Fitness for Golf

[cldale]

Hey,

I am wondering, what (if anything) do you do to improve your fitness specifically with golf in mind?

From what I've read/seen, it seems that flexibility and balance are key to golf, moreso than raw strength (although I'd imagine all else equal, being stronger is always better).

So what exercises do you guys do to work on this?

I am thinking of trying yoga with my wife, to work on my flexibility, balance, and core strength. Does anyone do this? Can you comment on the effectiveness or benefits yoga has had on your game?

[moe norman]

Hey,

I am wondering, what (if anything) do you do to improve your fitness specifically with golf in mind?

From what I've read/seen, it seems that flexibility and balance are key to golf, moreso than raw strength (although I'd imagine all else equal, being stronger is always better).

So what exercises do you guys do to work on this?

I am thinking of trying yoga with my wife, to work on my flexibility, balance, and core strength. Does anyone do this? Can you comment on the effectiveness or benefits yoga has had on your game?Here are 2 books that have helped me during the off season..."The Abs Diet" is a great book written by Men's Health Editor David Zinczenko. This bright orange 300 page book tells you what you should eat, how much to eat and when to eat it. Also, it offers many simple programs to help you build strength, gain muscle and lose fat!!! All you need are a few dumb bells to follow the exercises.(soft cover $21.95)
Also, an amazing book is "Strength Ball Training" (second edition) written by Lorne Goldenberg and Peter Twist. This book has tons of separate exercises and specific programs to follow that will get you lean and mean over the winter. This is a great book that also comes with a dvd showing several of the exercises and part of the program recommended.
Let me know how you make out!!

[Leftygolfer30]

If you're from Clinton, you drink beer! :D :rofl:

[hogannut]

My regime is 2.5 hours. I do an hour of stretching that includes a lot of lower back stretching, hamstrings, groin and shoulders. THen I do an hour of weight/strengthening that includes 20 minutes of ab/core work. THen I do a half hour cardio on the bike. Then I pass out!

I do this 3 times per week.....and yes my wife and kids do not know what I look like!

[cldale]

My regime is 2.5 hours. I do an hour of stretching that includes a lot of lower back stretching, hamstrings, groin and shoulders. THen I do an hour of weight/strengthening that includes 20 minutes of ab/core work. THen I do a half hour cardio on the bike. Then I pass out!

I do this 3 times per week.....and yes my wife and kids do not know what I look like!

Hogannut: Do you stretch to increase flexibility (or have you in the past increased your flexibility through your stretching regime) or do you maintain?

The reason I ask is that in the last couple of years I have had thrown out my lower back, suffered some serious respiratory problems, and now have a baby (thus, stopped going to the gym) so I am now out of shape and stiff as a board. I feel like at 29, my body is quickly going to waste and I want to get back to where I was even 2 years ago, when I would run for 45min every morning on the treadmill before work, and then do a 1 hour workout at lunchtime.

Grrr, how I lament my poor physical shape. My wife recently compared me to the bear in the charmin commercials. I wasn't impressed.

[cdnputter]

Hogannut: Do you stretch to increase flexibility (or have you in the past increased your flexibility through your stretching regime) or do you maintain?

The reason I ask is that in the last couple of years I have had thrown out my lower back, suffered some serious respiratory problems, and now have a baby (thus, stopped going to the gym) so I am now out of shape and stiff as a board. I feel like at 29, my body is quickly going to waste and I want to get back to where I was even 2 years ago, when I would run for 45min every morning on the treadmill before work, and then do a 1 hour workout at lunchtime.

Grrr, how I lament my poor physical shape. My wife recently compared me to the bear in the charmin commercials. I wasn't impressed.

Maybe she's suggesting you need to shave/wax the body hair.... :rofl::rofl::rofl:

[cldale]

Maybe she's suggesting you need to shave/wax the body hair.... :rofl::rofl::rofl:

Ha. I wish i had a hairshirt, it would hide my emerging waistline..

[hogannut]

Hogannut: Do you stretch to increase flexibility (or have you in the past increased your flexibility through your stretching regime) or do you maintain?

The reason I ask is that in the last couple of years I have had thrown out my lower back, suffered some serious respiratory problems, and now have a baby (thus, stopped going to the gym) so I am now out of shape and stiff as a board. I feel like at 29, my body is quickly going to waste and I want to get back to where I was even 2 years ago, when I would run for 45min every morning on the treadmill before work, and then do a 1 hour workout at lunchtime.

