Short on Time
This one goes out to all the young players with goals of being a professional player. Oh and everyone who values their precious time.
I am sure we all agree that every avid golfer desires to spend more time at the golf course practicing and playing golf.Imagine having more time to iron out the swing faults, perfecting the putting routine and working on aspects of the short game. You can see it now right, all that extra time at the range and on the course making a major difference to your game, right?
Time spent at the driving range is precious. Arriving with an idea of what needs to be worked on is important. The golf professionals on tour make sure they are aware of how long they are practicing and what they are there to practice.
As well, professional players are working as hard off the course as on it.
Recently, I read an interview where Rory McIlroy explained how he has been working hard off the course to change body and solidify an already great swing.
He has realised at a relatively young age, which direction golf is heading and what is required explaining in an interview “the way golf is going nowadays, you have to treat yourself as an athlete. Even though maybe golf isn’t one of the more physically demanding sports in the world, you’ve still got to do your bit and train like it is.
Just like athletes from other sports, golf professionals now spend considerably more time training with other methods (vs just playing golf) than previous eras of the game. Every year the tours become more competitive and the need to stay in shape and compete well every week is paramount.
After months of working hard in the gym Rory now has more muscle, more balance and great stability over the ball. Not interested in extra distance, he’s been topping 300 yards for years, it’s just that now he can do it without coming out of his shoes.
Just as important to the players is the ability to keep improving and have a long and successful career, part of being a top-class athlete, is training hard, eating right and getting enough rest.
Many athletes including Rory admit that gym workouts leave you feeling stiff and sore to begin with, however in no time the soreness is replaced by results and a sense of enjoyment.
Identifying what needs to be done to make improvements is often the easy part of the equation, finding the time to work on the solution is a lot harder.
When you are time constrained for your golf fitness there are steps to take which can help save time and produce results.
Focus on the areas which are the most needed and the most beneficial. For example: If it is flexibility that is holding back your improvement, try to incorporate simple stretches into your daily routine or while watching tv.
If it’s your golf-specific strength that is lacking, then modifying gym exercises that require weights by using stretch/resistance bands at home or workout during lunchtime making the session short and focused.
Without trying to sound obsessive (and honestly, what golfer isn’t obsessed?) there are ample opportunities to incorporate an activity or two into the daily routine that can help with your golf. Just think of how many times you have caught yourself practicing an imaginary golf swing or putt at some point during the day.
So whether an amateur or a professional, improving takes practice, patience and persistence and paying attention to what needs to be done and what can be done will help to make the journey easier.
Images sourced from google images
