Golf Fitness Exercises for the Pre-season
22. January 2009 by Tee It Up Pro Shop.
Author: Sean Cochran
Golf fitness exercises can be very beneficial in getting you ready for the upcoming golf season. Golf exercises with swing drills can prepare you for a successful year on the links right from the start.
The PGA Golf Tour is in full swing and for many parts of the country and world the golf season is upon us. Many of you are anxious to dust off the golf clubs and get out to the golf course for your first round of golf. A question that may be on your mind is how do I get ready? How do I knock off 6 months of rust on my golf swing, feel comfortable with my driver on the first tee, and post a good golf score at the end of the round?
All questions that are asked often in the world of professional golf and this article will provide you with the answers. Answers to these questions and many more fall under the category of how do I prepare myself for the golf season? Interesting enough if the guidelines from this article are followed the golf score you post for your first round of the year may be lower than you ever expected, the distance of your drives may well be farther than you imagined, and the number of accurate golf shots you hit may be even more surprising!
The answer to all the questions on how to get ready for the upcoming golf season centers on preparation. Preparation is the key to a successful first round of golf and every round you play in the upcoming golf season.
We all probably understand the definition of preparation but lets take a quick look in order for us to all be on the same page. Preparation can be defined as the work or planning involved in making something or somebody ready or putting something together in advance (Encarta Dictionary, MSN.com).
A definition that sheds light on getting ready for the upcoming golf season. Using the above definition we can see the process of preparing for the upcoming golf season does not begin 10 minutes before your first tee time, but rather in advance of when you get ready to hit driver off the first tee. Bottom line the process of getting ready for the upcoming golf season begins weeks or even months before your’ first round of golf of the year.
To have a successful first round of golf and a good season of golf you must begin the process of preparation well in advance of your first time on the golf course. If you look at professional golfers they begin the process of preparing for the upcoming golf season months in advanced. I would suggest doing the same. Develop a plan that will get your golf swing ready once the snow thaws, the birds are chirping, and the greens are ready for putting.
What does such a plan contain? This type of “golf preparation plan” would contain drills, exercises, and programs to improve and prepare every aspect of your golf game. If we break down the game of golf into categories the “golf program” becomes much easier to understand. Obviously, we have the different shots made on the course. A brief breakdown would indicate the need to implement swing drills to work on the full swing, short game, and putting. We could obviously get a little more detailed than a breakdown of the golf game into three different categories, but lets’ keep it simple.
Now that we have this breakdown of the game of golf into full swing, short game, and putting the next step is to implement a series of drills to work on each of these aspects. Simply put I would suggest devising a series of drills to work on each part of the golf game/swing. This can easily be accomplished by purchasing a few books or videos from one of the top-teaching professionals in the world of golf. Each one of these qualified golf instructors have numerous materials available to help you with your golf swing. And if you are one of those individuals that lives in a cold climate and is unable to get to a driving range or practice facility, no need to worry. Most all of the instructional videos/books available have drills that can be performed in the comfort of your own home.
At this point we have a couple of bases covered in the “preparation plan” for the upcoming golf season. We understand preparation is key to a successful year on the golf course, the “preparation plan” begins well in advance of the first tee time of the year, and a portion of the plan consists of swing drills. This brings us to final part of your “preparation plan” for the upcoming golf season.
This part of the plan centers on the implementation of golf fitness exercises to go along with your swing drills. We must understand the concept of your body and the golf swing. The golf swing is executed in its’ entirety by your body. In order for your body to execute the golf swing correctly. It requires you to have certain levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power within it. If you are lacking in any one of these physical areas compensations will occur in your golf swing.
It comes down to this: In order to be prepared for the upcoming golf season and to improve your golf swing. The implementation of golf fitness exercises geared towards developing your body around the golf swing is necessary. This type of program will prepare the body for the golf swing and the upcoming golf season.
To summarize, the process of preparing yourself for the upcoming golf season begins with a “preparation plan”. This plan begins weeks to months in advance of your first time out on the golf course. Additionally, this “preparation plan” for the upcoming golf season contains a series of golf training drills to prepare your golf swing. The golf training drills break down the golf game into three sections; full swing, short game, and putting. A series of swing drills are implemented to work on each one of these parts of your golf game. In addition golf fitness exercises are implemented into the golf-training program to develop your body around your golf swing. Put all these pieces together and your first time out on the golf course this year should be an enjoyable one.
About the author: Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/golf-articles/golf-fitness-exercises-for-the-preseason-728593.html
Using a GPS For Golf
18. January 2009 by Tee It Up Pro Shop.
By Lawrence Bredenkamp
In this article I will give you 10 benefits of using a GPS for golf. With the rapid development of GPS technology, using a GPS for golf has become very popular throughout the world, and in particular America and Australia.
