2013年9月3日星期二

Golf for Seniors - Fitness, Flexibility and Mindset.

Most people over the age of 45 start losing their strength and flexibility because of aging. But that should not mean a loss of fun or scoring ability. The senior golfer has to play smart, using good course management, a good short game, and adjust their thinking.

The main ailment of senior golfers is their back. Either golf related or from some other activity, many people suffer from back problems. The number one health reason for not playing golf for seniors is their back. And the standard golf swing that most “golf professionals” teach is one of the worse enemies of your back. Manner of fact, I would venture to say that the standard golf swing does more harm to backs than it helps. Therefore as we get older, we need to adjust our swing to fit our needs and health.

There are very few golf training DVDs on the market for senior golfers. Most of them are just the same as for younger players and they fail to address the needs of the senior golfer correctly. Mark Anthony Montaquila has produced a great DVD aimed specifically at seniors - it is not just a re-working of the same old exercises and really can help you to improve your golf shots and avoid injuries.

A few other things to consider are:

Play from the appropriate tees. Seniors should play form the gold boxes.
Of course use a cart or caddy although walking is good for fitness and flexibility.
Regular exercise to increase flexibility, strength, and endurance.

In one issue of Golf Journal, I read about a 104 year old gentleman from California that played in the inaugural Octogenarian Open, along side his 81 year old son!! And I quote him “I just go out and hit them now. I’m just a duffer, but golf is good exercise. You get out in the fresh air. It’s good for anybody. It keeps you out of the bars.” Unquote.

Golf is good for people of all ages. It makes you feel good mentally and physically. Of course the better you play the more fun it is. And the key to playing better? I would say exercise and the proper golf training.

2013年9月2日星期一

Be Aware of Your Body Exercise

Just placing your body in the correct position for an exercise requires effort from the body. If you were able to place your body in the correct position, I would then ask you to "hold" this position for a certain amount of time. This would indicate you are strong enough to add movement to your golf fitness exercise.



There are dozens of stretches for all people. But take a look at some of them. Do they even remotely look like they will benefit your golf swing with cheap golf clubs? Stretches involving trunk flexibility; lower back; hamstring; and even shoulders specific to the mechanics of the swing are what you want. General stretches are better than nothing, but will delay your results. You want specific stretches.



Golf stretching is only effective if done consistently. Muscles can "go back" very quickly if left alone. They are elastic and can easily be improved, as well as quickly tightened if not stretched regularly.



Training your body to improve stability in your swing can get a little complex if you really want to see results. The swing happens at between 80-100 miles an hour. One of the biggest flaws of amateur golfers is moving in their golf swing with golf irons. Moving either laterally (sliding), vertically (up and done) or both. This is death to your golf swing. To improve your stability involves specific strength drills most trainers don't even know about.


A full range of motion would be a full shoulder turn to the left and right of center. Again, at the beginning you may be unable to make a full shoulder turn. So what do we do? We slowly work on increasing the "movement" within the golf exercise until you are at a point of full range.



As with the idea of "position," we do the same with the idea of "movement." We gradually increase until you have achieved a full range of motion in the golf exercise. Once this is achieved, we move on to the final stage of implementing a golf-specific exercise with taylormade burner plus irons.



You need to use your best judgment on every golf exercise in your program. This will allow you to perform each golf exercise with the correct technique, develop (maybe over time) the correct range of motion of each golf exercise in your program, and finally take each exercise to "your own level of tolerance."

Select Right Club to Improve Your Game

Having proper equipment is an essential to play the game of golf the right way and to truly enjoy it. The golf club is one of the most important equipment that affects your game. With nay new types of golf clubs available in the market, it is very difficult to make a selection among them. You must find the right type of golf club that would assist you to enjoy the game the way you play. You can go through the following article that would provide you with certain guidelines as to how you should go about buying the right golf club.

It is important to assess your skill and understand your level of the game. If you are just a beginner or a weekend player and use the golf equipment that is used by a professional, that would hurt your game. Once you have understood your skill level, you can buy the right clubs for your game. There are several kinds of clubs available in the market and if you truly understand your skill level, you would end up buying the best one for yourself.

Set up a budget that you would not like to cross when set out to buy the right golf clubs for you. Choose the amount and look for clubs within that amount of money. When you set out to buy new golf clubs, it can be an expensive proposition. But you can find the right golf clubs according to your budget as there are sets available for specific budgets.

You must consider your strengths and weaknesses. Are you a pro or a beginner? You must know what your tendencies are before you go out to buy the golf clubs. This would assist you to get the clubs that you need that are properly designed for you. Now, when you go to a golf store, you would be sure of what you actually need. You must also consider if you pursue the game seriously or is it just a hobby? If you are serious about the game, then it would be worthwhile to buy expensive golf clubs.

