Golf Fitness And Swing Tips

                                                          GOLF FITNESS

       How You Can Hit The Ball Further & Lower Your Scores Regardless Of Age & Handicap

Fitness for golf… it's only really for the top professional players right? After all…They can afford to spend hours everyday in the gym, working with the best trainers just to get the smallest fraction of a competitive edge.

But if you're an amateur golfer (whether that's high handicapper or ambitious scratch player), is it really worth your time and effort to get fit specifically for golf?

Will it make that much difference to your game?

                                                         The resounding answer is YES!

You probably won't have to commit as much time to a golf fitness program as you might think.

Scientific research has shown, regardless of your age or handicap, that you can increase the distance in your game, increase the accuracy of your shots, reduce your risk of golf-related injuries and lower your overall scores.

That's what we'll cover in this article…

We'll look at why it's well worth getting fit for golf.

Better fitness will help you reach your full potential in golf. For many years professional players perpetuated the myth that golfers were not athletes. Only a few players considered fitness essential to their success on the golf course. Golf fitness programs have gained in popularity over the past 25 years. Players such as Greg Norman developed a new fitness standard in golf. After focusing on a golf fitness plan, David Duval quickly reached the No. 1 ranked player in the world. Then Tiger  came along and redefined fitness for success in golf. Today, golfers are stronger, more flexible,more athletic and in better physical condition than they have ever been.

Fitness is considered important enough that physical trainers travel with players and the PGA and European Tours provides a fitness trailer for players. According to a recent study,over 98% of touring golf professionals participate in some form of a golf fitness program. The touring professionals focus on physical fitness to improve their golf game.

Tour players report back injuries are the most reported injury with a 50% occurrence rate.8% of injuries occur in the shoulder, followed by 7% in the hand, 6% in the elbow, foot and wrist, 5% in the neck and 12% in other categories.
                                                   
                                                         

                                               What makes up a Golf Fitness Program

                                                                   Strength

Strength comes from the big muscles in the body that promote movement. Once stability is in place, the body can produce a more powerful golf swing. Strength allows you to create more swing speed, which leads to longer golf shots. Weights are generally used to increase strength.

                                                                  Stability

Stability allows the body to not move certain body parts while other body parts are motion. Improving stability involves non-moving muscles that include the deep core and lower back muscles.
                    

                                                                  Flexibility

Strength without flexibility is useless. Flexibility is essential to allow the body to reach specific positions that maximize the use of muscular strength. Poor flexibility limits the full range of motion, loss of distance and accuracy.

                                                                  Mobility

Mobility refers to the range of motion in your joints and spine. Mobility allows the joints to move without pain and restriction. Focus on improving mobility in the hips, shoulders and thoracic spine. Limitations in any of the joints will restrict your golf swing.

                                                                  Balance

Balance is necessary to create a solid golf swing. Balance allows the body to move while performing a complex movement such as the golf swing.

                                                         Muscular Endurance

Muscular endurance means the muscles can still perform with efficiency even towards the end of the round. Poor swing mechanics as a result of muscular fatigue can cause technique to falter affecting performance and increasing the likelihood of injury.

                                                   Cardiovascular Endurance

Cardiovascular endurance is necessary to allow the heart and lungs to operate efficiently throughout the round of golf. Cardiovascular fatigue can also lead to poor performance on the course.
                                      

                                    

                                                             GOLF SWING TIPS

                                                              

                                                                 ON THE TEE

 

Assuming you're using your driver...

 Let's start with the basics. Your stance and alignment. because you are using your driver, you will be using the longest club in your bag, which means you will need to stand a little bit further away from the ball to accommodate for this. When you find the right distance from the ball, you'll need to align your feet. Because you're using the biggest club in your bag, you'll need to stand with your feet a little further apart than usual, but still within the 'shoulder width apart' range. This is to compensate for the large swing path your driver will take and will allow you to swing bigger and faster.

Typically, you will want to stand with the ball towards the left had side of your stance - but not outside it (this will lead to you coming over the ball and either hitting the top of it or just hitting it to the far left.

So, to summarise, on the tee you will need to:

•Stand a little bit further back from the ball than you would with other shots
•Stand with your feet wider apart than you would with other shots
•Align the ball towards the left-hand side of your stance

Once you have ticked all these points off, you can begin your swing. The key to hitting the ball straighter and longer off the tee is to relax. More often than not, you'll see golfers trying to hit the ball too hard off the tee. And trying to hit the ball too hard will only upset the rhythm of your swing, leading to a poor shot.Try taking a few deep breaths before you hit your shot this may help reduce tension.

