Perform Better Golf Blog

I don’t know about you, but isolating your swing fault with a golf swing drill is one of the most effective ways to eliminate a swing fault.

I came across a golf drill site that is one of the most comprehensive sites pertaining to golf drills I’ve ever seen.

The teaching pro behind the site is Duncan McGillivray.

I’m proud to say we will be having Duncan post some of his valuable golf drills on this blog, and I am fortunate enough to do the same for him at his blog.

If you’re dealing with a swing fault that you just can’t correct, I strongly suggest you go over there and take a look.

If you’ve read any of my articles or posts on this blog, you’ll know I’m not a huge proponent for going out and buying new golf equipment everytime your game goes south. But if you’re in the market for a new driver, irons, putter or gofl equipment, I do believe you need to do a little research first.

A great site for golf reviews is About Golf.

I’ve referred many of my subscribers and customers to this site and they were never disappointed. There are hundreds of golf review sites on the net, but this one covers pretty much everything you’ll need to know about the latest, greatest golf equipment.

Man…how important is the short game in golf?

I am a prime example of this. I usually drive the ball very far and fairly straight, so I typically have a wedge in my hand on most approach shots.

If this is the case, why do I shoot in the low 80’s and sometimes high 70’s, and not in the low 70’s?

Short game!

As I have mentioned many times before…my putting sucks! I easily lose 5-6 strokes every single round from putting. How about you? Do you make your putts? I’m talking about the realistic ones. The 3-4 footers.

I have even gone to the range and practiced my putting and STILL miss them on the course.

The bottom line in golf is getting the ball “in the hole!”

If you are having difficulty with your driving distance, then that really adds to the mix and can make for a long round of golf. This is definitely when you want to work on your body via golf fitness.

Either way…we keep going at it don’t we?

Every golfer knows that stretches for golfers can make a difference. I have seen it firsthand right on the golf course. A good example is the other day when I was paired with an older golfer.

I could tell right off the bat he was physically limited and would struggle with his golf swing the entire round. It was painful to watch, so by the 4th hole, I asked him if this was his normal round of golf. He said, “unfortunately, I play like this everytime.”

I told him I was a golf fitness trainer and that I’d like to throw in my two cents if he didn’t mind. He welcomed me with open arms.

First off, I noticed his backswing was really restricted, so I gave him a dynamic golf stretch to do right there on the course. I had him ease into it, and then go a little beyond his comfort zone.

Guess what happened on the very next shot?

He hit his drive 50 yards…yes, 50 yards further than his previous drive. Now don’t get me wrong. His previous drive didn’t even get airborne, so the 50 yard increase was a little deceiving, but nonetheless he was ecstatic. He finally hit a drive that he felt satisfied with.

The story gets much better, but I won’t bore you with the details. If you feel tight on the course or practice range, do a couple of simple golf stretches, and you’ll feel like a new golfer.

Plyometric exercises for golf are considered advanced training, but that doesn’t mean you can’t incoroporate them into your “in-home golf training program. The definition of plyometrics is a type of fast exercise in which the muscles are not allowed to fully contract after being extended, typically involving jumping and bouncing.

Now you may think…”what does this type of training have to do with my golf game?” …and that is a very good question. But please remember the golf swing is considered a power move that can send a golf ball up to 350 yards down the fairway (or into the woods).

So training your golf muscles for power isn’t a bad thing. But you’ve got to make sure you are doing it the right way to improve your golf swing not hurt it.

If your current level of fitness is average to below average, I would not recommend this type of training. It can put undo stress on your joints if your muscles are too weak to protect them. Easing into plyometric exercises for golf is a wise move.

Any explosive movements you do with resistance should be controlled and not at a high rate of speed to start out with. Try doing these exercises at 60% of your maximum speed to avoid injury and overtraining.

A typical example of a plyometric exercise is box jumps. This develops explosive power in the legs, which can equate to a powerful transition from the backswing into the downswing creating maximum power. You would stand on top of a 16-20 inch box, jump off it, and the second your feet hit the ground you would explode upward with all your might.

This is a very “fast twitch” movement that can deplete you very quickly. Again, this is just one example of a plyometric exercise you could use in your golf training. First, develop your level of fitness to support this type of training.

I know you may be envious, but please contain yourself. As you may, or may not know, I live in Scottsdale, Arizona…and it’s “getting hot in here”.

We are supposed to break 105 by tomorrow!

I have to admit it’s a “dry heat”, but 105 is 105…HOT!

This is the 6 months of the year that are tough…but the golf is cheap; and if you get it in early, it isn’t nearly as hot.

The other 6 months are the most beautiful in the country (by my opinion only). While everyone else is getting snow, ice, rain, and whatever else, we are sunny and warm.

Will be doing my usual golf Tuesday and Thursday morning at 6:42am. The first tee time and I usually play by myself. I get it done in 1 hour and 50 minutes. That’s my kind of golf!

Now if I could just make more putts, I’d be a 5 handicap, instead of a 9!

