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Lyle Slovick Instructor, Level I Affiliate Member United States Golf Teachers Federation Good Golf For Life.com ©2007 |
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Physical Fitness Being physically fit is a big part of being able to play the best golf you can. Before hitting balls or playing you should ALWAYS stretch properly to get your muscles ready for action. Swinging a golf club exerts a lot of stress on your body joints, especially the shoulders, hips, and back, so it is foolish not to be ready before you take a rip at a golf ball. Even the first instructional book on golf, H. B. Farnie's The Golfer's Manual, published in 1857, touched on the physical attributes of players. Farnie classed golfers as being either “agile or “non-agile.” He went on to say, “Were Golfing confined entirely to active, lithe persons, with limbs trammeled by flesh, and their muscular system never fettered by bodily ailments, then indeed it were no difficult matter to lay down a code of golfing laws and maxims for the guidance of such a ‘glorious company.’ But this is not exactly the case: the craftsmen of the Links are a more motley body.” For those of us who might be classified as "motley" folk, it's advisable then to build up and maintain our bodies so as to perform more readily the movements required in playing the game as best we can. I bought a book recently that has a number of excellent stretching exercises, which was written specifically with golfers in mind. It's called Golf Flex: 10 Minutes a Day to Better Play and was written by Paul Frediani. He outlines the following reasons stretching is beneficial: * Reduces risk of injury * Increases range of motion * Increases body awareness * Improves circulation * Reduces muscle tension * Reduces soreness * Relaxes and relieves stress As a general rule, flexibility is a more desirable quality in golf swing than brute strength, so be careful when you lift weights, since added muscle changes the way you will swing a golf club. Make sure to target the proper muscle groups while maintaining your flexibility. Roger Fredericks has helped pros like Arnold Palmer increase their flexibility, and has a website touting his program. You might also want to read Gary Player's Fit for Golf, a good book on the subject, as well as The Golfer's Guide to Pilates by Monica Clyde. Mike Pedersen is the featured golf fitness expert for Golf Magazine's website GolfOnline.com and also pga.com. He has written countless articles that have been published in numerous magazines. Check out his website, it is very helpful. The Golf Channel's website has many good articles on health and fitness. For yoga and golf, see Katherine Roberts' site. Golf Digest also has run some good articles on physical fitness and conditioning, including: How Walking Golfers Prevent Heart Disease
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