Senior Golfer

Senior Fitness

Pratice good fitness to play your sport -- do not play your sport to be fit.

A personal recommendation. (Senior Golfer)

Fitness is nothing to fear. The best way to become fit is to do what is comfortable for you. Swimming one to two miles a day is probaly the best to become fit, and improve your golf game. Some may pefer a 5 mile run, or a 25 mile bike ride. All these can be extremely helpful, but for now not in my plans. Still there are ways to improve fitness without a lot of effort. You may ask how I know this.. or maybe you don't care, either way I'm going to tell you how I know. I went through a cardilogy rehab. The methods they offer where all easy, but I tried to make them hard. My perception has always been that if my exercise was not causing me pain then it wasn't working. Sad that it took science to show how wrong that perception is..nuff about my background to be qualified to offer others suggestions of things that will improve their fitness.

A Message From Katherine to Seniors:

"Normally I shy away from generalizations. I like to look at people as individuals, versus putting people in a 'box'. However one common theme I see in older golfers is a lack of power, manifesting as a loss of distance. Many years ago I wrote an article about a gentleman who had two holes in one, on the same course, on the same hole, twenty-five years apart. A remarkable feat! The first time he had his hole in one he used a seven iron. Twenty-five years later he had his second hole in one but this time he needed his driver to close the deal.

A well known research study evaluated the factors effecting club head speed in older golfers. The median age of the golfers tested was 64.5. They found two major physical factors effecting club head speed - flexibility in the torso and upper body strength. The study proves that by targeting these two areas of the body they were able to increase club head speed, thus distance, a significant challenge for senior golfers."

"Yoga Journal"

"Perhaps no game is more wrought with mental hazards than golf. The sport introduces a constant struggle between the conscious mind-analyzing, alert, logical-and the subconscious mind-the well of intuition and long-term memory. Though golf fundamentals like body stance and stroke are learned in the conscious mind, they are stored in the nether regions of the subconscious.

This clash between subconscious and conscious mind presents an opportunity for the awakened athlete to override the mental strife created by the overanalyzing conscious mind and reach toward the wakeful, clear mind state accessible through the intuitive subconscious.

Golfers who don't learn the nuances of the mental game of golf remain frustrated or give up before mastering the sport. Yet by incorporating elements of yoga practice, you can develop the mental discipline that golf demands.

The breadth and depth of available instruction contributes to golf's reputation as an intensely mental game. Detailed videos and books on the science of the game abound, and golf's one-on-one coaching is considered incomparable to other sports. Yet all the instruction in the world won't help you if you allow stress to seep into your game."

Here is what I found through my personal research.

Aging will restrict our range of motion, but only if we allow it. The solution is not buying into lighter clubs. The solution is to do some very easy excerises (yoga) as taugh by an expert like Katherine Roberts. Katherine is a delightful person to talk with, and it does not take much conviencing that what she offers works. I purchased her series of tapes, for some important DVDs.. For me it turned into a good investment. Certainly cheaper than buying new clubs, and much more effective.

Let me explain the immediate benefit. Her first tape she says to make a turn with your arm extended to a point on the wall, and then following her routine repeat the process. Surprise your range of motion will be greatly enhanced. The benefits will be noticeable on the golf course, less topping the ball, increased distance, and better accuracy.

Why?

Topping the ball often comes from lack of body flexibility (restricted). Increased range of motion adds club head speed, additional club head speed equals increase distance. Better accuracy come from a fuller "natural" body turn allowing you to naturally square your club face.

This for me has been a "Fountain of Youth" experience. I invite you to ask questions.. no charge.