your knees pointed straight in front of you. Rotate your ankles outward keeping your knees and thighs pointed straight ahead.

Hip External Rotation

Same position. Now, cross the left ankle in front of the right and, keeping the thighs and knees pointed straight, hold for one second. Repeat, reversing ankles.

Hip Abduction

On your left side bend the left knee slightly and straighten your right. Raise your right leg straight up, keeping it in the plane of your body. Hold for one second and count to two as you lower the leg. Repeat on the other side. In a few weeks, try adding a one- to two-pound ankle weight.

Hamstring

Extend your left leg, knee straight on a low bench. Keep your back straight and chin up as you slowly reach toward the toes. Hold for two seconds, then repeat on your right leg.

Lower Back

Sit with head erect, shoulders squared on a low bench. Slowly turn to your left, to slightly less than maximum. Reach hands around as if reaching for a seat back. Remember to keep your feet nearly flat on the floor. Hold for two seconds, then repeat on right side.

Forearms

Extending your left arm straight out, palm face-up, use your right hand to pull back the fingers of your left hand. Then turn your palm down and again use your right hand to gently pull back the fingers of your left. Hold each position for 10 to 20, then repeat, switching arms.
Start slowly and increase repetitions, adding weights to wrists and ankles as you gain strength.

In conclusion, following a safe and effective golf fitness program is a MUST for any golfer. Not only will you see your game drastically improve week to week, but you will enjoy the benefits of regular exercise and quite possibly extend your playing days well into your 80’s and 90’s.

Enjoy!

Paul Laudermilch, MS, CSCS, PES, CPT

(Article Source: http://www.articlealley.com/article_154456_32.html)

Golf Fitness 101 – The Basics is a post from: The Whiners Golf Club

If ever you’ve found yourself getting frustrated and anxious while playing golf, then you are already familiar with golf stress. The game of golf has the potential to bring up negative beliefs and emotions that people carry about themselves and their ability to be successful. This only adds to the stress a person may already be feeling and cause them to sabotage their game. Thankfully, there are many things you can do to relieve your golf stress and play a better game.

If you’ve been playing golf for any length of time, it’s likely that you played more than a few rounds that have been gratifying and enjoyable. And, it’s likely that there are times where your game feels like you’re pushing a boulder uphill. It seems that you woke up on the “wrong side of the bed” and from the very first hole, you shot a terrible and frustrating game. What has occurred is that because you were affected by starting your game badly and beaten yourself up about it, you’ve sabotaged your game. Perhaps you even engaged in negative mind chatter, telling yourself that you can’t do anything right.

So, rather than golf being a stress relief for you, it has increased your stress and reduced your enjoyment of the game. What can you do about it? First and foremost, go easy on yourself. If you beat yourself up for your failures on the golf course, your confidence is affected and other areas of your life can be affected as well, such as your performance at work. If you are playing a “bad game”, take into consideration other factors that may be affecting you. For example, the weather can negatively impact your game. Wind can have a significant effect on how your ball travels.

Other ways to relieve golf stress include mindfulness based techniques. To be mindful is to become an observer of your thoughts rather than a victim of them. So, if you’re having a bad game and you notice that your thoughts are critical of yourself, recognize them for what they are – just thoughts and not statements of fact. Then shift your focus to your other senses. Notice the sights and sounds of nature around you – the sounds of the birds chirping and the warmth of the sun on your skin.

What if there was a way that you could feel confident and experience a reduced level of golf stress more often? A method known as Emotional Freedom Techniques or EFT may be the answer for you. EFT is quickly becoming known as a cutting edge self help technique for anyone wanting to improve any area of their life – from overcoming an addiction to improving sales performance to releasing a spider phobia. What’s great is that this tool can be used to improve your golf game by working on the negative emotions and limiting beliefs which cause you to feel stressed in the first place. When those things are released, you will automatically feel more confident and relaxed whether playing golf or in business.

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What if you could learn how to use these cutting edge tools to ease your Golf Stress? Visit Renegade Mindset Techniques for Golf – where you can download a free 8 lesson e-course.And, to learn more about these cutting edge tools described above, visit EFT for Golf

Is Golf Stress Killing Your Game? is a post from: The Whiners Golf Club

The way in which you align yourself when setting up to hit a golf ball has a huge affect on how good your golf shots are going to turn out. But don’t believe me. Read what a multiple major golf champion has to say on this alignment issue.

“It goes without saying that it is no good having a perfect setup, perfect grip and perfect golf swing if the whole thing is misaligned. It sounds obvious but many players simply do not spend enough time getting themselves on target.”  Nick Faldo – Winner of 6 Major Championships

So hopefully you now understand the importance of golf alignment. And if you do, here’s a simple exercise that you can quickly and easily do to check your feet alignment.

