Do the Caddyshack and the hole-in-one and don't let your macho get in the way

golf exercises

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With the excitement surrounding "the new and improved" John Daly's return to the PGA Tour and the buzz encircling 2008 Rolex Rookie of the Year Yani Tseng's win at the Corning Classic with an upcoming second major try at the McDonalds LPGA Championship, golfers are getting out onto the course in droves attempting to mimic the shots of the professionals.

More often than not, amateurs are stepping to the back tees and seeing more of the golf course than need be, and this usually refers to the men! Does this sound like you, Mr. Macho? Whereas women, in my opinion, are inclined to play a game of accuracy, men have a tendency to ignore course and slope ratings in favor of the thrill of "tipping it out" with a similar level of ability as from a more forward position.

But, is it such a terrible affair to try your luck from the tips, not worrying so much about which teebox suits your skill level or will it help improve your game in the long run?

If your tee shots are shorter than your opponents, you may not be able to "drive for show" and you may be forced to use longer clubs on your approach to the green. The inability to outdrive your competitor may actually creep into your mental game, psyching you out and forcing you to question your ability.

Commenters on the Golf Channel's discussion boards agree that ego plays a large part in the game of golf. Problems that ensue include overswinging as well making bad course management decisions.

As one analogy stated, "If you were a beginner or intermediate skier would you ski down a double black diamond run? Unlikely.

Most recently I have been placed into the position of playing from the "whites" or men's tees (in many cases) and found that the game changes enormously as you step back. After several attempts of struggling with my long game and mainly woods, I moved forward to the ladies tees and the result was definitive! I actually found myself more self-assured, with my entire game cooperating from tee to green.

I can't hit a golf ball 295 yards just short of the green like Michelle Wie does so my ego is put on hold by keeping home plate at the senior tees!

This week, Golf for Beginners focuses on fun and easy golf exercises to improve core strength and flexibility so that, when you do get out to the course, you will be the Tiger on the tee!


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Getting to know us through our YouTube golf video

golf exercises

Hello fellow golfers and everyone who tunes in to our weekly golf podcasts and reads our very special Golf for Beginners blog!

For the past five years, Barry and I have written about golf for the pure love/hate relationship behind it and for the satisfaction we get from offering tips that we learned. We still enjoy taking our twilight walks together (sigh) and keeping you involved in our weekly games, even if we're not always playing up to par!

As a matter of fact, that is precisely how this blog got started!

Barry handed me a gift of a set of golf clubs that he purchased off of the internet (yes, left-handed) and turned me over to a golf instructor. He was smart enough not to teach me himself but, since I was learning about golf anyway, he wound up making a more concerted effort in his own game, eventually attaining a few scores in the 70's!

I wanted to make sure that I would remember what was taught to me and decided to write it all down where I would keep looking at it. I also wanted to keep a log of my improvement and Barry insisted on joining me on this journey.

The rest, my friends, is history!

We thought it might be fun to pull out our camcorder in order for you to get to know us a little better. A friend of mine came into our shop recently and asked if I could teach her how to use her own digital DVD video-maker so that she could record her grandson for posterity's sake. I gladly obliged and, in doing so, realized that I have one of these at home too!

We dusted off our camcorder and have created a short video on balance using one of the contraptions that we keep in the golf sanctuary of our home. (If you are interested in learning more about the styrofoam balance roll in our video, just leave a comment!)

We hope that you enjoy our very first golf-related video realizing never to take this game too seriously, have fun and always play good golf!

---Stacy Solomon




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Podcast: Exercises for good "Golf Rx", Adeo GPS fitness trainer and grip tips

golf exercises

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An article in this week's New York Post asks, "What do Tiger Woods, Jack Nicklaus and Davis Love III all have in common?" Aside from their highly accurate irons, the answer is the unfortunate decision to have missed an event due to lower back pain.

Yes, I am a sufferer of occasional aches and pains (along with about fifty percent of my fellow amateurs) but I try to exercise and stretch regularly. But what about those recreational golfers who head right from the office to the golf course?

Vijay Vad, PGA Tour physician and author of the book, "Golf Rx: A 15-Minute a Day Core Program for More Yards and Less Pain", says the abdominals are partly to blame. He offers up golf-specific exercises which we discuss in this week's episode of Golf for Beginners.

Spring makes us want to get outside and exercise, instead of being cooped up in a stuffy gym, jogging endlessly on the treadmill while watching CNN. This week, Barry and I took a long walk while using the Adeo Fitness Trainer. This new GPS system gives audible encouragement while you train for that triathlon and can be used either with an iPod (or any mp3 player) or solo. Adeo comes with Motion Lingo software which is easy to use and allows you to upload your workout (once complete) to both your computer as well as the internet. We were both impressed by the amount of information the Adeo stored and recommend it for outdoor fitness fanatics who want to keep track of their workouts.

Finally, our "grip tips" are sure to help you swing smooth and easy!

Continue sending your golf questions and comments to golfforbeginners@aol.com.

Subscribe to our weekly podcast through this RSS feed: http://feeds.feedburner.com/golfforbeginners or through iTunes. Nextel/Sprint cell customers type http://www.mymbn.com/podcast/ in your browser and click on "sports casts". Our station number is 1955.

You can also download our previous Golf for Beginners episodes by clicking here.

"Shiny Tech" courtesy of Kevin MacLeod (incompetech.com)"

This podcast is supported by Pioneer Golf and Florida Golf Travel.