Golf Fitness Blog

What is your Golf Fitness Handicap Number?

2009-07-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

A Golf Fitness Handicap is a measurement of how well your body works for the golf swing motion. Just like your Golf Handicap gives yourself and others an idea of your skill level when you play golf, your Golf Fitness Handicap Number lets you know the performance level and safety of your body for the sport of golf.

Just like the measurement of your Golf Handicap your Golf Fitness Handicap can be anywhere from 0-36 with 0 being the best number. What happens when your Golf Fitness Handicap number is higher than your actual Golf Handicap? Well then I and the Titleist Performance Institute would argue that lowering your Golf Fitness Handicap would be a key to lowering your ACTUAL Golf Handicap.

It is free for me to perform the 12 tests that compromise the Golf Fitness Handicap and only takes about 15 minutes to do. Another key to these tests is it lets you and I know what specific areas of your body are not working well for the golf swing, so that you can focus your training at home or at the gym on areas that you need to improve to improve your game. It is just like your instructor and how they help you focus on areas of your game where you are giving up shots.

Am I expecting you to have this incredible body like Tiger Woods? No. Is that the definition of good Golf Fitness? No. The Golf Swing is a complex, very athletic motion focusing on balance, rotation, speed, leverage, posture, and flexibility. You should know where you pass and where you fail in those areas to play the best golf of your life pain free.

CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW TO GET ACCESS TO A SPECIAL SECTION OF OUR WEB SITE THAT GOES OVER THE GOLF FITNESS HANDICAP TEST IN MORE DETAIL. THERE YOU CAN SIGN UP TO GET YOUR GOLF FITNESS HANDICAP TEST FOR FREE:

http://fitgolf.com/services/for-golfers/golf-fitness-handicap/

Laser Golf Performance Insole Fitting

2009-06-12T21:52:00.000-07:00

Take Advantage of the Ground

As golfers we have chosen to play a sport that places extreme demands on our feet. Golf is a ground-reaction sport. What this means is that we use our spikes, shoes and feet to create a brace against the groumd while there is a whirlwind of rotation above. Manufacturers of golf shoes know this. This is why most golf shoes are impossible to twist and turn. They know that if they give you a stable golf shoe, you'll be able to use them for extra stability, balance and power in the golf swing. Unfortunately, the most common problem in golf's ground-reaction equation is the feet that go into these shoes.

This is why we laser check our golfer's foot and ankle alignment at our Golf Performance Studio. We want to make sure a golfer's feet are supplying the support that their body needs. If not, this can be bad news for the knees, hips, back and even your shoulders and neck. This can ultimately lead to injuries and/or major inefficiencies in the golf swing. Therefore, we treat this issue with a system, also used by the Titleist Performance Institute and many top PGA Tour Players, called ALINE. ALINE will put your feet in the best possible alignment so that you can deliver a more consistent and powerful swing that is safer for your body. Check out our latest video and see it put to good use on a golfer at the Golf Performance Studio at Stadium Golf Center.

Proper Warm Up Before Golf

2009-06-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

I get people all the time.....clients and golfers that aren't clients asking me about proper warm before they play golf or hit balls. It's interesting that warming up before you play golf is so important but people rarely do it correctly. Most people if they warm up at all do these long stretches where they hold a stretch for say twenty seconds and then move onto another stretch. That is probably the worst thing you could do and research shows that type of stretching could lead to more injuries.

What should you do? Think about the term "Warm Up." That is exactly what you should do - warm up. In the video above I will introduce you to a "Dynamic Stretching Program" that will only take you a few minutes before you play or hit balls. Dynamic stretching is done standing up - so you don't need to lay down in wet grass or bring a yoga mat to the driving range. Dynamic stretching gets your heart rate up so that you are loose and your muscles are full of blood in the areas that you are going to use in the golf swing. That is the BEST way to prepare you for the demands of the golf swing.

You can learn this routine by watching the video, but if you want me to show you personally or grade how you are doing with any of the Dynamic Stretches then feel free to stop by and see me at my Golf Performance Studio at Stadium Golf Center in San Diego.

You can reach me also at 619-822-2175 or sdbodybalance@aol.com

The Pope of Slope Shoots His Lowest Nine Hole Score!

