Entries Tagged as 'posture'

Golf Flexibility Exercises in a Golf Fitness Program to Improve the Shoulder Turn in Your Golf Swing

Golf exercises within a golf fitness program can improve the shoulder turn in your golf swing. The specific type of golf exercises we are talking about are flexibility exercises. This type of golf fitness exercise is the center of your improving a shoulder turn in the golf swing. Interesting when we discuss flexibility and the golf swing the majority of attention is centered upon the lower back, and rightfully so! The area of the lower back and hips are major components in every phase of the golf swing. In the same breath we must remember the golf swing is a “total body” athletic movement requiring flexibility from the upper body as well.

This being said there are absolutely other areas of the body requiring flexibility to execute the golf swing. Research indicates areas of the upper body require flexibility to execute the backswing, downswing, and follow through phases of the swing. If a lack of flexibility exists in the upper body the ability to execute an efficient golf swing will be hampered.

One such area of the upper body requiring flexibility is the shoulder joint. This joint from anatomical perspective is considered a ball and socket joint. As a result this joint has a large amount of mobility within it. The mobility within this joint allows for golfer to complete a full shoulder turn, execute a downswing into impact, and complete a follow through.

If restrictions exist in the shoulder capsule compensations will occur in the golf swing. First and foremost “tightness” in this joint will cause difficulties at address position. Typically you will find golfers with shoulder restrictions unable to place the body in the correct set-up position and they will have a tendency to be in what is termed a “c-posture” where the shoulders are rounded forwarded.

In addition to problems with the address position, shoulder restrictions restrict ranges of motion backswing, create difficulty in squaring the clubface, cause an inability to release the club after impact, and impede the follow through. All of which will lead to difficulties with the golf swing.

To correct joint restrictions in the shoulder capsule we must first look at the muscles surrounding the joint. This would include the superficial muscles of the shoulder such as the deltoids, the rotator cuff, and muscles of the upper back. These are the muscles responsible for facilitating movement in the shoulder joint. In addition if any of these muscles found within these muscle groups are “tight” or “weak” shoulder mobility will be affected.

To correct such problems, increase shoulder mobility, and improve your golf swing. The addition of stretching and strengthening exercises for will be of great benefit. These types of exercises will focus on creating flexibility in the muscles that are commonly “tight” in the shoulder capsule, and develop strength in the ones that are “weak”.

Keep in mind the golf swing is “total body athletic action” requiring strength and flexibility from all the muscles of the body. The process by which we can improve these components of the golf swing is through a golf fitness program which incorporate golf exercises in the form of flexibility training.

By: Sean Cochran

About the Author:

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with professional golfers, most notable PGA and Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean Cochran and his golf fitness exercises and training programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

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Why Comfort Matters in Women’s Golf Shoes

By Kate Marsala

Comfort is one of the most important factors to consider when you are buying a pair (or multiple pairs) of women’s golf shoes. This is of course important in every pair of shoes you buy. But it is especially important when you’re purchasing a pair to wear when playing this particular sport.

First of all, comfortable shoes help you focus on the game. Not because they add focus, per se, but because they do not distract at all from what you really should be paying attention to. When shoes are uncomfortable, you are very aware of the pain they are causing. The more uncomfortable, the more distracting they become. Imagine trying to avoid a blister when you should be trying to avoid a sand trap.

Comfort is also important because tension in one area of the body tends to change the way you treat your body. If you have blisters, you will not walk, stand, or move the same. You will favor the part of your foot most in pain, which will impact your swing. Women’s golf shoes should let you play the game well, not give you a literal handicap.

Another aspect of comfort has to do with health. Shoes that give blisters can be risks for bacteria and infection. Many people who play golf will walk a whole 18 holds in one game. That’s a lot of time out on the course, exposing your raw skin to insects, pesticides, and sweat. Not a good idea.

Comfort is also important for these shoes in the sense that they should not only be free of pinching and rubbing, but they should also be supportive. A good pair of shoes with a firm yet spongy, supportive sole (including arch supports if you have high arches or other arch needs) is important to maintaining good spinal health.

Women’s golf shoes that don’t support your stride can cause pain and problems in your legs, back, and neck. This is not only bad for your golf game, but bad for your overall health and posture in general.

So in sum, there are many strong arguments for finding golf shoes that are specifically designed to be comfortable and health-supporting. The health of your body and the health of your golf game are very closely intertwined. You can’t play well if you don’t feel well, and you won’t feel well if your feet, knees, legs, back, or neck are uncomfortable. That includes everything from stiffness to blisters.

It’s not just a lack of blisters that makes a pair of shoes good: it’s full support and smart design. You want a flexible yet sturdy, breathable yet durable material. Investing in a quality pair of women’s golf shoes is investing in your game, and you’ll be very glad you did it.

Kate Marsala writes articles about golf shoes for women on the website Womens Golf Shoes Central.

Practicing Beginner Golf Tips

By Noel Halpin

Practicing beginner golf tips must be viewed in the light of how much one wants to succeed at the game of golf.
Now I must tell you that most beginner golfers, male ,and female alike want to attain their maximum golf level set in their minds. This is usually to reach a respectably low handicap that allows them to enjoy their game of golf, and be part of a club team.

