Golf Practice Blog

By JODY ROBBINS
CTW Features

The most common injuries are sorted into two categories: chronic and traumatic. Chronic injuries occur thanks to repetitive movements, a tennis swing, for instance. Traumatic injuries happen, quite obviously, because of a more sudden occurrence, like taking a hard hit on the sports field or a car crash.

Either way, proper stretching for flexibility and body strengthening can make all the difference, helping you pursue your favorite hobbies with less pain and for longer. The point is to strengthen muscles around the injured spot and to counteract the effects of repetitive movement.

Click here to read the rest of this article by Jody Robbins from PhillyBurbs.com.

For the best golf fitness training aids, please visit PracticeRange.com!

from VenturaCountyStar.com
By Bob Buttitta
Wednesday, September 12, 2007

When Tiger Woods showed up on the PGA Tour 10 years ago he ushered in a revolution in golf, one which included a higher commitment to physical fitness by most players.

Westlake resident Matt Smalling believes weekend golfers should also follow Woods’ example and try to improve their performance by increasing their fitness level.

Read the rest of Bob Buttitta’s article from the Ventura County Star.

For the best golf fitness training aids, please visit PracticeRange.com!

By Katharine Dyson
Golf Press Association Contributing Lifestyle Editor

While recently playing golf on a hot sticky day with my friend, we were waiting for the par-3 green to clear.

If you’re quenching your thirst with flavored waters like Glacéau’s VitaminWater, two 20-ounce bottles add up to 250 calories. Go ahead, read the fine print.

Click here to read the rest of this article from the Golf Press Association by Katharine Dyson.

For the best golf fitness training aids, please visit PracticeRange.com!

By Sean Cochran
From PGATOUR.com

As we continue with our series on golf fitness exercises to improve your game it is time to discuss clubhead speed. Over the past couple of weeks we have been discussing tee shots and the benefits of golf fitness training for this aspect of your game.

An integral component of tee shots, especially those hit with your driver, is clubhead speed. Clubhead speed is essentially the rate of speed at which the club impacts the golf ball. The higher the rate of speed, the farther the golf ball will travel. So it only makes sense when hitting driver that clubhead speed becomes an integral component of the game.

Read the rest of Sean Cochran’s article about increasing clubhead speed at PGATOUR.com.

Click here to view the full line of golf fitness products at PracticeRange.com.

Lately it seems as though a lot of schools are re-tooling their physical education programs to make them more inclusive for children of all body-types and skill levels… cutting competitive sports play and incorporating more static and low-impact excercises and stretching.  However, with America’s childhood obesity on the rise (more than doubling since the 1970s), instead of stretching and walking with no purpose, golf should be the activity that “chips in” to fill the void.

Though golf can be as competitive of a sport as any other, at a young age it may just be better to teach children that golf can perhaps be best enjoyed when you focus on surpassing your own personal best.  Taking this line of reasoning, golf could very well be the best physical education class subject that a school could adopt.  The benefits of golf for young people are too numerous to list here, a good start at the top three being walking, weight training and hand-eye coordination.  Couple this with the fact that golf is practically a life-time activity and you get a school program that has the greatest return on any investment a school can put into it.

Leave it to the birthplace of golf to make the first solid move…a primary school in the United Kingdom has figured out the benefits of organized golf instruction at all levels. By partnering with several UK golf foundations and associations, the Midlothian Public School in Scotland is in the process of implementing it… and is going the extra mile at that.

Read the following article from MidlothianToday.co.uk to learn more.

The American golf training aid industry is already answering the call for bolstering junior golf.  The PracticeRange.com top three training aids for the first quarter of 2007 include The Swing Builder (available in three levels of resistance), the Junior Impact Ball and the Izzo Chip Pocket Golf Net.  Additionally we have seen a dramatic increase in the amount of school purchase orders in this first quarter.  Hopefully this is a good sign that solid golf instruction in American schools’ physical education classes is on the horizon and getting closer.

Philadelphia, PA (PRWeb) March 6, 2007 — MIT’s second annual Better Golf through Technology Conference features David Ostrow, CEO of Body Balance for Performance. Ostrow will present research on the correlation between body movement and golf swing.

The study presented by Ostrow scientifically explores whether golf swing flaws are linked to improper body conditioning. The goal of Body Balance’s research is to develop new training methods that improve golf swing performance and prevent sport related injuries.