2009-05-11T12:53:00.000-07:00

I have the honor of working with Dean Knuth, a.k.a. the "Pope of Slope." He recently came in for his weekly workout and had some specific things he needed me to work on. As a staff member of Golf Digest, Dean does some extensive traveling. In light of this, his legs tend to get tight and can take a long time to recover from so much sitting on planes. Long story short, he shot the best 9 holes of his golf career after our workout and he swears it was from the work we did on his body that day. I'm sure there are other variables involved in the outcome - his swing coach Frank McKimmie has done an excellent job. But this is just another example of how having a team around you, even as an amateur golfer, can really help you excel at your game. Find out what Dean and I did in that session to get him to score his personal best!

I asked Dean, the 62 year old 9 handicap "Pope of Slope," if it was ok to share his email with you. This is what he wrote:

Hey Jeremy,

My legs felt so loose after the session that my swing was working better than before. After you worked on my hamstrings, that evening I felt really flexible and good when I played in my nine-hole golf league. My swing was as good as my putting that evening and it all came together for a 35. My personal best.

See you next week.

Thanks,
Dean

Check out the Video and see what the perfect combination of exercises were for the Pope of Slope

Getting Into the Left Side with John Darling PGA

2009-04-28T09:30:00.000-07:00

Next John Darling talked to us about the importance of getting into the left side on the downswing. Now at the top you have the Right Side loaded up correctly and the Right Glute is filled with tension ready to explode on the downswing. Unfortunately John says that in his 40 years teaching golf he rarely sees golfers get into their left side correctly. I haven't been in golf as long as John but I know where he is coming from!

John shows us what he is looking for on the downswing and I then will give you an exercise that I learned from The Titleist Performance Institute to help you learn to get into the Left Side or "Cover" the golf ball. You can do this exercise anywhere with a piece of 6ft PVC pipe or a golf club.

If you are interested in golf lessons with John Darling you can Email John or call John at 858-674-5514.

If you are interested in learning in person how to perform the exercise I show correctly then you can Email Me or give me a call at the Performance Center 619-822-2175.

Loading the Right Side with John Darling PGA

2009-04-28T08:44:00.000-07:00

We are excited to start a new feature of The Golf Fitness Blog. We are going to be showcasing different top Golf Instructors and having them tell us of common swing flaws they are seeing in their students and how they are trying to fix these flaws on the practice tee. I in turn will follow up with exercises that you can do at home to help you improve in these areas.

A lot of times people don't understand where I fit into the equation of golf swing improvement. Well the instructor knows what move he/she WANTS you to make but your body might just not be capable of making that move. That is where I come in. I help the instructor by listening to what they want out of their students swing and then I in turn can find the area of the golfer's body that is keeping them from making that move the instructor wants. By customizing a workout plan for the golfer we can help the golfer get the motion ability they are lacking so that the instructor can teach the correct move to the golfer. This is the TEAM approach that we see all the time with the PGA Tour players, and you don't have to be a pro to take this approach. Amateurs need this approach EVEN MORE.

We are excited to welcome John Darling, 2006 San Diego PGA Teacher of the Year and Director of Instruction at Maderas Golf Club in San Diego, CA to the Golf Fitness Blog. John feels that most of his students have a tough time loading the right side correctly in the backswing to store up power for the downswing. So that is what we are going to work on in this post.

If you are interested in getting golf lessons with John Darling you can call him at 858-674-5514 or Email John

If you would like so free time with us on the Leaderboard Trainer featured in this post call me at 619-822-2175 or Email Me

It's All About the Glutes

2009-04-13T10:27:00.000-07:00

Hint: You’re Sitting on It!

Do you want to find some more stability in the backswing and power in your downswing? If so, look at your glutes as the main muscle group to strengthen. In particular, we are talking about the Gluteus Maximus and Gluteus Medius. The Titleist Performance Institute has coined the glutes as the “King” of the golf swing. Swing flaws from swaying and sliding to downswing spine angle changes can be solved by gaining more strength in your glutes. It’s also worth mentioning that they could be your ticket to more club head speed!