To do this golf alignment exercise I want you to setup to a golf shot as normal and get comfortable. Then just before you’re ready to hit your shot, get two golf balls and without moving your feet place them directly behind your heels so they’re touching your feet. Now take your feet away and go back behind your ball down the line of your target and see how good your alignment was.

The beauty of doing this golf alignment exercise is that it shows you exactly where you are aligning your feet and then you can simply change the golf balls so they align correctly and then setup with these balls touching your heels. If your feet have been aligned incorrectly for a while then it will feel quite strange when you align them correctly. But keep practicing and before long, your new feet alignment will become second nature.

Now that’s an easy way to check your feet alignment. But you still have to check the alignment of your knees, hips and shoulders as they also have a big affect on your golf shots success. And the absolute best way of checking this is to get a person to get a golf club and lay it across each part of your body once you’ve setup to a shot. But remember, you want each part of your body to be aligned parallel to the starting line of your golf shot.

You do NOT want your body to be aligned directly at your target. A good way to picture this is to imagine yourself setting up to hit a golf shot on railway tracks. Imagine the golf ball on one rail and you’re standing on the other rail.

Golf alignment is critical to your success and consistency so check it often, because it’s very easy to align yourself incorrectly without even knowing. But now you know exactly what you need to do to check your alignment so you have no excuse. So please make an effort to check it often…because it can only do your golf game good.

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Professional golfer Nick Bayley has found just one golf swing fault that could be stopping you from ball striking consistency and success. But now you can take a simple 2 minute golf swing test to see if you have this swing fault or not. Go here to take The Golf Swing Test now.

Great Golf Alignment Tips is a post from: The Whiners Golf Club

Here are 18 steps to follow to ensure your charity golf tournament is a great success.

Step 1 – When planning your event you must have some target in mind that you would like to achieve for the given charity. Some examples to follow are: How much are you trying to raise, the purpose of the event, when and where will the event be held, who is your target golfer and what is their profile, how many golfers would you need and their availability for the event, and lastly what sponsors would you need and at what level.

Step 2 – A good idea is to give a brief job description with set goals for each committee chair member. Recruit six to twelve volunteer chair members this is one for every top position, and then let them recruit their own team. Remember to train volunteers properly with plenty of motivation and praise when they meet their goals of gifts and prizes. Also, always have a contact list for all committee members.

Step 3 – When working with the golf course be flexible as this may help to save you money. Try to be flexible with your dates as off-peak season may be best and you may get a better rate. It is best to secure your chosen golf course six months in advance.

Step 4 – You should find a format that suits both your golfers and the event; you don’t have to choose the same format every year. To help choose a format consider the caliber of your golfers, conduct a small survey to see what they like and have a goal in mind as to how much money you would like to raise.

Step 5 – The sponsors are one of the most important components of the event given the fact that they are the ones giving the money for the event. The more sponsors you have the more you make. If it is big money you would like, consider asking some big companies for sponsorship as long as they get something to benefit their company, such as a golf tee sign.

Step 6 – It is important to promote your event. The three objectives in promotion are exposure for recruiting golfers, your event or fundraising organization, and your sponsors. There are many promotional ideas for you to use. You can use local radio shows, local newspapers, brochures, mail direct to specific industries and put some ads in trade magazines. Don’t forget to use the event beneficiary in your promotional materials.

Step 7 – There is a simple step to recruiting golfers. When recruiting committee members hope to try and choose nine who are golfers, who they themselves can recruit four other golfers, of which they can bring a team of four players. Alternatively, an idea is to try to sell 36 teams to 36 sponsors. A sell out for a golf event is 120 to 144 players or 30 to 36 groups.

Step 8 – When talking of gifts and prizes the best quality gifts you have to offer will go a long way in securing an event for you to organize the following year. Nothing speaks louder than word of mouth. Logos with your sponsors name on the gifts, prizes, and hole sponsor signs are also a good idea of which the sponsors will notice.

Step 9 – Try and make your golf event something for everyone to enjoy, you could have some games and contests later in the event; this is a sure way to make lots of money. The more fun people have at these events the more relaxed they feel into spending money.

Step 10 – Have a friend or professional photographer take photos of the event, of people having fun, group photos, and golfers taking their shots. If you have a professional photographer, he may do it free so he can promote his business.

Step 11 – A good idea to generate money is to purchase Hole in One Insurance; this will provide coverage for you in case someone hits a hole in one. The rule is that the shot must be done on a par 3 and you will need a witness to volunteer. Offer great prizes like a small vacation, watches, or big prize money.