So, take your time and let the club do the work. All you need to do is produce a smooth and controlled swing with a little bit of speed and make contact with the ball. Providing you hit the ball on the club's sweet-spot (centre of the club), you should see your ball sail off into the distance.

Finding the right golf swing off the tee can really help to lower your score.  - so taking the time to get it right is crucial.

                                                               ON THE FAIRWAY

 

Here are a few golf swing tips to help you get your swing just right when playing your shot from the fairway.

First of all, we'll take a look at the basics. Where is your ball situated? is it on level grass? is it on a flat surface, or is it on a slope? Is it above or below your feet? All these factors will affect the way you align up to the ball and the way you swing. Not only this, but the distance from the flag will also affect your swing - so it's not just a case of walk up to the ball and hit it, you've got to think about the shot you're about to play, visualise it and step up to it.

In general, your approach shots should be aligned in the centre of your stance and move further to the right depending on what club you are using.

Let's take some of the scenarios mentioned above and see how they could affect your swing:

Your ball is on un-touched, even grass:

If your ball is lying perfectly on even,(as in it has no divots) grass, you can just line up to your ball as you normally would do. The club you use and where you align your ball in your stance will depend on how far you are away from the hole. Once you are aligned comfortably, point your feet towards your target (along with your shoulders) and swing in a controlled manner and let the club lift the ball into the air,don't try and force it into the air yourself, as this will just lead to a poor shot.Let the loft of the club do the work.

Your ball is on a slope:

If your ball is lying on either an uphill or a downhill slope, things can start to get a little tricky. No matter what type of gradient you are standing on, you need to make sure your club swings up the back swing and down your forward swing. You can do this by standing to the slope.This means your shoulders are aligned to the slope. The secret of hitting a ball on a gradient is to make sure at the bottom of your swing you follow through low by following through on the slope. Don't worry about finishing high, you've got to make sure you keep low to make a solid impact with the ball.

The ball is either above or below my feet:

If the ball is lying above your feet, you need to firstly select a low iron to make sure you get the distance you need. Secondly, the ball will naturally hook to the left, so make sure you aim to the right to compensate for this. Align your shoulders parallel to the ground you are standing on to make sure you don't hit a thick shot. Your right shoulder should be lower than your left shoulder (providing you are right handed). The ball should be aligned in your stance as you would on a straight, even lie and make sure that on your follow through, you finish high.

If the ball is lying below your feet, you will notice the ball flies a lot lower and usually shoots off to the right. To compensate for this, you'll need to select a lofted club and aim to the left. You should address your shoulders parallel to the down slope of your lie, allowing your club to swing down into the ball so you make contact with the bottom of it rather than the top! Align the ball as you would on a normal lie and make sure that on your follow through, you finish low.

 So there it is, the basics of the perfect swing on the fairway.

                                                              IN THE ROUGH

Sometimes (a lot of the time for some of us!) we find our ball nestled in the 'thick stuff' and this can turn a good round into a bad one straight away. More often than not, the shot that led us into the rough was one where we tried a little too hard (often a tee shot, where we tried to add a little extra power), and now we've been left with a tricky shot to get us back where we want to be.

There are a few things you should keep in mind when making your swing in the rough, and these are explored below in these golf swing tips:

First of all, before you even line up to the ball, you should remove any loose twigs, branches or anything that could have an effect on your shot. This doesn't mean press the grass down, as this would lead to a shot penalty, you've basically got to give yourself a clean route to the ball.

Once you have cleaned the area around your ball, have a look at the type of lie your ball had in the rough. If it's sitting nicely on top of the grass, you don't need to take any major precautions before beginning your swing. However, if your ball is well and truly nestled down, you'll need to alter a few things about your swing before you make your shot.

If your ball is in tall, thick rough, you're best just blasting it out onto the fairway. Aiming for the green in really thick rough isn't advised, as the ball can go pretty much anywhere!

When you line up to the ball, you should tighten your grip a little (one of the most important factors to your swing is your grip). The reason you need to tighten you grip a little is to stop the club head from moving when it hits the grass (often before the ball). However, you don't want to hold the club too tightly, because you still want your swing to be smooth and controlled.

