Seniors: stay golf ready!

If you’re a senior golfer like I am, you have two choices for keeping your game in shape during the winter: Go south or go inside. Snow birds have the best of both worlds, go north as the spring comes and south when winter hits. Each locale has generally warm golf-friendly weather, but what if you can’t go south? What are your options?

Doing nothing about your game is NOT a helpful option. That’s what I did several winters ago and I paid the price. I thought that 4-5 walks per week and snow shoveling was all I needed to stay in shape. Not smart! The walking was fine, though a brisker pace was needed. The shoveling worked all the wrong muscles for golf and I lost valuable time prepping for the season. So, not only were my golf muscles out of shape, they were tight and ripe for injury.

Your main golf muscles are your glutes, core and thighs. Hand and arms are always a priority because they perform they are your only contact with the club. While my students have heard me say “you don’t hit the ball, the club does”, it’s still important to have they main muscle groups toned and flexible for getting back to golf quickly. Let’s remember this: we are aging, no stopping that, but we can maintain and expand our flexibility and muscle tone far longer that previously thought. Here are a few suggestions, some I’ve done, others I want to this year.

Number 1
– Swing a golf club and hit some balls. If your swing is going to stay fluid, your timing on, and your swing “grooved” you have to have a club in your hand and a ball on the ground. We’re open here at the Golf Academy for hitting into nets, sure the feedback is limited and not the most ideal for practice, it is better that sitting on your butt! DO NOT use weighted clubs, they serve no purpose and have no positive effect on your swing. Studies have show that these favorites actually use different muscles that you use in your swing. Avoid them at all cost!!

Number 2
Yoga. Yea I know, well guess what? People are doing it, getting and staying more flexible and improving their balance. It doesn’t take long, an hour or so a day, is accessible (check out the Y or fitness club) and you can learn it from youtube.com or a dvd. It’s a great way to spend your winter and in talking to people who swear by it, you can feel the benefits in your golf swing.

Number 3
Swim. In addition to the cardio fitness benefits, swimming is a muscle toner and calorie burner. I’m going to try it this winter because I always felt that it made me loose and more flexible. When I was big into lifting heavy weights, I swam a few times a week (proof you don’t have to do it well) and noticed that it lengthened my muscles and kept me loose. The backstroke is a an excellent stroke over any other because the correct motion of your downswing has your shoulder and scapula moving the same way.

Finally
The importance of hand and wrist strength can’t be overstated. Especially for women, kids and beginners. When hands are strong, it takes less effort to maintain a proper grip without tensing the forearms. Tension in the forearms draws up to the shoulders, back leading to a reduced degree of fluid motion in the swing. Again, weighted clubs are a no-no. Simply gripping a club while watching tv and just swinging the club with strengthen your hands and tone your forearms. The shear repetition will make you stronger and toughen up you hands to avoid early season blisters.

Whatever you do, go south or go inside, be active, stay limber and stay toned! See your local fitness specialist for more details and professional plans. Or visit mytpi.com for information from the world leaders in golf fitness, the Titleist Performance Institute.
John