Step 12 – Have lots of big golf sponsor signs and banners with sponsor’s names on it. Any potential sponsors at the event will take note of this.

Step 13 – Have auctions at the event and get a person to bid for one of the golfers to be their caddy for a game of golf. Anything that is fun and generates money could be included in the items to be auctioned.

Step 14 – Having an awards ceremony make it memorable and fun for people to remember. Include the sponsors, any individual who was a key helper in the event, and any of the volunteers.

Step 15 – Make sure your committee has ample time to help organize the event. Some bookings may have to be done a year in advance; you can never plan to early when organizing a charity event.

Step 16 – Remember to keep a record of income and expenses. A normal event can raise 5,000 dollars and sell sponsorships to help cover the cost. Treat the event as if it was your business and never spend more money than you bring in.

Step 17 – Try to keep calm and organized at the event and make sure everybody is fully aware of the times of all the different events and where they are. Relax, smile, and have fun. If everybody sees the organizer happy then they will be to.

Step 18 – This event can be the start of next year’s event at the awards ceremony so sign golfers up for next year. Get contact numbers from all participants, talk to sponsors for next year and stay in touch with as many people that you can.

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Kevin Kirkpatrick is one of the leading charity golf tournament experts in the country. He is an expert author and founder of several popular golf outing event sites. Learn about his latest venture which helps raise billions of dollars for charities every year at his Sponsor Hole Signs site, or his new Golf Tournament Signs site: The Golf Sign Store.

18 Charity Golf Outing Success Tips is a post from: The Whiners Golf Club

Courtesy of Dan Perry: http://www.danperry.com | Golf Course: Royal Links, Las Vegas, Nevada

Get yourself out of the bunker. Practice these steps and make the bunker shot feel as natural as any other shot.

“How to hit out of a golf bunker,” is the name of this lesson. To a pro golfer, bunker shots are a snap, and some of the easiest on the course. But for the rest of us, as you already know, bunker shots can be very frustrating. You just need to know the proper form.

Take the time to read and practice these steps, so you will have the right mechanics on how to hit out of a golf bunker. And, you will gain the solid foundation needed to conquer the bunkers. You can make the bunker shot just as natural as any other shot on the course.

The following are the steps for a normal sand bunker: (Note: Not for wet or hard sand)

A. This is the first step on how to hit out of a golf bunker. You will want to choke down on the golf club (position your right index finger about one inch from the bottom of the grip). You gain control by choking down on the club and it allows you to “feel” the shot rather than just hitting it.

B. Next, narrow your stance a little. Also, play the ball a few inches forward in your stance. This will give you more control of the shot and contribute to higher ball flight.

C. Now, with your feet dig into the sand a little. Get comfortable. Getting comfortable is important to how to hit out of a golf bunker.

D. Your body needs to be completely still throughout (no twisting hips).

E. Your swing starts with your arms and keep your swing vertical. Notice the end of the grip, point it at the ball at the top of your backswing. (Do not move the club straight back, remember steep is better here, if you want the proper swing on how to hit out of a golf bunker)

F. Notice your left arm. It should be fully extended and parallel to the ground at the top of your swing.

G. Start your downswing toward the sand and focus on hitting 1 inch behind the ball. Remember, don’t put your focus on hitting the ball, hit 1 inch behind the ball and the ball will get out every time! This is very important on how to hit out of a golf bunker.

H. When the ball leaves the sand, your arms and body follow it.

I. Remember – steep angle into the sand. This is the key. Also remember, you are advancing the ball, not blasting the ball out, so you don’t have to swing too hard.

This is what I want you to do:

Take 3 clubs and get in a bunker (take what you have if you don’t have all of them). These clubs are a pitching wedge, sand wedge, and a lob wedge, because you might not feel the most comfortable with a sand wedge. But take note of the differences in design and how each performs. Note that you are trying to learn how to hit out of a golf bunker, and game play in golf doesn’t have to be “rigid” and set in stone in all cases; there is room for creativity in your shots.

Using each club, hit a few shots. Now, really note the difference in how the ball comes out of the sand. Then, from those clubs, pick the one that bests suits you. But remember, with all these clubs swing steep and hit 1 inch behind the ball. If you like, draw a line in the sand behind the ball, as an aiming point, and hit the line.