Grrr, how I lament my poor physical shape. My wife recently compared me to the bear in the charmin commercials. I wasn't impressed.

IMO.....stretching is the most important thing for golf. You will increase your strength by running, but power in golf is created by body rotation that creates torque and torque is power. This is why guys like Mike Weir who are 160 pounds can hit it 300 yards.

If I only could to one thing at the gym I would do stretching.

[Bellyhungry]

My regime is 2.5 hours. I do an hour of stretching that includes a lot of lower back stretching, hamstrings, groin and shoulders. THen I do an hour of weight/strengthening that includes 20 minutes of ab/core work. THen I do a half hour cardio on the bike. Then I pass out!

I do this 3 times per week.....and yes my wife and kids do not know what I look like!

How do you find the discipline and motivation to do this rather intense regiment 3 times a week?

[hogannut]

To be honest with you there are times I am just hating the idea of doing it. More so in the winter, but when you have had a hard day at work and are tired you would rather walk on broken glass in bare feet. However, when I go to hit balls the next day (I usually do a workout one day, range the next at least in the summer) and I am limber and able to swing the club like I know I can it is totally worth it.

You just try to remember how good you feel afterwards. Ironically the days you totally don't want to go are the days you feel the best afterwards. Your muscles get used to the "burn" and if you miss a couple of days you start feeling weak and lazy.

Some days I may skip the weights and do a rowing maching for 15 minutes and then the bike cardio, but I ALWAYS do my stretching.

[cdnputter]

Hogannut,

Do you stretch at the gym or beforehand at home? I'm curious if you went through your program with a Certified Personal Trainer or just got routines from a certain book.

Thanks!

[golfcrazy]

There are lots of golf regimes out there on TV and internet that are great. They have stated that stretching and resistance exercises are much better than weights. Weights can alter and actually hinder your golf game. I have heard that yoga is great too. Always found this helped alot. Just some imput.

It is hard because trying to stuggle with your life and responsibilities to put in alot of time is difficult.

[hogannut]

Hogannut,

Do you stretch at the gym or beforehand at home? I'm curious if you went through your program with a Certified Personal Trainer or just got routines from a certain book.

Thanks!

I was dating a girl in college who was taking kinesology at Mac, so most of my info/routines are based on what I learned from her. I always stretch before I play or practice, even if it is 10 minutes at the course/range. If I have time (and desire...;) ) I will stretch at home for about an hour. At home I do push ups, shoulder dips and rotator cuff exercises along with stretching. I concentrate on shoulders as i have had rotator cuff issues in the past and lower back stretching and hamstrings which if not stretched properly can cause groin injuries. One groin injury and you are at risk for another one for the rest of your life. Groin injuries never totally heal IMO.

I do lift weights but very low weight, high reps, which is basically resistance exercises at the weights I do. If you only have an hour, for example, IMO I would do a half hour stretching and a half hour of some kind of cardi/strengthening like an olyptical machine. When I do my half hour on the stationary bike I also do some light weights for the first 5 minutes and then squeeze a hand exerciser the last 5 minutes.

I don't buy into this "no time" excuse either. You can do push ups at home, a great exercise, you can go and buy some light weights and do curls or whatever in the house. I understand how getting to a gym can be hard, but you CAN have a regime if you have only a half hour a day.

A great overall peice of equipment is the "Total Gym". THey have an informercial with Chuck Norris on it. It is a great overall workout and can be done with a time comittment of 30 -60 minutes a day...in your home.

[golfcrazy]

Hey Hogannut from what you have written on this site you workout every other day, hit balls alternate days and play on weekends. So obviously you have lots of time to do work with this schedule and it's not so much making time it's giving up time elsewhere and exhaustion lol When you have babies and commitments at home it becomes alot harder to find the energy and time for alot of fitness. But your right in the fact that a short stretch each day does make you feel better and that's what I try to stick to after the kids, lawn, cleaning, sometimes cooking, fixing the house and tending to my family needs. lol It can be hard just to get to golf.:hyper: :D

[hogannut]

Hey Hogannut from what you have written on this site you workout every other day, hit balls alternate days and play on weekends. So obviously you have lots of time to do work with this schedule and it's not so much making time it's giving up time elsewhere and exhaustion lol When you have babies and commitments at home it becomes alot harder to find the energy and time for alot of fitness. But your right in the fact that a short stretch each day does make you feel better and that's what I try to stick to after the kids, lawn, cleaning, sometimes cooking, fixing the house and tending to my family needs. lol It can be hard just to get to golf.:hyper: :D

First of all I have the best wife ever. She knows how much I love golf, and we agreed I would take the next few years to see if I could get my game to a level I might be able to play professionally. Right now I am a 4 handicap, althought was playing more to an 8 until August when things started to "click". If I cannot get to par or better in the next few seasons I will become more "normal" in my time comittments to golf. I feel I have the ability to play at the Great Lakes level. You can't live on the $ you could make some extra $ and maybe at least be able to play the events for free if you play well enough to make your fees back.