Check out the video and see a couple simple, but powerful, ways my golfers are training their glutes. Do yourself a favor and start with these. In the near future, we’ll take you to the next level!

"Rolling" - Proper Sequencing for Your Swing

2009-04-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

One of the most common issues a golfer will tell me about is their tendency to start the downswing with their upper body. The result can be a steep downswing that comes from the outside-in with weak, ineffective shots. The problem is a poor sequencing pattern of one or more parts of the body. Golfer’s standing on the ground need to use the ground to create an efficient downswing – that means the downswing starts from the ground and moves through the body to the hands and club in an efficient manner.

This is something that needs to become second-nature. Your body needs to be able to accept this motion first – so if there is some injury causing this poor sequencing you really should see a medical professional and get the area treated. If you don’t have any pain or injury keeping you from this multi-segmental rotation, your body just needs to understand the “feel” of a proper movement pattern.

So, check out the video. I have a great way for you to both self-evaluate and treat this issue to improve your sequencing, especially during the critical downswing. Remember, if you have any pain this is abnormal response and should be checked out by a medical professional. If you’re pain-free, keep working hard in all phases of the exercise to master it and make it a part of your golf swing without even thinking about it.

68 Years Old and Proud of It!

2009-04-01T12:54:00.000-07:00

Susan and her husband, Jim, came to me about 5 weeks ago in search of new ways to improve their golf game. Their goals were primarily based around the desire to play golf for as long as they possibly can without injury. After the Golf Performance Evaluation I found that Jim was stable, but not mobile enough in many areas. As for Susan, she was plenty mobile, but lacked a lot of stability which has led to a chronic “over-swing” and reverse spine angle at the top. There is a lot to say about being treated individually specific – notice that we have two very different programs to get to the same goal.

(For those of you that deal with a reverse spine angle and want to play golf for a long time you would be wise to correct that swing flaw immediately – according to the Titleist Performance Institute, it’s the leading cause for low back pain on the PGA Tour.)

Take a look at Susan’s core workout after 5 weeks of training. I have a feeling this will make a lot of you take a long look in the mirror asking yourself if you’re working hard enough and smart enough to really improve your game.

Proper Golf Swing Posture

2009-03-20T15:07:00.000-07:00

I am very excited to now have our own blog where I can post video of the lastest drills and exercises that I come up with or come across from somone else.

Lots of time I come up with a new exercise or drill to combat a problem with the biomechanics of someone's swing but I don't have a way to share it with all of our golfers. With our new blog I can share the latest and greatest with everyone.

I was going through some old video drills we did for Body Balance for Performance and I came across the above golf posture tip from two years ago. It's two years later and the contact info at the end is incorrect since we now have our new Golf Performance Center at Stadium Golf Center, but I don't care if it is 25 years later. The information in the video is still relevent. The spine is the spine and there is only one way the spine works well in the golf swing - a straight back posture at address. As I have always said there is a reason Tiger Woods has such great posture over the ball. His posture is working to help him and many of you reading this have posture over the golf ball that is working against you.

Take a look at the video and you will see a posture test that you can do at home. If you have any questions about posture, the biomechanics of your swing, or golf fitness training feel free to drop me a line, email me, or stop by our new Golf Performance Center.Look for new postings to my blog every week or so.

Our New Golf Peformance Center at Stadium Golf Center in San Diego, CA

2009-03-19T22:01:00.000-07:00

“We are so excited to show a video of our brand new Golf Performance Training Center at Stadium Golf Center in San Diego, CA.

It was an honor to be approached by the folks at Stadium Golf Center to help put in a state of the art facility where golfers could work with experts to improve their body and body motion specifically for golf. No other practice facility in San Diego has a Golf Performance Center right on the driving range! The facility is amazing…you can hit balls indoors and see your golf swing in 3D on a 96” screen, get a digital measurement of the weight transfer of your golf swing, find out your Titleist Performance Institute Golf Fitness Handicap, participate in one on one training with a golf fitness expert, there is group training, and junior golf fitness programs. All of this so you can increase your distance, consistency, and play golf better and faster long into your life.

Feel free to drop on by and check out the facility or call to set up a free measurement of your golf swing on our technology or find out your Golf Fitness Handicap.