What Golf Fitness Can Do Fore You

My Quest to be Pain-Free!

Recently I wrote about the benefits of playing golf if you have arthritis and the role a chiropractor can play in keeping you ‘in the game’. Now we need to address another very key element for playing better golf. That is golf fitness.

Playing better golf is subject to individual interpretation. For some it means consistently hitting the ball farther than before. Others might see it as scoring lower on a regular basis. Still others may describe it as having a better feel for their shots or being able to ‘shape’ the ball. For me it means physically surviving a round of golf without constant neck, hip and back pain.

To that end I enlisted a couple of brave Golf Fitness Instructors to help me improve my physicality. In other words…to improve my strength and most importantly, my flexibility. After describing the litany of injuries I have suffered over the years from all of the softball, volleyball, basketball and tennis I played, a program was developed for me to begin my quest for ‘less pain’ and more enjoyment. Personally I do not adhere to the ‘no pain, no gain’ philosophy so this was going to be interesting.

Susan Hill, President of FitnessforGolf.com, after consulting with me and asking about my physical history offered to help.  She provided me an initial 4 week course that focused

as much on stretching for improved flexibility as it did exercises for strength training. This entire program could be performed in the comfort of my home which was a major plus. There was no need for a health club membership (even though I do have one, I think!). As soon as I saw her program I was immediately alarmed that I would struggle with the upper body elements. I have had 3 shoulder surgeries, even though I only have 2 shoulders so I knew that was a major weakness and problem area of mine.

Amazingly after adjusting the exercises with Susan’s input, I very quickly progressed to the point that I was able to execute the exercises as described – no more short cuts or adjustments. I will be totally honest and tell you that Susan’s 4 week course has become more of a 4 month course because of my lack of focus and planning. This is a problem a lot of us have and the way I finally tackled it is by setting ‘appointments’ every other day for myself that provide a block of time (usually less than 45 minutes) dedicated to just training. It’s amazing how quickly the results come by doing it this way. I sometimes go to the club so that I have access to the cardio equipment there but it is not mandatory.

I still have a long way to go but I am hitting the ball better with better balance and, on most days, with less pain. Susan will be adding to my training as we go forward so I will keep you posted. My sincere thanks to Susan for her time and patience. If you are dealing with some of these same issues I encourage you to check her out.

Here’s more about Susan:

Susan Hill is the president of FitnessforGolf.com, a web based company specializing in golf fitness training programs for recreational to elite level golf competitors. She is a certified Golf Biomechanic, Sports Performance Nutritionist, Fitness Trainer and Youth Conditioning Specialist. Her work has been featured in Golf Illustrated, Travel Golf, Junior Golf Scoreboard, Self Magazine, Atlanta Golfer, Pacific Northwest Golfer, Resort Living, GolfersMd.com and ESPN. Susan is a published author, public speaker, and successful internet entrepreneur. She has directed the golf fitness program at the International Junior Golf Academy, where she has been responsible for overseeing the training of more than 150 competitive junior golfers. She has served as the golf fitness consultant to the Colombian Golf Federation in South America. She currently works with college golf teams, competitive amateurs and tour professionals.

I mentioned that I found two golf fitness instructors to help whip me into shape. I will tell you about the other ‘miracle worker’ in my next article.

Thanks for visiting Ladies on the Tee Golf Blog at www.sherrytabb.com. Do you have a personal story about golf fitness that you would like to share or just some thoughts??? Please tell us below.

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Tags: golf, golf fitness, strength training, stretching exercises, Susan Hill, www.fitnessforgolf.com