Having said that I say that if you can manage at least a half hour every other day of some kind of fitness and can get to the range and practice your short game once a week you will improve. You will hit the ball further due to your improved physical shape, you will enjoy the game more because you won't get as tired, particularily at the end of a round.

Get the family involved. Take them to the range, take the kids to par 3 courses (great practice for you) and you will still have the time to do your family repsonsiblilites.

I tend to be a home body in the winter as well and try to make up the time I missed in the summer. I take the kids to a lot of activities, like Marlies games and I do not miss their games for anything. I am reffing this winter so will be out more than I would like, but they will occasionally come to the rink to watch as we are a big sports family and do make an effort to watch the AAA GTHL hockey if it's convenient to get to.

Go, go, go everyday from 6;30 until bed time though, but I like being busy.

[golfcrazy]

Again, I was just trying to point out yours is kind of a unique situation that's all I was trying to say. Especially if you have a baby and young kids and a family chores and responsibilites that need to get do. Which can't get done if your not in the house and out taking the kids and wife golfing that's if they want to go.

[cldale]

Again, I was just trying to point out yours is kind of a unique situation that's all I was trying to say. Especially if you have a baby and young kids and a family chores and responsibilites that need to get do. Which can't get done if your not in the house and out taking the kids and wife golfing that's if they want to go.

Heh, my wife and I had our first child (daughter) in June and since then she's been very jealous of my time. I don't really do much aside from work, so I don't figure its a big deal if I go to the range once or twice a week, but apparently... it is :)


Anyways, Hogannut it sounds like you have a pretty understanding wife which is cool. Mine would probably kick her heels together and do a dance if I declared I was never going to touch a club again.

And this is only my first year playing :)

[hogannut]

Again, I was just trying to point out yours is kind of a unique situation that's all I was trying to say. Especially if you have a baby and young kids and a family chores and responsibilites that need to get do. Which can't get done if your not in the house and out taking the kids and wife golfing that's if they want to go.

I agree.....I am different than most in terms of the time I spend at it. Like I said the wife and kids are great about supporting the "dream". However, for people who aren't crazy like me:rofl: you can work into your life style a fitness regime that will work for you.

The most important thing is to find a routine you can accomodate. You will actually do more harm than good for yourself if you do not do your routine at least twice a week.

It would be better for you to walk around the block 15 mintues a day regularily than to go to a gym only once a week.

[hogannut]

Heh, my wife and I had our first child (daughter) in June and since then she's been very jealous of my time. I don't really do much aside from work, so I don't figure its a big deal if I go to the range once or twice a week, but apparently... it is :)


Anyways, Hogannut it sounds like you have a pretty understanding wife which is cool. Mine would probably kick her heels together and do a dance if I declared I was never going to touch a club again.

And this is only my first year playing :)

For the first few years you will have to duct tape the baby in the cart!:rofl: :eek:
However by the time she is 3 years old you can take her to a putting green and get her started.

Anyway of getting the wife involved?

[cldale]

For the first few years you will have to duct tape the baby in the cart!:rofl: :eek:
However by the time she is 3 years old you can take her to a putting green and get her started.

Anyway of getting the wife involved?

She's resistant to pick it up, although she came with me to the range once. We're going to the bahamas in January for a week to a 4seasons with a resort course (Grand Exuma Bay) and I want her to play with me, she is so far not saying "no" outright, which is a bonus.

Anyways, my plan is to get my daughter playing as soon as she's able to hold a club... for various reasons this is going to be our only child, so she will have to take on some of the duties normally reserved for sons like "fathers day golfing excursions"

I am going to pick up some basic stuff so I can work out in my house this winter. Like I said, I was previously quite good about regularly working out, but with a different sport(s) in mind (Tennis and Baseball) but now that my sports choices have changed, I'd like to tailor my fitness to match.

Stretching is a nessessity for me when I start working out anyways, due to prior back problems I have to stretch a lot of my back tightens up and spasms like mad after a couple days of not stretching and working out.