Fitness For Golf Is The Key To Rejuvenating Your Golf Game


Fitness for golf is prevalent at every level. You hear about it all the time on the television and even teaching pros are talking more about the importance of fitness for golf.

The reason being is the belief that your 'physical limitations' are keeping you from optimal swing mechanics, power, distance and accuracy.

For the aging golfer this is most prevalent.

Without a golf-specific exercise program, it is virtually impossible to maintain and/or improve swing mechanics. The human body declines rapidly without stress being put on it.

What I mean?is muscles and bones need stress and pressure on them to remain strong, stable and injury-free. Without this stress?the body weakens and breaks down quickly?resulting in a rapid decline in strength and flexibility.

This is death to your golf swing!

The old adage - "use it or lose it" is very true. Haven't you experienced a time when you were too busy with family obligations, work commitments and other stress-related issues and you felt you didn't have the time to devote to your health and fitness?

What happened shortly after that?

Did you energy level go down? Did you start getting aches and pains and even newfound stiffnesses? How about your golf game? Did you feel like you didn't have the same amount of umph on the ball?

This is that declining strength and flexibility I'm talking about. And the ONLY way to stop this from happening is maintaining some sort for fitness for golf program if it pertains to your golf game.

There are also two forms of fitness. "General fitness" and "sport-specific" or fitness for golf in regards to you as a golfer.

There is a major difference between these two forms of fitness.

One that is very common is going into a gym, plopping down on the machines and isolating one muscle group at a time in a controlled environment. Picture for instance an abdominal machine. You lie down in it, grap fixed handles that guide you through a set range of motion.

That would be considered "general fitness".

On the other hand, picture standing (just like you do in golf) holding a single hand weight (dumbbell) straight out in front of you, and rotating (turning) back and through just like your golf swing. That is an exercise that would be consider fitness for golf. It directly benefits your rotational strength AND flexibility?enabling you to make a bigger turn with more power.

This area rapidly declines with the older golfer. Abdominal strength and flexibility if not tested often, will decrease, and the ability to make a full backswing with stored energy will be less and less?resulting in a massive reduction in power output, therefore distance.

So the next time you're on the course and you get frustrated about you lack of distance off the tee?ask yourself "what was the last time you worked on your BODY?" Your answer will dictate your performance on a daily basis.

I have just barely scratched the surface of the importance of fitness for golf?but I hope I've got you thinking about how important fitness for golf is if you want to play your best golf.

About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf fitness experts in the country, author of the Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide, and founder of several cutting-edge online golf fitness sites. Check out his new golf fitness products site at Perform Better Golf.


MORE RESOURCES:

USA TODAY

This week in golf, at a glance
USA TODAY
The Northern Trust Open is next week at Riviera in Los Angeles, followed by the World Golf Championships-Accenture Match Play Championship in Marana, Ariz. Course: Royal Melbourne Golf Club, Composite Course (6505 yards, par 73).
A healthy Tiger Woods trending upwardESPN
Golf GlanceWashington Post
On the Tee: Pebble Beach National Pro-AmCBSSports.com
Atlanta Journal Constitution
all 536 news articles »


Yahoo! Sports (blog)

Five things we learned from the Waste Management Open
Yahoo! Sports (blog)
Nobody has time to sit down and watch four rounds of golf each week -- unless, of course, you watch TV for a living, and if that's the case, please email us your number. So in an effort to condense the tournament coverage for you into a few quick hits, ...
Golf news and notes, Feb. 3San Francisco Chronicle
Record attendance at the Waste Management Phoenix Openbettor.com (blog)
Waste Management Phoenix Open raises $50K for Keep Phoenix BeautifulPhoenix Business Journal
East Valley Tribune -AZ Central.com -Albany Times Union
all 980 news articles »


Cleveland News - Fox 8

Golf Course Brawl Could Cost Man His Leg
Cleveland News - Fox 8
A Texas man may lose his leg after getting stabbed by a golf club shaft during a brawl at a Fort Worth-area golf course. According to a report in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, 48-year-old Clay Carpenter suffered from a punctured femoral artery and ...
Golf club brawl severely injures manUPI.com
Golfer stabbed in the leg after trying to play throughYahoo! Sports (blog)
Man Impaled By Golf Club: Clay Carpenter Faces Leg AmputationHuffington Post
Fox News -ESPN
all 46 news articles »


Palm Beach Post

Cerabino: Trump golf course-cemetery could present new hazards
Palm Beach Post
Trump's planning a 500-grave cemetery on land near a golf course he owns in New Jersey. The idea is that golfers who already pay a lifetime membership at the course would pay an additional $20000 a year for a er, um a death-time membership?

and more »


Southards: National Golf Club set to reopen in March
Fayetteville Observer
The National Golf Club in Southern Pines expects to reopen in mid-March after a major restoration of its greens. The Jack Nicklaus-designed course has been closed since Nov. 21. The greens are being seeded in a more heat tolerant strain of bentgrass.

and more »


Daily Mail

The winning learning curve can be painful
ESPN
If there was ever any question about how difficult it is to win a professional golf tournament, the past two weeks on the PGA Tour certainly offered up some compelling evidence. Kyle Stanley and Spencer Levin seemingly had their respective tournaments ...
Kyle Stanley bounces back at Phoenix Open - World of GolfDaily Mail
Golf roundup: Kyle Stanley rallies from 8 back to win Phoenix OpenDeseret News
Golf roundup: Kyle Stanley rallies at PhoenixVancouver Sun
Yahoo! Sports (blog) -GMA News
all 872 news articles »


Scotsman

Sport - Golf:Commercialbank Qatar Master
FOXSports.com
Gusts of 35mph meant less than three hours' play was possible on the second day of the Commercialbank Qatar Masters in Doha - and the second leg of the European Tour's Middle East swing has now been cut to 54 holes. American John Daly was among those ...
GALLERY: Golf's strangest & most obscure trophiesScottish Daily Record
Golf: Paul Lawrie back in world top 50 after second win in QatarScotsman
Paul Lawrie Wins Golf's Qatar Masters in Doha for First Time in 13 YearsBloomberg
UPI.com -Irish Independent
all 375 news articles »


Longboat Observer

PDGA: Disc Golf's Charleston Ice Bowl Will Take Place February 11
Yahoo! Sports
This PDGA sanctioned C-Tier tournament is a part of the SCDGO Points Series and will begin on Saturday, February 11, with a check-in at 8:30 am, followed by two rounds starting at 10:00 am The event will be played at the Tidal Creek Disc Golf Course in ...
PHOTO GALLERY: Ice Bowl Disc Golf TournamentLongboat Observer

all 3 news articles »


FGCU Athletics

Women's Golf Concludes Courtyard Classic in Fourth Place
FGCU Athletics
Despite improving their team score by nine strokes in the final round of play, the FGCU women's golf team wrapped up the Courtyard Classic in Jacksonville, Fla. in fourth place on the leaderboard. Lowering her individual score in each of the three ...

and more »


The Official Site of Aztec Athletics

Viking Golfers 13th Overall Wildcat Invitational
Portland State Vikings
Britney Yada had a solid 21st place finish at the Wildcat Invitational, one of the top collegiate golf tournaments in the west. by Mike Lund Oro Valley, AZ - The Portland State women's golf team opened its spring season with a 13th-place finish at the ...
Golf Remains 10th Following 2nd Round In ArizonaThe Official Site of Aztec Athletics
Women's Golf, Gidali Win at VistosoArizonawildcats.com

all 4 news articles »

Google News

home | site map
© 2006