This is a very good place to start from. But to achieve this level of ability there is a lot of hard work and dedication involved. This level of playing will not come overnight, nor indeed over a few weeks, It will come only through setting target goals, and a huge amount of discipline.

The only way forward is to have the right frame of mind and attitude for practicing beginner golf tips in the manner they are professionally presented and taught.

There are so many different methods of teaching beginners how to play golf, that one can spend a fortune on lessons, and other means of learning.

If you follow these few simple tips I give you, then you will not go too far wrong in your quest for beginner golf tips which you can practice at your leisure.

You must look out for how these tips begin. For example, a good programme should start off with how you set yourself up to develop your swing pattern and control.

This involves learning how to find a stance and posture that is comfortable for you. It is vital that you assume a comfortable, flexible stance, if you are set up wrong, then you cannot expect to develop much further with your game.

Another example is the grip you develop for holding your club. If this is not in the programme then you are missing a very important component. If you develop a grip that is too tight through self teaching, then you will become too tense with each drive you take. Every grip must be firm, but flexible.

Next is the posture. The correct posture is so vital to you, that if you do not develop this correctly, then you could very seriously injure your back.

A lot of self taught golfers suffer terribly with their back. You can avoid ending up like these, if you follow exactly your beginner golf tips.

The next example is addressing the ball. There should be distinctly clear diagrams made out for you showing the correct position you should assume when addressing the ball. This means finding the right distance you should be from your ball, how far your feet should be apart, the space allowed for your swing and just as important, where you will make impact with the ball. I hope I am making sense to you so far.

Now as you can see there are a myriad of different techniques and tips for you to practice, and these are but a few for you to take on board and develop. But first you must remember, beginner golf tips go much deeper than just what I have briefly tried to explain to you. They are the epitome of golf.

They are the nuts and bolts of golf, without having these from the start then your approach is futile and like I said before destined for mediocrity and a long time as a high handicap golfer.

Practicing beginner golf tips needs a lot of planning and routine. You must develop a practice strategy which gives you time to develop the diagrams and techniques described in the programme your personal coach has set out for you, or if you have gone the E Book method, which I believe is the best method for learning, Then you must also set out your training programme around your schedule of work and family commitments.

Well my aspiring friend in golf, I do hope this article was informative and thought provoking for you.

I wish you great golfing ahead, and remember, practicing beginner golf tips, is the only road for you
right now.

Noel.

Golf can be a very frustrating game at the best of times, especially if you are just beginning or moving up the ladder to being a decent amateur, everyone no matter what level they are at needs a little help from time to time, I found that help in the form of an ebook called How To Improve Your Golf Game it’s a wonderful ebook packed with real pro tips and tricks that enable anyone to conquer any golf course at anytime. I highly recommend you check it out by Clicking Here

Happy Golfing,

Noel

Golf Instruction

When we come to getting golf instruction we want to be sure we are getting the best. We want to get instruction that will begin by ensuring we are assisting our body in getting the action right. Many of us golfers, when performing our golf swing (you can also read back swing here), let our left knee go down on the back swing.

The outcome of this is that our shoulder will drop causing our hips to sway and overturn. Don’t allow the knee to move. Good golf posture encourages us to maintain a steady stance. To have a good golf swing you need to maintain that stability, tension if you like, in both your legs.

Some instructors suggest holding some kind of ball between your knees, I don’t think that is going to be very practical on the course. See how using your imagination for this works, you could be surprised how effective it is.

Golf instructors often point out a common fault in beginners and that is they carry out the swing to fast. A key to eliminating this problem with your golf swing is to relax. If you find that you are rushing things try and slow it down a bit.

Contrary to what you may think rushing it does not make the down swing any faster and in fact may have the opposite effect. Maintain a steady action for best results. One key to good golf is to get a steady action in your golf swing and this can be achieved by a pause for a brief moment at the top of your golf swing. This will allow you body to relax and compose itself for the coming down swing.

Your golf instruction is going to be great if it teaches that your golf is the sum of correctly performed parts. It will look at stance, posture and action. Another key, especially at the beginning, is your grip. Are you able to hold a club right now?

Try this. When you have the club at waist height, grip the club with your left hand and your right hand in the “hitchhiker position” (NB: the palm of your hand should neither be facing up nor down), you should see your thumb pointing up. If you don’t get the grip together in the beginning you are not likely to improve you gold swing at all.

To conclude our short list of golf instruction tips today, I am going to end with an exercise you can do that will help establish some of the fundamentals we’ve talked about here. Good instruction will help you to improve your golf swing and to be consistently hitting the ball well you need a steady tempo and be able to keep good balance.

These foundational elements are necessary to improve your golf swing. Good instruction will reinforce these fundamentals through practice. Try this. With your feet close together, about 15cm, hit some shots. This is going to make you keep better rhythm, balance and speed and will result in improvement when you return to your normal golf swing stance.

The best thing you can do is to do some research into golf instruction. Getting it, getting it from the right instructor, can really make playing golf that much more enjoyable, and that’s what it is all about in the end isn’t it!