Perform Better Golf Blog

Golfers low back pain can be a real pain!

Statistics show that over 80% of all amateur golfers have or have played with low back pain at some point during their golfing days.

Wow!

That’s a HUGE number… and doesn’t have to be that way.

The simple (yet takes a little effort) approach is to do simple golf stretches and strength training exercises to enable the low back to withstand the intense pressure put on it during the golf swing… for 18 holes.

In my golf training manual I even have an entire chapter on golf stretches you can do in your office… right in your chair!

To cut right to the chase… you’ll want to focus on “rotational” exercises and stretches to get the most “bang-for-your-buck”!

Hitting more balls is not the answer to improving your low back pain!

Getting off the course (and range) and strengthening and stretching your low back IS the answer!

Here’s something very important to remember when taking golf lessons! Every time your golf pro tells you a certain golf swing mechanic or golf drill to do… have him/her physically show you how it should be done.

This may get you saying “duh”… but I’m telling you… you need to do this for every drill or tip they give you. That way you can get a strong visual in your mind of how it should look.

Whenever I take a golf lesson, I expect my golf teaching pro to show me every time. He knows this… and better be able to do it (he he).

Yet again… I turned on the Golf Channel and low-and-behold there was Nick Faldo with his golf fitness trainer talking about and showing golf exercises he does to stay fit for golf!

He can be a very funny guy… but he was dead serious in going through some of these golf specific exercise for the viewers.

Take note… and get your golf training program going asap!

Getting in shape for golf is no longer an oxymoron!

Golf is physical! Golf is a sport! Golf requires a very high level of athleticism (balance, coordination, strength, power, flexibility, golf-specific muscular endurance, stability, etc…).

With the season nearing for many of you… this is the time “right now” to get your body in shape for golf! Wouldn’t you like to see an improvement (not a decline) in your golfing ability? I know how frustrating it can be to walk off the course knowing you are capable of so much better… but it didn’t happen.

You can’t get away from it when you watch tournaments on the television!

EVERY time I watch a tournament, the commentators mention so-and-so has gotten in better shape this off-season… with a golf training program and it shows.

You are a Golfing Athlete!

Prepare your body for performance like any other athlete does… and you’ll reap the rewards!

Get motivated! Don’t put it off! Do something right now!

I’m sitting here watching the Accenture Match Play (while I’m working on my websites) and have heard twice in less than 2 minutes the commentators mention Davis Love doing his golf exercise program and feeling better than ever… with his long-term golf back injury issues; and also Tom Lehman having had knee injuries that were so painful…he had two choices. Literally quit golf or get in shape. He choice the latter and lost 25 pounds and did golf fitness exercises throughout his off-season and his performance in this tournament is showing the fruits of his labor!

Choosing the correct golf equipment is critical to your performance on the golf course. With all the new technology available, it’s easy to get overwhelmed… or oversold on what you really need.

In this blog post I’d like to address shaft stiffness!

Too many amateur golfers pick a shaft that is way too stiff. Their pride says they should swing a stiff or extra-stiff shaff. But when they go out and try to hit it, they can’t get the ball to go anywhere!

I made this mistake a few years back. I drive the ball consistently over 300 yards… and one day a very good golfer looked at my driver and proceeded to tell me I need a stiffer shaft. My ego was floating at that point, so I ran down that day to the golf equipment store to get a stiffer shaft.

The “end-result”?

I lost a minimum of 30 yards on my drives… and felt like I was swinging a two by four. It was a fricking board! It also made me swing harder to try to load it up. So along with this massive loss of distance, I lost a ton of consistency and accuracy.

I put my tail between my legs… and went back down to the golf store and put my “old” shaft back in. And what do you know? My distance and accuracy came right back!

Your clubs should be fit to your golf swing speed, torque you produce and overall golf fitness.

The smartest decision you can make is to get a shaft that is one notch below what you “think” you should have. This will allow you to load the shaft and get the most kick and spring out of it… producing more distance.

So take a look at your shafts!

If you’re a senior golfer… you may need to bump down to graphite shafts in your irons, if you still have steel ones. It will make a world of difference!

I just read in the New York Times this morning in the “Thursday Styles” section a great article on virtual trainers and how they are becoming popular.

There are many forms of virtual trainers, and this article was actually referring to even “game trainers”. I was a little confused, since I hadn’t heard of that before.

If you get the NY Times it’s worth a quick look.

I always hear senior golfers talk about their golf flexibility, and how much range of motion they’ve lost throughout the years. While playing with them it is quite obvious they are correct, but I need to also add most of them have very weak golf muscles as well.

So many times a senior golfer thinks a few golf stretches a couple times a weak will do the trick. I’m a firm believer in “anything is better than nothing”, but the reality is… you need to do it more often and incorporate golf strength training to see improvement in your power, distance and overall game.

Let me give you an example.

A senior golfer does a few golf stretches, but no golf weight training. The result is the muscle range of motion is not permanent. The senior golfer did not strengthen the muscle in this newfound range of motion and it wasn’t able to maintain it.

Now another scenario is strengthening those golf muscles with resistance in the same range of motion that you are doing with your golf stretching. The muscle gets stronger and is able to keep this new range.

The end result is a BIGGER backswing… more POWER… AND LONGER tee shots conistently!

Stretching before golf is non-existent with most amateurs. That sounds harsh, but I can tell you that 90% of the time I go to the range, golfers walk up and start hacking balls. No stretching before golf…no nothing!

Would you ever see an athlete do this? Then why would a golfer be any different? Golfers are athletes…and all athletes need to prepare their body to perform. This requires stretching before golf practice and play.

All it takes is minutes or less to effectively get your body warmed up and ready to shoot low scores. I have a stretching before golf section in my golf training manual that shows simple and dynamic movements to feel loser than you’ve ever felt on the first tee. No more blow up holes!

The kind of golf stretching I’m talking about is dynamic (movement) type stretching, not static (hold) stretching.

Picture how fluid the golf swing is and then do movements that are specific to rotation, golf posture and width in your golf swing.

The more efficient you are with these simple golf stretches, the quicker it will take and the sooner you’ll be able to do the fun stuff…hitting balls and playing your best!

Golf lessons can get very frustrating, but to avoid this, you need to have an agenda before you even see a golf professional. This agenda is one that is for YOU…not for your golf pro.

Go into your golf lesson with the intention to get your pro to give you the reason WHY you are hitting the ball a certain way and a golf drill or golf tip you can do that will correct it.

Make sure you understand it 100%!

If you don’t, have the pro execute it himself several times so you get a good visual.

Doing drills to correct swing faults is a very effective way to improve your swing.

Also…take a few notes and have your pro create a journal that he keeps, so when you see him next time, he’ll be able to reference it, to meet your needs.