Archive for the ‘Fitness’ Category

Off-Season

Sunday, October 16th, 2011

Indoor/outdoor golf lesson

In Minnesota, it’s the “off-season.” I guess there’s an off-season for most of us at some time or another, a time when we put the clubs aside and focus on other activities.  But for some of us, the off-season is way too long.When the restlessness begins to set in, we start planning a golf get-away, or we hunker down in front of the TV to watch a golf tournament, or we bring out the putter and start practicing on the carpet.

This is all well and good, but there are some other ways you can keep your spirits up and actually prepare yourself for the upcoming season.

  • Engage in a golf-specific fitness program. Strengthening your core is one of the best things you can do for your swing. Balance and endurance exercises are also very good.
  • Clean and renew your equipment. Maybe this is a good time to find that specific club you’ve been looking for. Maybe you need new grips or a new bag or new spikes in your shoes.
  • Take a lesson or two. There are indoor facilities everywhere and pros who will be happy to help you. The off-season is a great time to make a swing change.
  • Set some goals for yourself. Make them realistic and achievable. Then use them as motivation for exercising.

Have a great off-season!

 

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Golf is good for the brain!

Tuesday, June 23rd, 2009

According to Alice Jacobs, an educational psychologist, and Brian Gain, director of the organization called Brain Gain, golf is a “neurodynamic sport.” When you play golf, you engage muscle memory as well as analytical processes, activities which stem from two different areas of the brain.

Neurogenesis is the process of creating new brain cells and happens when the brain is challenged; this process helps stave off memory loss that comes with aging. “Your brain’s burning a lot of energy playing golf,” says Tom Pernice Jr., a PGA Tour player. During a round of golf, you are judging distances and spatial relationships as well as making club selections.

In order to get the greatest benefit for your brain and your well-being, it’s important to focus on having fun rather than striving for perfection. (David Donatucci, fitness director for The PGA of America.)

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Golf is exercise!

Friday, February 27th, 2009

Welcome to 2009 and to my new “Golf-Her’s Blog”! This blog has replaced the “Golf-Her’s News”  newsletter and will be updated frequently.

Along with the new year comes the onslaught of fitness concerns. It seems like everyone is resolving to eat better and exercise more. I just read a study that makes me feel good about golf and fitness. Neil Wolkodoff, director of the Rose Center for Health and Sports Sciences in Denver concluded that we do indeed burn calories playing golf, and that we can burn significantly more calories if we walk. He determined that over a nine-hole round, a golfer burns 412 calories when riding a motorized cart and 721 calories when walking.It didn’t seem to matter whether the walker carried the bag or used a pushcart. Woohoo!

I’ve always believed this, but it’s nice to have this information verified by a fitness expert. I know that I feel like I’ve exercised after walking the golf course. It’s not just the walking, but the combination of motions made while playing a round, i.e. swinging, bending, twisting.

New Year’s Resolution: Play more golf! And walk when you can.

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