Finally, you can research the clubs and read related reviews online. You can also consider the advice given by the golf associations. There are several golf professionals who are listed on these associations and offer free advice to everyone. You can even check out the websites of the manufacturers to help you make decision. By doing a proper research, you would end up buying the right golf equipment for yourself.

Get The Most Recent Golf Accessories, And Keep Up With The Times

So how far can you hit the golf ball? With the advances produced in the design of golf equipment and the hi-tech materials being used, golf balls are travelling enormous distances. The typical driving distance on the PGA tour was a staggering 290.9 yards. That is the average!

Two decades ago that may well have been the longest drive of the season. So why is the ball going so much farther? The golf clubs industry is a multi billion industry. As manufacturers churn out new models every year, it seems that every brand will tell you that their driver hits the ball further and straighter compared to the driver of the opposition. Companies spend millions if not billions each year on research and development, to make certain that their marquee driver has the right sound, feel and look. It obviously has to perform when it comes to distance and accuracy too.

As these companies stay on the leading edge of golf equipment advancement, the sport has gradually changed. The only attempted restraint on this exponential growth of equipment continues to be restrictions put on manufacturers through the two largest golf governing bodies, The R&A and USGA. The USGA, or U . S . Golf Association is the governing body that oversees golf in both North and South America. The R&A, whichis short for Royal and Ancient Golf Club, oversees the rest of the world, although the Japanese tour seems to have its own rules and regulations. The R&Ais based in St. Andrews Scotland, and also oversees the european tour,and the British Open Golf tournament.


These two governing bodies work very closely together to oversee golf across the globe. As golf has turned into a global sport, professional golfers seem to play on a different continent each month. It would not make sense to have players play under different rules from one week to the next. And so it happens that when the USGA changes rules or implements brand new ones, the R&A follow suit, and vice versa. They have been instrumental in limiting certain facets of equipment design.

The top size of Drivers have finally been restricted to 460 Cubic centimetres. When examining a modern day driver compared to one made 15 years ago, it is astonishing to see how much bigger they are now. I for one am very glad they've limited the dimensions, as anything bigger would fundamentally alter the sport. Can you imagine a 1000cc Driver? It might be the size of a tennis racket! So which driver do you have in your bag? Do you have one of the latest Titleist Drivers or TaylorMade Drivers? Are you currently taking advantage of the most recent technology? As the models change from year to year, I am saddened to say that it is possible to buy yourself a better game. So if you do not have hours to waste at the driving range, spend a few dollars to get yourself the most recent driver that will make your Saturday fourball extremely jealous.

The Southgate Golf Course In St. George, Utah Is Fully Repaired

The Utah sporting world was affected by a natural disaster in 2010 when floods hit the St. George area and two high class golf courses were impacted. After 2 years of work and recovery, the Southgate Golf Course in St. George, Utah has finally recovered. The last affected hole was recently repaired.

The flood that hit the city was quite unexpected because it was actually the second strong one that hit the area in just 5 years. A really small stream basically became a deep and fast torrent in just hours and the results were unbelievable. A St. George maintenance manager said the flood stream took earth away incredibly fast. He also added that around 100 bank feet disappeared together with a crossover bridge.

Even if the damage was huge, the Southgate Golf Course in St. George Utah managed to recover incredibly fast. In just two years they took care of all the damage, put in sod, shored up river banks and even planted brand new trees.

Economic Impact

The flood of 2010 was not the first one to hit the Southgate Golf Course in Southern Utah. It was just the latest one. The first strong disaster came in 2005, when a flood first hit the area, destroying a big part of the golf course. They then recovered really fast but in 2008, the whole US felt the economic crunch and the number of golfers who made the trip dwindled. The third event, the second flood, basically made everything worse.

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St. George was hit hard by the flood because golf operations are a huge part of the local economy. As soon as golfing slowed down, revenue started to do the same. The really great news is that with the repairs done to Southgate and Sunbrook Golf Course marked an increase in golfers coming to the area by around 8 percent in 2012. Specialists think that this trend will continue and the entire area will gain back the huge popularity that it had in the past.

Increased Golf Quality

It is a fact that after recovering from any great natural disaster, the institutions affected get a chance to improve service quality. This also happened with the Sunbrook Golf Course in St. George Utah. In the past it was considered to be one of the best in the country and now it will definitely reach at least the same status among golf lovers. It is expected that many different important golfers will come to the area in 2012 and a rejuvenation of both the course and tourism is expected.

If you are interested in visiting St. George area golf courses, make sure that you plan ahead so that you can get your preferred tee-time. You might end up in a period when people visit in abundance and we are confident you would not appreciate that. Make sure you book your golf reservation in advance as St. George, Utah gets a considerable amount of golf lovers from around the country and the world.