Why has using a GPS for golf become so popular?
Well quite simply the information you receive from a GPS is both accurate and extremely useful.
When using a GPS for golf you get the following benefits:
- Distances from where you are to varying parts of the course and hole in play. This includes the overall length of the hole, the distance to the beginning and end of the fairway. Distances to hazards, both to reach and to carry the hazard, as well as distances to the front, centre and back of the green. All this information is extremely useful and time saving. No more measuring out or guessing of distances. Most Golf GPS models are accurate to within a couple of yards.
- Get to know how far you hit the ball with each club. A lot of players who have been using a GPS for golf say that this can be quite a humbling experience. Believing that they hit a driver (or any club) a certain distance and then discovering that they in fact don’t hit it that far seems to amaze them. Truth is most amateurs think they hit the ball further than they do.
- Gain confidence. Knowing the distance that you hit each club gives you an incredible amount of confidence when playing. No longer do you have to worry about a three quarter or “between clubs” shot. This alleviates tension and allows for a smooth swing. Ever wondered why the pros seem to know exactly which club to use and get the distances exactly right? Their caddies are paid to know exactly how far it is to the pin, what clubs they hit that distance and to advise the player accordingly - exactly the information you will get from using a GPS for golf.
- A Golf GPS is extremely useful when you have hit a wayward shot; say behind some trees, where you would ordinarily have no idea of how far it is to get the ball back into play or to the green. Without a line of sight you can confidently play your shot knowing that your ball will (or should - as you still have to execute the shot) land back in play or where you intended it to go.
- Play anywhere any time with confidence. If playing at a strange course for the first time or a course that you do not play that often - such as when you are on holiday - you have the advantage of not having to worry about distances. Most GPS models come preloaded with a number of local courses or courses can be downloaded as required. In addition you can ‘map’ or plot your own points on every hole and so customize your GPS specifically for your own use.
- Using a GPS for golf will speed up play. It is amazing how many players report that this happens. Even one GPS in a four ball seems to speed up play considerably.
- Shoot lower scores and reduce your handicap. A lot of people who use a GPS for golf say that they have shaved shots off their rounds from the very first time they use a GPS. Quite simply a GPS takes a lot of tension out of the equation and this definitely makes for better scoring.
- Be the envy of your mates - they’ll all want to play with you. Or more likely want you to help them with their distances.
- Analyze your round after the game by using the built in statistics available in most GPS models.
- Enjoy your game more. If you are playing well you will naturally enjoy it more.
So there you have it - 10 benefits to using a GPS for golf. If you haven’t already tried using a GPS for golf do yourself a favor and go out and get one today.
Lawrence Bredenkamp is a qualified golf coach and a mad keen golfer. He has several golfing websites one of which is dedicated solely to Golf GPS.
This website has the most comprehensive comparison chart available on the web. It provides a full review of each of the most popular models and gives recommendations based on budget.M
Buy your GPS using this information and rest assured that you have bought the best available for the money you have spent.
Article Source: EzineArticles.com/Using-a-GPS-For-Golf
The Importance Of Alignment In Your Golf Game
17. January 2009 by Tee It Up Pro Shop.
The Importance of Alignment In Your Golf Game
There are three elements of proper alignment in the game of golf:
*Aligning the body, the ideal body alignment aims all of your body, feet, knees, hips, forearms and shoulders parallel to the target line.
*Aligning the ball, if the ball is aligned to far forward, it can cause you to hit it while the putter is swinging up, causing the ball to leave the green.
*Aligning the putter face - according to some professionals if your putter alignment is off by 10 degrees, and your putt is 20 feet, you will miss the hole by 3 feet. That sounds like aligning the putter is pretty important!
Contact should be made with the ball at the bottom of the stroke for putting, at the point where the putter head is horizontal to the ground. In the ideal stance this is directly beneath the center of your stance. The center of your stance should be directly below your breastbone.
To determine your low point, try some practice swings, the point where the putter brushes the grass is your low point. It may be further back if you put more weight on your back foot or further forward if you lean towards your target. Your ball should be placed slightly in front of your low point, this is necessary because each persons low point is different.
The direction your putt is off may be caused due to the fact that your ball is positioned improperly to your low point. If you continue to push puts right, try moving your ball slightly forward. If you pull your puts to the left, try moving your ball back slightly in your stance.
Placing the ball to far forward is the most common mistake golfers make. This makes it easier for them to see their shot, but gives the shot less power than it should have.
alignment, golf, golf clubs, playing golf, putting
Source: putting