“We are proud to be a part of the Better Golf through Technology Conference,” said Ostrow. “We hope that our research will give the golf industry a better understanding of how the body’s limitations can affect the golf swing, leading to new golf training techniques.”

Data for the golf swing study has been gathered at Body Balance for Performance centers across the country through a variety of technologies, such as digital video capture and computer analysis of professional golfers in action. Body Balance for Performance will continue this research throughout 2007 to create a sample size large enough to draw accurate conclusions.

The MIT Better Golf through Technology Conference draws golf training professionals, golf technology innovators, researchers and golf equipment manufacturers together to discuss the latest golf technology and emerging golf fitness trends. This year’s conference will run from March 29 through March 30, featuring researchers from leading academic institutions as well as golf fitness experts. Participants will discuss the role of technology in the future of golf and compare scientific and instructional insights.

For over twenty years Body Balance for Performance has assisted with clinical research on proper physical conditioning for improved performance and minimized injuries of the world’s leading golfers. Their research led to the development of a golf fitness training and therapeutic treatment program that has aided golfers at every level of the game. With forty centers operating in the U.S. and Canada, Body Balance continues to develop new golf technology and conditioning techniques to promote health and excellence in the game of golf.

If you’ve been keeping an eye on PGATOUR.com, you’ve probably been keeping up with the series regarding the phases of the golf swing.  In the latest installment by Sean Cochran, the “transition phase” is discussed, as well as how you can focus your golf fitness regimen to maximize your swing in the transition phase.  According to Cochran, “The transition point of the swing is where the body finishes its backwards movement and begins the forward movement of the downswing.”

Click here to read the full PGATOUR.com article by Sean Cochran.

As we ring in the New Year, many of us will be putting weight loss right next to improving the golf game at the top of our list of resolutions.  In weight loss, as in golf, it would be ideal to take a pill before bed and a couple swings with the latest trainer then wake up a few pounds lighter and a few strokes under.

Unfortunately nothing is that simple… weight loss (like golf) takes training.  Golf training aids that improve the golf game as well as the physique are becoming more prevalent.  Products such as the Powerswing Trainer from Golf Gym and Gyro Excersise Balls from Dynaflex are leading the way in helping golfers multi-task their training and build the golf-specific muscles that will help them shave strokes off the golf game and finish a round feeling better than before.

Weight loss powders and pills may tout “instant and easy” weight loss but few, if any, produce any real results except making you feel lighter in the wallet.  Read this short article from the Central Texas Better Business Bureau regarding diet aids, then visit PracticeRange.com for training tools and exercise programs that really will help you shave off those unwanted pounds and strokes.

Last summer, I showed up late for a practice round before a three day Member/Guest. We’ve all done it.  Pull up in the parking lot, get your shoes on as fast as possible and make a dash for the first tee. My group is already on the tee.  So there’s no time for anything but to pull out the driver and a make a few quick practice swings. I teed it up and ened up pulling more than just the tee shot. A pulled muscle in my right shoulder bothered me (and probably my partner) the entire tournament.

The injury rate for amateur players is an astounding 60%, and the average golf mishap usually results in a loss of about five weeks of precious playing time. So what accounts for these frustrating injuries? What can be done to help prevent them? What can be done if you do find yourself aching after your weekly game?

My doctor recommended a series of stretches that I’ve incorporated into my morning ritual and augmented with this golf warm up routine from Dr. Divot’s Guide to Golf Injuries. Larry Foster, M.D., is a board-certified orthopedic surgeon and self-described “golf nut”. His book is a quick and fun read.  It should be pored over by every golf enthusiast – whether or not you have actually been injured – and then stashed with the club for quick reference before stepping out onto the course.

Here are some excerpts from Dr. Divot’s Guide to Golf Injuries to help you warmup properly before practice and playing.

Dr. Divot’s Golf Warmup 

Neck Stretches 

Shoulder and Chest Stretches 

Forearm and Wrist Stretches 

Lateral Back Stretch 

Toe Touch 

Lower Back/Trunk Rotation 

Hamstring Stretch 

Quads Stretch 

Calf Stretch 

Will attention to proper warm up before practicing lead to increased distance?  Maybe. If not, it should at least hold off Father Time and slow down the loss of distance as we get older. More likely, it will prevent injuries, allow us to play pain free, and get us a bigger share of the Calcutta.