Be sure to get in practice swings, whether at home, office, or on the golf course. Put your attention on bringing your club up at a steep angle. Practice is very important on how to hit out of a golf bunker. Look at your grip end; it should be pointing toward the ground. Stop for a moment – this is how you want to be positioned. You can stick a tee in the grip handle; this will help you to see if the grip is pointed over the ball. Now, do it a couple of times to make sure you know where to stop the golf club and begin your steep downswing. The downswing is simple from here! Just hit an inch behind the ball. For a few days, practice this, then go have some bunker fun!

Practice these tips and you will be on your way toward mastering the bunker shot.

About the author: Troy was introduced to his first game of golf by some of his long time friends. Well, at first, of course, the game was awkward and frustrating. But, the more games he played, the more he developed a love for the game. Now, he likes to help others in their pursuit of a “great” golf game. Troy has put together a website to do just that. There you can get many other free golf swing tips, and golf tips, just like the one above, just by signing up. Go to http://www.golfswingvoodoo.com/Play_better_golf.html to get started.

How to Hit Out of a Golf Bunker is a post from: The Whiners Golf Club

What are illegal golf drivers?

They are golf clubs that breach the United States Golf Association (USGA) limit of COR. USGA holds the right to define the shapes and physical characteristics of clubs that are permissible in tournament play. COR is nothing but a value between 0 and 1 which reflects the energy lost or retained when a collision takes place between two objects. The value is zero in case of collisions where the two colliding objects stick together and do not move forward.

In other words, we can say that all the energy of the collision was absorbed and lost. An example for the case where COR value is 1 would be an impact (collision) taking place between two cue balls, with one ball hitting another ball resembling it exactly in size and mass at right angles.  All of the energy of the hitting object must be transferred to the idle object.

We cannot expect the COR value to be exactly 1 when a golf ball is hit by golf club. USGA have made it mandatory that COR value must not exceed .830 on January 2008.

Why do the gold clubs not strictly adhere to the USGA limit?

There are reasons.  Let us see what effect this limitation has on the performance.  To do this, let us get familiar with some basic terms.

- Carry distance is the distance a golf ball travels in the air after being hit by the head. This distance is measured using a grid system with markers in the landing zone.

- Total distance is the sum of carry distance and roll distance (distance traveled from first ground contact to the point where ball travels).

- Swing speed is the speed with which he or she swings the club to hit the ball. Apart from swing speed the carry distance is also dependent on COR. Higher the COR value greater is the carry distance. The clubs which exceed this value to enhance the distance traveled by the ball are referred to as non conforming golf club.

Let us see an example of such illegal golf drivers.

The various parameters that vary in each model are face Height, Face Angle, Color, Material and Bore Depth. Go through the feedback of those who have already used or are using the non-conforming golf clubs. This is available in the website http://www.illegalgolfdrivers.com.  In addition you can compare various technical specifications too. Similarly Illegal golf balls – those designed to enhance the distance traveled are also available.

Illegal Golf Drivers is a post from: The Whiners Golf Club

The golf handicap system is a must if you are trying to improve your golf game. If you have a golf handicap, it gives you the ability to play in local tournaments against golfers with better abilities. Any golf course worth its salt will offer you the chance to get a golf handicap. Your golf handicap is a true barometer on your golfing abilities, as long as you accurately post your scores.

The golf handicap system is a complex formula of your average score, along with the difficulty of the course you are playing, along with a few other bells and whistles that only the USGA can figure out. Every golf course has a course handicap, which determines the number of strokes needed to play that course to the level of a scratch golfer.

What all this means to you, is that it helps give you a true indication of your golf ability. If you wanted to play a match against a scratch golfer, which is someone with a zero handicap, if you have a 7 handicap, you would receive 7 strokes, one for each of the first 7 most difficult holes on the course. It’s like he’s spotting you a 7 stroke lead, or a 7 hole lead in match play.

Considering that golf is supposed to be a gentleman’s game, it is very important to post legitimate scores. There also are restrictions on how many strokes you can take on any given hole. For example, if you have less than a 10 handicap, you cannot turn in a score card that has any score over double bogey. That is to try and keep sandbaggers from inflating their handicap so they can get more strokes when playing in golf tournaments.

Once you post enough scores and you have established your golf handicap, you will see how hard it is to get a low handicap. It takes more than one round of golf for your handicap to move in either direction. It takes at least 2 or 3 rounds to actually make your handicap move, so you don’t have to worry if you have a bad day on the course. If you go in to a slump and can’t seem to fix what’s wrong with your game, your golf handicap will suffer.

Sandbaggers aside, the golf handicap system is a great way to measure yourself against other golfers. Once you are in the system, you can log in on the internet, and see posted scores for anyone that has a handicap.

Why You Need a Golf Handicap is a post from: The Whiners Golf Club