5 Exercises to Boost Your Game
Written by Todd Pickens
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[dropcap]With warmer weather coming, many golfers’ minds are racing with anticipation over the upcoming season. Most golfers rush to the links or range and start smashing balls. What isn’t considered is that every sport, including golf, should start with a preseason. This preseason enables us to prepare our bodies for the upcoming season by including some training to work on proper mobility and stability issues that play such a large part in the golf game and swing.[/dropcap]
“There are many ways to swing a golf club, but only one way based on what your body can do.”
When we look at the golf swing kinetically as a whole, the body must work link-by-link in proper order to be effective. If not, it throws the whole kinetic chain off—resulting in an ineffective swing, thus reducing power and distance. With that in mind, everyone is different and has different needs based on body makeup. As a Titleist Golf Fitness Instructor, I can tell you that there are many ways to swing a golf club, but only one way based on what your body can do. To prevent an ineffective swing, or decrease the likelihood of injury, consider implementing a year-round or preseason golf fitness training program.
Instituting any training program into your game helps with your overall health, flexibility and game improvement. If you are unable to train year-round, at least give yourself a great preseason tune-up before you hit the links (about 4 to 8 weeks). You just might be surprised by the benefits a few simple exercises can provide. Here are a few core and stretching exercises for you to start today:
[dropcap]1 Hip Lifts. Start by laying on your back, knees bent and feet flat on the ground. Squeeze your glutes while lifting your hips off the ground. Keep your abs tight throughout this movement.[/dropcap]
[dropcap]2 Open Book Stretch.Lying on your left side, cross your right leg over top of your left leg in a bent position, keeping your bottom leg straight. Hold down your right leg with your left arm, keeping your knee on the ground. Slowly, with your right arm extended, reach to your right as far as you can rotate, keeping your right knee on the ground. This should result in a gentle rotational stretch to the thoracic and lumbar regions. Repeat on the other side.[/dropcap]
[dropcap]3 Cross Over Stretch.Take any golf club from your bag, place your left foot behind (or crossed behind) your right foot. Take your club high overhead and lean to your right. This will result in a stretch to the lateral hip structures. Repeat on opposite side.[/dropcap]
[dropcap]4 Seated Russian Twists. In a seated position, sit upright with knees bent. Activate or tighten the abs throughout the motion and slowly rotate side to side while holding a weighted medicine ball. This works the core, most notably the external obliques, aiding with strength and power in rotation.[/dropcap]
[dropcap]5 Pivot Upper and Lower.With the use of an Iron, get into a golf/hitting posture. Hold your club crossways at the chest with arms interlocked. First, focus on upper body rotation. Maintain your golf posture and rotate only your upper body to the right and then to the left. No lower body movement should occur. Then focus your movement on the lower body. Continue holding your club, keep the upper body still and focus on rotation of the lower body from right to left, targeting the hips.[/dropcap]