By Varrick Haynes, Special to Lone Star Golf
It’s never too late to start a new plan to better yourself and improve your fitness. Sure, we’re nearly two full months into the New Year, but don’t let that stop you from resolving to get into better shape. Springtime will be here soon. You and your golf game will be glad you put in the work now.
As a Fitness Instructor at The Woodlands County Club, I work with golfers of all ages and skill levels to help them set and meet their fitness goals. For this column, I’ve created five goals for TGA Members to aspire to meet:
1. Assess, Don’t Guess
2. Nutrition Revise
3. Power & Stability
4. Balance & Mobility
5. Recovery/Body Reset
Let’s take a closer look at what each of these means, and how they’ll help you achieve a constant state of physical readiness to play golf with peak performance.
Most of us feel like we more or less have a handle on where our fitness levels are right now. At a minimum, we know we could be in better shape. In order to set yourself on a path for fitness success, however, it’s vitally important to turn to a professional to evaluate where you are on a variety of areas, such as strength, balance and range of motion.
One of the best things you can do for yourself is find a Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Certified Instructor in your area to determine what physical limitations are affecting your golf swing. The TPI Instructor will help you create a baseline and an improvement plan.
Ask for interval assessments after three and six months into your new program. It’s important to chart the progress of your fitness levels and celebrate milestones and achievements.
Next, go see one of the PGA-certified teachers at your club or favorite public course. Ask for a complete driving range session to assess and confirm your swing tendencies. It’s important to understand the patterns of your “typical missed shot,” and why you’re failing to shoot better scores. Your teaching professional can help create a game plan to optimize your performance.
It’s likely that physical limitations are holding you back from reaching the next level of your potential.
If you’re looking to make a change and get healthier, working out is an important step in the right direction. But for overall health, and for weight maintenance or weight loss, what you eat is much more important than how often you work out. Get more wholesome foods in your diet, such as whole grains, starchy vegetables, beans, berries, nuts, grass-fed meats and wild-caught fish.
Take a close look at your daily eating habits for ways to improve overall health and performance. Here are some helpful tips:
1. A round of golf can last up to 5 hours, so it’s important to eat a nutritious meal prior to starting. You also should consume small snacks every 4-6 holes for steady blood sugar and energy levels, which helps prevent fatigue.
2. Hydration throughout the day – especially during physical activities like golf – is of the utmost importance.
3. Recovery nutrition is critical when playing multiple rounds in one day or for multi-day tournaments. Recovery meals and snacks should contain carbohydrates (fuel), some protein (for muscle repair and development) and plenty of fluids and electrolytes to replace sweat loss.
4. Meal Preparation or Food Delivery Service may help you stay on track.
5. Eat more foods that are anti-inflammatory and non-processed.
To maximize your golf potential, it’s important to work to create a repeatable and powerful Rotational Kinematic Sequence.
There is an efficient sequence of motion in a skilled golf swing called the Kinematic Sequence. It describes the proximal-to-distal sequence of the rotation speeds of the body segments. Each body segment: pelvis, ribcage and arm sequentially accelerates and decelerates before impact, starting from the inner large body segments: the pelvis and ribcage, then progressing to the smaller outer segments: the arms, hands and, finally, the clubhead.
Including exercises that address leg and core strength with added rotational resistance helps you engage powerful muscles in the lower body. The next step is sequencing the core muscles of the upper body to help support the body during the loading and firing phases of the golf swing.
Golfers strive for distance and accuracy off the tee box. They want pinpoint precision on approach shots to the green. Without good balance, you can’t achieve any of these objectives on a consistent basis. Incorporate a variety of balance challenging exercises 3-5 times a week to improve your overall balance for golf.
When I mention mobility, most assume it’s all to do with stretching and flexibility. However, to improve how we move and the positions we’re able to get into in our golf swing, it’s as much about strengthening as anything else.
By working on your movement and control through three key areas (spine, shoulders and hips), you’ll not only feel improvements in your swing, but you’ll also benefit from better performance and health. Include exercises in your workout routine that address these key areas.
Discover new ways to reduce inflammation and Trigger Point Tension in your body.
An entire day of golf can be exhausting, never mind multiple days in a row! As much as you would like to head straight for the couch, or your bed, after a long tournament, it’s important to take the proper recovery steps for your body. Because everyone’s body is different, many people go through different recovery processes after a lot of active work. Take note of a few ways that you can get started:
1. Drink plenty of water
2. Foam roller
3. Stretch
4. Incorporate relaxation techniques
Remember, everyone recovers in different ways, so listen to your body and focus on areas that need the most attention.
Varrick Haynes is a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Instructor offering golf performance training and assessment services at The Woodlands Country Club. He’s partnered with Club Champion to offer VIP Fitting services to his cliental with detailed understanding on how fitness training can help in the optimization of club dynamics. To learn more about Varrick, click here.