The Importance of Being Fit for Golf
The term “Fit for Golf” is becoming more common and is really starting to be taken seriously by many golfers today, especially by the beginners. Many people who are considering golf as a career or new hobby overlook this term and think that golf is very easy. As soon as they start to play golf, they realize it’s not as easy as they thought.
Yes, it can seem just like an oxymoron, but if you ever injured yourself on the course you’ll know exactly what I mean. This list of injuries obtained from golfing goes from twisted lower back to dead shoulder to sprained wrists and definitely seems to continue.
All this backs up the claim that fitness for golf is not just fairy-tale, it is fact very important. It is the foundation requirement for improving the performance in any golfer’s game and allowing you to play to your best potential.
The very movements of the swing are so unnatural, they put pressure on your muscles and your muscles will try to resist. These injuries are more evident to the older golfer. Some golfers get such bad injuries they even have to think about retiring from the game. This can all be prevented by doing various exercises to help loosen up the muscles and allow them to flow better.
How can the golf swing be so damaging to the body?
Well, you are trying to swing a 36″ golf club through the air at approaching 100mph. While doing this you need to stand in a very small and awkward position and stance. It is only more difficult if you don’t have a good level of golf specific strength or knowledge of the range of motion.
Also, how about putting? Have you ever tried putting for less than 5 mins on the practice green and felt your back begin to strain? It happens to us all. It is to do with your lower back muscle strength. The weaker they are, the more they strain so they start to struggle when holding your body weight as you lean forward. If you were fit this wouldn’t happen.
What about the challenging shots?
Have you ever been on the second or third cut of a fairway, had grass all around you and just couldn’t seem to get the ball out of it? Now you’ve got to do it all again and your wrist is badly injured because of the hard impact.
These two scenarios are only two of many out there on the golf course and would be non-existent to the average golfer if only they had a better knowledge of golf specific fitness.
In reality, golf is not as easy as it looks. The swing is very demanding. But you can master it with ease and fluency by doing certain stretches and most of all, without damaging your body!
About the Author: Mike Pedersen is highly regarded as one of the best golf trainers in the world. Not only that, he’s also an author, and his book “The Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide” is regarded as the best of it’s kind. He’s also behind several best selling Golf Training DVD’s, and he is the founder of numerous top quality online golf fitness sites.
