Maintain Strength and Flexibility
by LPGA Teaching Professional Karen Palacios-Jansen
Most people at this time of year still have their clubs in storage, but you do not have to wait for good weather to work on your game. Now is actually an ideal time to work on some aspects of your game. Why not spend a few minutes a day working on your flexibility, strength and swing technique? Spending even 5 to 10 minutes a day swinging a club will keep you supple and loose and you won't have to relearn your swing after the long layoff.
Cardiogolf is a golf specific exercise program that you can do indoors. This program is designed for golfers of all levels regardless of age or level of play. Cardiogolf will teach you to condition the specific muscles used in proper swing biomechanics as well as provide low impact aerobic conditioning. Visit Cardiogolf to start your program today!
When spring finally hits, here's a tip for staying loose on the course:
Warm Up Before You Stretch Many people mistakenly think stretching their arms over the head is a warm-up to play golf. I always cringe when I see people stretching their arms over their heads and behind their backs, thinking that they are warming up their muscles, when they are potentially harming themselves. The worst thing you can do before you play golf is start to stretch muscles and joints that are cold because you can tear the muscle and joint.
You should warm-up muscles and joints before you stretch. To increase your blood flow, which brings needed oxygen to muscles and joints, you can:
Jog in place
Do jumping jacks
Or take a brisk walk
If it always takes you two or three holes to start hitting the ball solid, it is because it is at that point that you are finally starting to warm-up your muscles so they loosen and stretch better. Take the time to warm-up before you stretch.
Swing two clubs gently back and forth, gradually increasing the pace.
Walk the few hundreds yards to the driving range instead of hopping in the golf cart.
For younger players the ideal is to break a sweat; for older golfers, it's to become slightly winded. To save a few strokes at the start of your round, do yourself a favor and warm-up before you stretch and swing.
Karen Palacios-Jansen was recently named LPGA National Teacher of the Year and is managing editor for Golf Fitness Magazine. For more information, visit www.kpjgolf.com.