Low back pain is the most common complaint among amateur golfers. The solution is back exercises for golf to eliminate back pain…that’s nagging you on and off the golf course.

We’ve all been there. Starting off playing okay…and then all of a sudden you feel the dreaded twinge in your lower back. You know what happens next. You start making compensations in your golf swing to avoid the low back pain.

The end results is more swing faults occurring and your score ballooning right before your very eyes. Doesn’t this sound familiar? If you are in this demographic, you’ve got to implement some simple back exercises for golf that will eliminate back pain and get your swing back on track.

These exercises are specific to your lower back, and are both stretching and strengthening in nature to give you long-term results and prevention of any future back pain.

Exercises targeting your glutes, hamstrings, lower back and even hips will be the most effective exercises for golfers with back pain. All of these areas tie into the lower back and can together, or independently cause severe back pain if not addressed with a back exercise program for golf.

A simple exercise for your back is Opposite Arm Leg Raise exercise. Take a look at the picture on that page and you’ll see how simple and effective it is.

This is just one of several effective and simple strength and stretching exercises for your lower back. I hope I’ve convinced you to get “off the course” and work on your back pain.

Every year golfers come out at the start of the season hoping for a better game than last year. They key term is hoping. The reason I bring this up, is just the other day I was playing my local course (Dove Valley Ranch Golf Club), and was paired with a very nice guy in his early 60’s.

We got started and within about 3 holes he was shaking his head in total frustration, so I asked him what was wrong? He said he hasn’t improved one bit from last year, and down here in Scottsdale Arizona you can play year-round golf.

I hear this all the time, and receive dozens of emails everyday with the same tone and result.

I knew by watching his swing what the issues were, but I asked him what he thought. He said he’s taken lessons and was playing with very forgiving clubs (Callaway x-18’s, which I also play with, but mine are the Pro Series) and still wasn’t improving.

I asked him what his pro said, and he proceeded to tell me all these swing positions and mechanically thoughts going through his head. I thought to myself…”talk about the 62-point checklist”.

At this point, I wanted to scream, “it’s your BODY that’s keeping you from playing better”, but I didn’t. I did proceed to inform him of his particular limitations since they were quite obvious watching his golf swing.

We can only hope, he’ll take some of my input and run with it.

Does this story sound familiar at all? Are you that same guy I just talked about?

I hate to hear all the stories of golfers who come out and play the same ‘ol game they’ve always played…year after year.

It doesn’t have to be that way! Learn how your body’s limitations are causing ALL your golf swing faults and work on them. Your improvement won’t happen overnight, but I can assure you, you WILL start to see improvement fairly quickly.

Physical training in golf has become a hot topic. There is even an entire show each week on the Golf Channel about it. With the popularity of physical training for golf booming, why are so many golfers ignoring it and taking the same approach they’ve always taken?

It amazes me to hear stories of unhappy golfers who have not improved after taking golf lessons, buying new equipment and pound hundreds, if not thousands of balls at the range.

I can tell you with 100% certainty, these golfers are not working on the ’cause’, they are fueling the result.

The body swings the club. If the body is broken, the swing will not be efficient or repeatable. It’s that simple. If goflers don’t realize this, they will forever be playing the kind of golf that makes them walk off the course in disgust.

Why not walk off the course with a smile on your face?

We all play golf to improve. The challenge right? If what we are currently doing is not improving our games, then isn’t it time to take a different approach? I hope you agree with me and start to educate yourself on the importance of physical training for golf.

With just a few golf stretches and strength exercises done right in your home, you can see huge improvement in your golf swing and game. The investment in time and money is minimal. If your goal is to play better golf, strongly consider working on your ‘machine’.

How many golf drivers do you have in your garage? Come on…how many?

I have five of them!

I will admit, I only purchase a new golf driver about every 4-5 years, since my philosophy…”it’s not your equipment, it’s your body” is what I live by.

But every now and again, I get the itch to go to my local golf store…and god only knows what I’ll come out with.

About a year ago, when I was visiting family back in Oregon, I came across a brand new golf store. Golf Galaxy was the name. For Oregon, it was awesome!

For the record, I wasn’t even looking for a new golf driver, but I proceeded to ask a young kid working there about their latest greatest drivers.

I’ve never before done this, but he lined up 10, yes…10 drivers for me to hit in this virtual screen that supposedly shows ball flight and distance.

I started going through them one-by-one and eliminating the ones that didn’t feel right. But it was comical…the screen was showing my average drive to be over 330 yards and my ball speed to be over 175mph. I don’t know how much I believe those gadgets, but I do hit my drives consistently over 300 when I play.

Anyways…I finally picked the Mizuno golf driver with a 9.5 degree loft. The shaft is just a standard stiff that weighs 75 grams.

I love this driver!

I’ve never hit a driver so far and straight. For a hack like me, it is very forgiving, and allows me to give it a good rip.

I still believe..”it’s not your equipment”, but it sure is fun to get something new once in a while.