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When someone talks about core strength, they’re referring to the strength of the muscles that go deep within the abs and back attaching to the spine or pelvis. A few of these muscles are the tranversus abdominis(TVA), the muscles of the pelvic floor, the lats and the obliques. The core muscles are the origination point for stability and movement on the golf swing. Stronger core muscles convert to better balance and a more powerful swing. Strength in the core muscles can also prevent injuries to the hips and back.

The relationship between core strength and speed and power capabilities is very important. Golfers must have the core strength to handle the power they are capable of generating peripherally. Therefore, an increase in speed or power requires an increase in core strength. Exercises to strengthen these muscles should be a continuous portion of your fitness regimen.

In recent years, there has been more implementation of functional fitness exercises. The same holds true for golf fitness. Rather than focusing strictly on separate muscle groups, the training is targeted to strengthen the overall movement pattern in an integrated fashion. More of the body is involved. Many of these types of exercises mimic movements required in the golf swing. The body becomes better conditioned for the anticipated movement and strength improves as well.

Core strength is important to the golfer because the core is where all movement begins. It is the body’s center of gravity. Core muscles act to produce power, stabilization and transference of energy.

Many people have weak core muscles. A weaker core leaves the golfer much more susceptible to injuries. As time progresses, this continued weakness goes from spinal stress to injury to more permanent damage.

For more power and stability, as well as overall continued health, core strengthening exercises are among the best activities you can pursue. For stronger golf, strengthen the core!

There is a great possibility to lose your mind when playing golf simply due to the constant shifting of focus. I think the brain doesn’t like to change focus. It wants to stay in one place until the job is done, but in golf, we think about the present; the stance, and we think about the future; the shot.

The mind wants stimulation, and the stance simply doesn’t fill the bill. The shot on the other hand has hope and excitement, wondering whether the ball will go where you want it to, where it will land, and what you will need to do next.

When you set up and look downrange, your mind almost instantly locks on to the shot thoughts….and abandons the task at hand of taking the backswing and making the transition.

If you think about your daily life it works the same. It’s much easier to let your mind wonder off to the next vacation than to keep working on the mundane task of work. At times like that, you must call your brain back to work and get back to whatever task you’re doing.

To get the results of a golf swing, you have to do the same thing. Usually, just before you take the backswing, you take one more look downrange. This is the mind’s last opportunity to escape, and it often does. If you can keep the mind interested in the swing, it wouldn’t go running off to the future all of the time, but how?

This is one reason I stress visualization during the swing process. If you have a movie of the impending swing in your mind, the brain will want to hang around and see if the body followed instructions…..(it’s a power thing, the brain wants to be in charge and it thinks the body wants to take over.)

But sometimes a good picture isn’t enough. You need to remind your brain to get back to the task at hand. I do this with a trigger. I want something visual that will tell my mind, “hey, get back to the swing!” Mine is a little complicated to describe but it’s simple as a picture. When I take my backswing,as I am feeling the weight building up under my back foot, I want to feel my shoulder touch my chin and I want to see that the line across my back is behind the ball. Once I see that, I know I can start the transition.

All I have to do is to remind myself before the round that I won’t start the transition until I see and feel what I have described. The picture I’m looking for, combined with the self instruction that it has to be there or I can’t finish the swing, brings my focus back to the swing.

Do you want to make sure your focus is where it should be during your swing? Find a trigger picture that has to happen before you can make your transition. Then train yourself that you can’t swing until it’s right. Instead of concentrating on hitting the ball, concentrate on making sure everything is right before you pull the transition trigger….the rest of the swing will take care of itself.

When do you set the stage for the round of golf? On the way to the golf course. Think about your trigger, and decide that you will be patient no matter what situation rears its ugly head. After you do this for a while, your patience in the face of adversity will carry over to your daily life.

To those who don’t play, golf seems like a low impact sport. But golf provides a real physical workout and arm and lower back pain and injuries are common among golfers. The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons recommends some preventive exercises so golfers can protect themselves against injury.

To avoid golfer’s elbow, suggests these simple exercises to help build up your forearm muscles.

