Titleist 915D3 Driver

The Titleist 915D3 Driver delivers distance with trajectory control while producing lower flight and less spin. “They’ve added a chamber at the bottom of the head for more impact,” says Ed Collins, head golf professional at Kiln Creek Golf Club & Resort in Newport News, Virginia.

The club uses ARC technology designed to produce more speed and less spin. “With a lower center of gravity you get less ballooning and more of a line drive,” confirms Collins, who says 
it’s one of the best clubs available.

Titleist Pro V1 Golf Balls

The 2015 Pro V1 and Pro V1x golf balls offer better short game spin and improved control. The balls come with the new, patented thermoset urethane elastomer cover designed to also improve feel and sound. The technology gives golfers the added confidence to hit it closer to the hole.

Garmin Approach S3 GPS Watch – 
Black/Gray

A growing trend in golf technology is the use of GPS watches. The Garmin Approach S3 GPS Watch marches golfers from the tee box to the green.

The convenient and easy-to-use touchscreen is simple and glove friendly. The high-resolution display has high reflectivity much like a Kindle Paperwhite, making it readable anywhere. The watch shows the true shapes of the greens, manages distances and offers precise yardages, and comes preloaded with 25,000-plus worldwide courses (free updates available; no subscription required).

Says Collins: “They’re programmed by satellite with all of the courses so you never have to figure out yardages anymore. You can see the whole course.”

Adidas Men’s adipower Boost Golf Shoes

“Adidas did the same thing to their golf shoes that they did to their basketball shoes,” says Collins.”It’s amazing.”

What Collins is referring to is the FitFoam cushioning system used by Adidas to make golf shoes comfortable for indoor and outdoor use. The shoe offers comfort, stability and lateral support. Adidas has also placed gripmore spikes of varying sizes, 
strategically locating them on the outsole to deliver improved 
and more efficient traction and stability where it’s needed most—
the swingplane.

Strengthening Core

Written by Jake Wareing

1) Plank

Doing exercises like a plank is a whole lot better for your lower back and research has shown you will get more abdominal contraction with a plank than if you do a crunch.

Get your body nice and flat. You should be able to lie a stick down your spine and have it touching your lower back, between shoulder blades and back of the head all at the same time. 

Make sure that you are not arching your lower back. To prevent this, try to roll your hips underneath and squeeze your glutes, quads and compress your abs and rib cage. Upper body position is equally important.

Your elbows should be directly underneath your shoulders and your hands should be directly underneath your eyes. Chin should be tucked slightly. Pretend that you are trying to hold a grapefruit between your chin and the top of your chest.

Make sure that your lower back stays stable and does not shift from side to side. Pretend that there is a glass of water (or wine) resting on your low back.

2) Limited Rotations

One of the most important factors for a healthy golf game is a stable lower back. What is equally important is the ability to stabilize your spine to resist over rotation when the upper body is moving side to side.

Which is exactly what we see when hitting a golf ball. If your core is not strong enough to resist rotation you will eventually feel pain in your lower back. The lumber (lower) spine is not meant for rotation the same way as your thoracic (midback) spine is.

For this one we are going to need a band attached to a wall or a cable machine. To start you want to step a couple feet away and turn 90 degrees from the attachment point. Start with your feet shoulder-width apart and your knees slightly bent. Extend your arms to full extension. What you typically see when working rotation is turning as far as you can one direction and then turning as far to the other without rotating your hips with your shoulders. Although this is good for your core, it is also really bad for your lower back. So instead we work rotation by moving our hands slightly beyond one shoulder and then to the other. So move your hands through a limiting range of motion while stabilizing hips from moving side to side.

3) Battling Ropes

The battling ropes are actually a great core exercise. Because the ropes are move around and you have to stabilize your body and core from moving around with them. Not only that, but to get the ropes moving you have to activate your core in a quick, explosive manner similar to how your core works when swinging a golf club.

There is no perfect form when it comes to battling ropes but you should stand with your feet shoulder width apart and maintain good posture.

Single Rope Whip. For this, grab one rope handle and whip it up and down.

Alternating Rope Pattern. Grab two rope handles, ofne in each hand, and alternate rope hits. One comes up while the other goes down.

Double Rope Whip. Whip two ropes at the same time up and down. This is going to give you your best bang for your buck.

Keep in mind that the battling ropes are going to get your heart rate through the roof, which is great for your metabolism and burning calories. We like to use this at the end of our workouts as a finisher. Start with a 1:1 work to rest ratio if you are new to the ropes. We recommend going :30 working then :30 rest for 3-5 sets. If you want to push yourself, a 2:1 work to rest ratio works best. We recommend: 20 working then: 10 rest for 6-8 sets.

Building Flexibility

Written by Bridgit Kin-Charlton

Flexibility is a huge factor in making a successful golfer. 
A compact, powerful swing is defined by the x-factor—or the relationship of shoulder to hip rotation. Inflexible shoulders, tight hips and stubborn hamstrings do little in helping you achieve this ideal swing. What’s more, lack of flexibility can also limit your distance off the tee. Practice these three exercises five days per week, and you’ll improve your flexibility in as little as five sessions and see a difference on the course in 30 days.

Window Washers

Lie on your back with feet placed close to glutes, wider than hip-width apart. Inhale and lower both knees to the right. Exhale as you return to starting position. Switch sides and repeat 10 times in each direction.

Benefit: This stretch releases the hips, quads, and oblique abdominal muscles. This is especially critical for the finish position of a golf swing.

Twisting Table

Begin on all fours. Place right hand behind head and inhale, twisting from the thoracic spine to point the elbow toward the ceiling. Exhale and tuck right elbow under left shoulder. Hold for five breaths. Repeat five times.

Benefit: This move is great because it increases thoracic spine extension and rotation and teaches you how to stretch your spine over a stable hip base and drive that thoracic spine action toward the target.

Front and Side Leg Swing

Stand tall with feet shoulder-width apart. Hold a golf club in right hand for balance and swing left leg forward as far as possible, then backward as far as possible. Increase the pace into a smooth movement. Perform a set of 8 reps for each leg. Then, take a narrower stance and change the motion so each leg swings out to the side, holding hands on hips for balance. Perform one set of 8 reps for each leg.

Benefit: This move is key for increasing mobility in the hips.