Fitness and Flexibility

Hey there, first post from me so far. Just found this site and as an rebprn avid golfer, I think this site will not only allow me to gain greater knowledge but alos to learn from teaching. Enough of that though. I am a university student in Canada, and therefore am not that well off. I have been golfing (mainly with wiffle balls) for about 2 hours each day in a nearby park, and am starting to experience some nagging pains in my lower back. I believe that this is mainly due to a lack of flexibility and streching on a regular basis. I wish to improve my flexibility to improve the fluidness of my shot. I am also looking to get in better shape, however i do not want to do heavy weight training. I am a busboy, and therefore from lifting kegs I get that aspect of strength. I have always been stocky, I am currently 5'9 and I weigh around 185 with very little body fat, and I could not live looking like a meat-head (muscle bound no brains). I do not go to any gyms, and I wish to do many of these things around the apartment or outside. I hope that some of you can share any remedies that you may have because I do not want this to affect my play on the course. Thanks for any help you guys may be able to provide.

Hi Stuart,

Firstly any exercise is good and can only help your game, but from your thread you shouldn't be suffering this much hitting a few wiffer ball at the park and a game once weekly.


My advice would be to seek out a pro and check your swing, most new golfers "hit" the ball with tention instead of swinging the golf club through the ball......this 'can' cause back problems.

For yourself try working on a rythmic swing with less tention.


Good Luck

Ian.

The main component to getting 'in shape' is generally cardiovascular activity. The feeling of being 'in shape' comes from not being fatigued while doing your activity of choice.

The best way to improve your cardiovascular health is to run. Run in the street, run on a treadmill, whatever. Get your heartrate up, and keep it there.

As for flexibility, you may want to talk to a friend who does yoga or pilates, and get into a class. Or you could simply do some static stretching at home when you have time.

I understand the things you are both discussing, and I do believe that is (at least) in part my swing that is affecting my back. I do have a history of back problems through other sports (ski racing, hockey, soccer, running) and do believe that this contributes to the problem. The other issue is that I am not at all flexible, cannot even sit cross-legged, and that this is causing tension within my swing, although I accelerate well through the ball (i.e. active not passive swing which I believe you were discussing). As far as seeing a pro is concerned, I am trying to raise enough cash to do this, shouldn't be too long, and this is mainly for fine tuning my swing and/or game. I do not slice or hook the ball and am definately a long hitter, drive around 280-290 on average (max on level tee is 320). My biggest problem with golf was leaning to trust my swing and not try to kill it as well as a slow, steady backswing, and those were mastered years ago. My swing has a decent rhythm, but can always be improved (and it will be) but for now, I feel my biggest obsticle is flexibility (and putting) and I really wish to improve upon this. Any further, more detailled advice is greatly appreciated.