When you make your swing, you need to ensure it is steady and strong. One of the most common mistakes people make when hitting their shot out of the rough is altering their thought process, and therefore altering their swing. Just swing normally, don't add power, just choose a lower iron, and if you need to add height, don't push yourself under the ball, choose a lofted club.Again let the club do the work

You also need to make sure you make clean contact with the ball on your follow through. Providing your swing remains smooth and in rhythm, you shouldn't have any issues with this. Try to make your club come down an inch or two before the ball itself. This is to compensate for your club bouncing/skimming on the grass on impact. So pick out a marker just before the ball and aim for that. As long as you come down before the ball and make clean contact you should hit a nice shot that gets the ball closer - if not on - the green.

 Do not over-swing or add extra power when you are in the rough. If more than half of your ball is in view, just use a lower iron to hit the ball out of the rough. But if your ball is completely buried, you're best just punching it out onto the fairway rather than hacking at it.

                                                          IN THE SAND

 

Or on the beach as we know it.

The bunker - we see one, we say 'I won't go in the bunker', we take our swing... and where does our ball end up? Yep... in the bunker.

The bunker shot is a dreaded shot in golf, for any golfer - but it needn't be that way, because if you get it right, you can actually have more control over a bunker shot than you can with a short chip-and-run shot, for example.

The main thing to remember with a bunker shot is that you shouldn't make direct contact with the ball itself - and this is one of the biggest mistakes people make around the green. More often than not, golfers of all standards try to clip the ball off the top of the sand just like they would do with grass on a fairway... but this just leads to the shot being thinned or running on too far.

The sand acts as a kind of 'cushion' between the club and the ball when you make contact. This cushion will slow your club down enough to scoop the ball out of the sand into the air and onto the green. If you find yourself duffing your shot a few yards in front of you, it's because the sand is soft and fluffy. You should aim to take the sand under the ball and follow through fully to ensure your ball gets to the green.

Of course, if you are playing out of a fairway bunker, you won't want to catch as much sand to ensure your ball flies for longer.

So, how should you alter your golf swing in the bunker?
 Well, first of all, your swing needs to be a lot 'fuller' and longer than a standard chip shot. Just imagine you are trying to hit the ball twice as far and this should compensate enough for the 'sand cushion' effect (the loss of power in your swing).

If your ball is sitting nicely on the surface of a fluffy bunker, when you make your swing, you won't have to come down on the ball as much as you would if your ball was buried deep in the sand (what is known as 'plugged').

Take a look at the following 6-step guide to getting your swing right in the bunker:

1:Align yourself to the ball, and make sure you dig your feet in a little to give yourself a good footing and balance.

2:Make sure the ball is towards the front of you stance.

3:If your ball is sitting on top of the sand, pick out a marker about 2-3 inches behind your ball and line up to that. This is where you will hit the sand to lift your ball out of the bunker. Your sand wedge will cut through the sand and propel your shot onto the green.

4:If your ball is buried in the sand, though, you will need to (again) pick out a marker behind the ball, but this time come down on your forward swing on a steeper angle. This will allow you to take more sand with your swing, and will help to propel your ball towards the hole.

5:When you are making you swing, ensure you draw the club back smoothly and in a controlled manner. If you are erratic, you may lose balance and slice your shot. Just take your time and let the club lift the ball out of the sand.

6:Finally, make sure you follow through just like your normal shots, this will help to make sure you don't lose momentum/power on your down swing.

What if your ball is in wet sand?

If you've landed in the bunker, but the sand is wet - don't worry, your recovery shot is just as easy as it can be from fluffy sand!
To make this shot easier, you should put your sand wedge away and pick up your lob wedge. This is because your sand wedge  develops a lot of 'bounce' - which allows you to cut through soft sand without digging in. If you use your sand wedge on wet sand, the club will probably skim along the surface leading to a topped or thinned shot - and we've all been victim to these shots before!

The secret to playing a perfect bunker shot from wet sand is to use your lob wedge and use a powerful, yet controlled swing. You cannot slow down on your down swing - this will just lead to your lob wedge digging in and getting stuck. You've got to swing fully and play through the ball. You'll find that if you aim a few inches behind the ball and swing strongly with your lob wedge, the ball will sail out of the bunker and pitch itself nicely on the green hopefully with a little backspin.

You'll need to open your club face slightly and really commit to the shot, because if you slow down, your ball won't go where you want it to.

Don't be afraid to go for it in wet sand, but just make sure you aim a few inches behind the ball first!