Love Golf? Too Stiff or Tired to Play?

After a long week of work and family responsibilities you finally get to indulge your golf habit. It's a beautiful Saturday morning, the course looks to be in great shape, and you're getting ready to tee off. The only problem is you're stiff as a board and low on energy. You know that by the time you finish the front nine your tail will be dragging. How are you going to make it through the back nine?

Well, there's not much hope for this round, but you can do a little something about next weekend and a lot about the weekends after that. Golf, like other sports, requires a certain level of physical fitness. Without it, you just can't play to your full potential.

Golfers need to be concerned with four areas of fitness: cardiovascular, core strength, flexibility, and upper body strength. It should be fairly obvious that if you're in good cardiovascular shape, you won't tire as quickly. Being flexible will allow you to hit the ball with less effort, and therefore, keep you from getting tired as quickly. Strong core muscles will allow you to both hit the ball farther and hit it more often without getting tired. Upper body strength is the least important fitness area to concentrate on, but that doesn't mean it doesn't make a difference. If you have limited time to exercise, though, concentrate on the first three areas.

Most of us have busy lives and keeping a fitness routine can be almost impossible, but there is just no substitute for being in shape. Core strength and flexibility are a must if you want to play golf well. Getting enough sleep is also important, along with proper nutrition. Ideally, we could all take a couple of hours three days a week to get a good workout. But with such a busy schedule, how do we fit all this exercise into our daily chaos? Here are some suggestions:

If you're getting a reasonable amount of sleep, you might try getting up early to work out. Losing a little sleep to get some exercise will probably pay off in the long run. If your company has a gym, you might be able to get up at your usual time, but instead of taking a shower, leave the house early and beat the traffic so that you have enough time to get in a 30 minute workout, take a shower, and still get to work on time! If this isn't an option, keep reading.

The next time you have to drive the kids to soccer practice, take a pair of athletic shoes with you. Don't sit in the car doing paperwork or stand on the sideline talking to the other parents. Get out and walk. Walk briskly for 30 minutes or more. Walking not only increases cardiovascular health, it also strengthens lower back muscles used in the golf swing. And, of course, it burns calories. Other ways of fitting cardiovascular exercise into your day are to use the stairs at work instead of taking the elevator and park as far away from the building as you can.

Greater flexibility allows you to make less restricted movements. The more flexible you are, the more easily you can make a full turn, keep the club on plane during the swing and maximize your follow through. Fortunately, there are many stretches you can do at your desk or workstation.

Shoulders:
Reach toward your left shoulder with your right hand. Next, grab your right elbow with your left hand. Gently pull your right elbow up and in until you feel a gentle stretch. Hold for 15-20 seconds. Repeat to the other side.

Shoulders/triceps:
Raise your right hand and place it behind your head. Reach over with your left hand and grab your right elbow. Gently pull your right elbow toward your spine until you feel a gentle stretch in your shoulder and triceps. Hold for 15-20 seconds. Repeat to the other side.

Shoulders/forearms:
Interlace your fingers and extend your arms straight out in front of you with palms facing away. Press until you feel a gentle stretch in your forearms and shoulders. Hold for 10-15 seconds.

Shoulders/upper back:
Interlace your fingers and extend your arms straight up over your head with palms facing upward until you feel a gentle stretch in your forearms, shoulders, and sides. Hold for 10-15 seconds.

Chest:
Stand in a doorway or other vertical structure. Raise your right hand out to your side with your elbow bent at a ninety-degree angle. Press the inside of your right forearm and palm of your hand against the vertical structure and turn your body as far to the left as possible. Hold for 15-20 seconds. Repeat to the other side.

Upper back:
Sit tall, with your back straight. Lace your hands behind your head, elbows pointed to the side. Draw your shoulder blades together until you feel a gentle stretch in your upper back and sides. Hold for 10-15 seconds.

Cross your arms and grab your right elbow with your left hand and your left elbow with your right hand. Hold them straight out in front of you. Roll your shoulders forward as far as you can. Hold for 10-15 seconds.

Lower back:
Sit tall with your back straight. Cross your left leg over your right leg. Keeping your legs in front of you, turn your upper body to the left as far as you can. Use the arm rest or chair back to pull yourself around more. Hold for 8-10 seconds. Repeat to the other side.

Strong core muscles will allow you not only to hit the ball farther, but will also allow you to hit it more often without getting fatigued. The core muscles are your lower back and abdominal muscles. The best way to work this group of muscles is to do exercises such as sit-ups, back raises, and trunk twists. For the time-limited man or woman, though, you can do a little work on these muscles while at work. Fill your wastebasket with your coworkers' trash until it weighs around 4 to 5 pounds. Now, hold the wastebasket out in front of you with your feet shoulder width apart. Rotate as far to the left as you can. Hold for 2 seconds. Rotate to the right as far as you can. Hold for 2 seconds. Repeat this 15 times.

In addition to exercise, our bodies need adequate rest. Try to get 7 to 8 hours of quality sleep. If you have trouble sleeping, don't drink caffeine after 2 PM and limit your alcohol intake, especially the night before a round of golf.

A proper diet also helps endurance. Before a round of golf, have a small meal that is high in protein and carbohydrates and low in fats. During your round, be sure to rehydrate your body with water or sports drinks. Either is fine.

Pay attention to your body. If you feel yourself getting too hot, let the group behind you play through and take a little breather. Sit in the shade and rest. Be sure to wear sunscreen, a hat, and cool clothing in the summertime.

The best way to get and stay fit for golf is to have a regular workout routine, whether at the gym or at home. For many, though, this isn't practical. If you follow the above suggestions, you'll be fit enough to really enjoy your round of golf.