Free Golf Training Tips – Resources, Videos and Reviews

San Diego Chiropractor and Golf Fitness Doctor, Peter MacKay, DC, has designed the golf swing exercises to improve your swing and drive distance and reduce golf related injury.

Dr. MacKays golf exercises will reduce your risk for golf injury and golf related pain and will improve your golf performance. Stretching properly before the game will improve your swing and entire game. Pre game golf warm up will reduce golf related injury. (contact details below)

Fitness for golf is prevalent at every level. You hear about it all the time on the television and even teaching pros are talking more about the importance of fitness for golf.

The reason being is the belief that your ‘physical limitations’ are keeping you from optimal swing mechanics, power, distance and accuracy.

For the aging golfer this is most prevalent.

Without a golf-specific exercise program, it is virtually impossible to maintain and/or improve swing mechanics. The human body declines rapidly without stress being put on it.

What I mean…is muscles and bones need stress and pressure on them to remain strong, stable and injury-free. Without this stress…the body weakens and breaks down quickly…resulting in a rapid decline in strength and flexibility.

This is death to your golf swing!

The old adage – “use it or lose it” is very true. Haven’t you experienced a time when you were too busy with family obligations, work commitments and other stress-related issues and you felt you didn’t have the time to devote to your health and fitness?

What happened shortly after that?

Did you energy level go down? Did you start getting aches and pains and even newfound stiffnesses? How about your golf game? Did you feel like you didn’t have the same amount of umph on the ball?

This is that declining strength and flexibility I’m talking about. And the ONLY way to stop this from happening is maintaining some sort for fitness for golf program if it pertains to your golf game.

There are also two forms of fitness. “General fitness” and “sport-specific” or fitness for golf in regards to you as a golfer.

There is a major difference between these two forms of fitness.

One that is very common is going into a gym, plopping down on the machines and isolating one muscle group at a time in a controlled environment. Picture for instance an abdominal machine. You lie down in it, grap fixed handles that guide you through a set range of motion.

That would be considered “general fitness”.

On the other hand, picture standing (just like you do in golf) holding a single hand weight (dumbbell) straight out in front of you, and rotating (turning) back and through just like your golf swing. That is an exercise that would be consider fitness for golf. It directly benefits your rotational strength AND flexibility…enabling you to make a bigger turn with more power.

This area rapidly declines with the older golfer. Abdominal strength and flexibility if not tested often, will decrease, and the ability to make a full backswing with stored energy will be less and less…resulting in a massive reduction in power output, therefore distance.

So the next time you’re on the course and you get frustrated about you lack of distance off the tee…ask yourself “what was the last time you worked on your BODY?” Your answer will dictate your performance on a daily basis.

I have just barely scratched the surface of the importance of fitness for golf…but I hope I’ve got you thinking about how important Fitness for golf is if you want to play your best golf.

Contact Dr.MacKay today at:
www.premiertreatment.com
760/603-7900
www.sandiegogolfdoctor.com.

In this video I am working with a junior golfer Anthony Gesualdi at Elite Golf Center. He tends to get very upright with his arms which stops his rotation. We are using a Posfit medicine ball to work on his rotation, balance, and strength.

Strength training for juniors is supported by organizations such as the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Each of these organizations encourages children’s participation in appropriately designed training programs as long as they are competently supervised.

The majority of research today confirms that juniors can benefit from strength training programs through the improvement of motor fitness skills, self esteem, overall strength and physical and emotional well being.
For those juniors who are anxious to get an early start with strength training as a perfect compliment to their golf game, let’s take a look at the importance of form, function and good nutrition. These principles serve as the foundation for junior fitness and a lifetime of health and wellness for your young athlete.

Form. Each exercise we perform has a specific method of set up, instruction and properly executed form for each movement. There are muscles which stabilize while other muscles activate. Each plays a role in an exercise. When we compromise on technique or what is considered good form, injuries occur. When we place inappropriate loads on unsupported bodies, we no longer create an opportunity for growth, but rather continue to place unnecessary stress on our bodies. Take the time to learn proper form and lifting techniques. Once your junior learns the basics, make sure they are properly supervised as they learn about their bodies and their new found capabilities. Remember these principles will serve as the foundation for their future so take the time to help them understand the importance of safety and appropriate lifting techniques.

Function. Once you set safety and proper form as your priority, it’s time to choose an appropriate exercise program. Many young players ask about the right number of sets and reps for their age. Just remember that young players are not aspiring weightlifters or bodybuilders, but rather strength builders. Junior golfers should begin with body weight exercises that place an emphasis on many muscle groups and movement patterns which mimic real life movements such as pushups, pull-ups, and multi directional lunges. Weights can be used, but the focus should be light weights and higher repetitions. Simply choose 5 or 6 exercises and perform 15 to 20 reps while continuing your concentration on good form and technique. Never compromise on the quality of your movement in favor of increased repetitions. Begin with only a few repetitions until you master an exercise. Parents or instructors should provide clear instruction and close supervision.

Good Nutrition. As role models, parents have the responsibility to educate their children on the importance of proper nutrition. I’m sure, as adults, we’ve often wondered how different we would have viewed food if our parents had spent more time with us. Regardless of their age, it is not too late to teach them about fueling an athletic body and powerful mind. In the end, food fulfills three basic requirements. These are to provide fuel for our bodies, regulation of our metabolism and to support new tissue growth. Children who golf need an abundance of nutrients in the form of variety, balance and moderation. In the absence of proper nutrients, you sacrifice their growth as well as their future golf performance.

The Golf Handicap: Why You Need It And How To Get One

The Golf Handicap

The golf handicap system is a must if you are trying to improve your golf game. If you have a golf handicap, it gives you the ability to play in local tournaments against golfers with better abilities. Any golf course worth its salt will offer you the chance to get a golf handicap. Your golf handicap is a true barometer on your golfing abilities, as long as you accurately post your scores.

The golf handicap system is a complex formula of your average score, along with the difficulty of the course you are playing, along with a few other bells and whistles that only the USGA can figure out. Every golf course has a course handicap, which determines the number of strokes needed to play that course to the level of a scratch golfer.

What all this means to you, is that it helps give you a true indication of your golf ability. If you wanted to play a match against a scratch golfer, which is someone with a zero handicap, if you have a 7 handicap, you would receive 7 strokes, one for each of the first 7 most difficult holes on the course. It’s like he’s spotting you a 7 stroke lead, or a 7 hole lead in match play.

Considering that golf is suppose to be a gentlemen’s game, it is very important to post legitimate scores. There also are restrictions on how many strokes you can take on any given hole. As an example, if you have less than a 10 handicap, you cannot turn in a score card that has any score over double bogey. That is to try and keep sanbaggers from inflating their handicap so they can get more strokes when playing in golf tournaments.

Once you post enough scores and you have established your golf handicap, you will see how hard it is to get a low handicap. It takes more than one round of golf for your handicap to move in either direction. It takes at least 2 or 3 rounds to actually make your handicap move, so you don’t have to worry if you have a bad day on the course. If you go in to a slump and can’t seem to fix what’s wrong with your game, your golf handicap will suffer..

Sandbaggers aside, the golf handicap system is is a great way to measure yourself against other golfers.

To get a golf handicap, you’ll have to be part of a club of some sort and then register with your local golf affiliation of the USGA. Discover how to get a handicap in golf with help from a professional golf instructor in this free video on golf FAQs.