Squeeze a tennis ball

Squeezing a tennis ball for five minutes at a time is a simple, effective exercise that will strengthen your forearm muscles.

Wrist curls

Use a lightweight dumbbell. Lower the weight to the end of your fingers, then curl the weight back into your palm, followed by curling up your wrist to lift the weight an inch or two higher. Perform 10 repetitions with one arm, then repeat with the other arm.

Reverse wrist curls

Use a lightweight dumbbell. Place your hands in front of you, palm side down. Using your wrist, lift the weight up and down. Hold the arm that you are exercising above your elbow with your other hand in order to limit the motion to your forearm. Perform 10 repetitions with one arm, then repeat with the other arm.

These simple exercises can help strengthen lower back muscles and prevent injuries.

Rowing

Firmly tie the ends of rubber tubing. Place it around an object that is shoulder height (like a door hinge). Standing with your arms straight out in front of you, grasp the tubing and slowly pull it toward your chest. Release slowly. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions, at least three times a week.

Pull-downs

With the rubber tubing still around the door hinge, kneel and hold the tubing over your head. Pull down slowly toward your chest, bending your elbows as you lower your arms. Raise the tubing slowly over your head. Perform three sets of 10 repetitions, at least three times a week.

Modern living is such that many amateur golfers fear golf training exercise programs. This is usually for various reasons, some of which are with good reason.

One of them is the genuine fear that they will never be able to find the time for any golf training exercise program.

This sometimes keeps golfers from joining golf training exercise programs. Some golfers wonder how they will ever find time for exercises when getting the time to play golf is a problem in itself.

So these golfers can only continue to play their frustrating golf, heavily dependant on luck and hope that some other miracle working golf improvement wonder will come along some day

This should not really be the case because joining a golf training exercise program is easier than most people believe. The good news is that good golf training exercise programs address the issue of executives who play golf being short of time, rather creatively.

There are a large number of exercises in these programs that can be carried out in the comfort of the office when you have a moment. Some can easily be done at home even as you continue to do your other usually activities.

While it is true that good golf training exercise programs will usually involve strength training where you will need to use exercise equipment like dumb bells, one can easily create the time for this later when they have already started seeing the impact that the simpler exercises are having on their golf game.

There is actually no bigger motivator than seeing a golf training exercise program dramatically improve your game.

It not only becomes easier to stick to the program and maintain your rapid improvement but it also becomes easier to look for the time in a busy schedule to delve in to the muscle strength building routines in the golf training exercise program.

The term golf fitness expert has grown in popularity for the last few years thanks to Tiger Woods, Annika Sorenstam, Vijay Singh and many other tour players.

They all have a golf fitness expert who actually travels with them to every tournament to keep them in top shape throughout their season.

Most of you don’t have the luxury to have a golf fitness expert one time, let alone 3 to 5 times a week, every week. This would cost in the thousands of dollars every month.

The average, ‘qualified’ golf fitness expert will charge anywhere from a low of $40 per session to a high of over $250. The more experienced the golf fitness expert, the more they will charge.

So what are you options if the above scenario is a little too out of your economic reality?

The next best thing is to get some golf fitness videos (dvds) that take you through the entire golf fitness session from start to finish?including stretches, warm ups, cool downs and advice.

This is the next best thing to having a golf fitness expert in person. I have been fortunate enough to receive hundreds of emails and letters from golfers who have greatly benefited from this format of training.

There are not too many fitness and/or golf fitness videos (dvds) on the market that take you through an actual workout. Most of them show you the exercise and discuss the do’s and don’ts.

What you really need is a golf fitness video (dvd) that takes you step-by-step through the workout so you have an idea of proper technique, pace of the session and a huge sense of satisfaction when it is done.

Then to have the wherewithal to put that video (dvd) back in the player in 48 hours and do it again. And again. And again. This will give you the best, most quickest results.

You really want to make sure it is a ‘complete workout’. Not just exercises and then you have to figure out how to put them together in a workout format. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve purchased workout videos only to have to figure them out on my own.

What a big waste of time and frustration!

You want “plug-and-play!”

So there is hope to finally have a golf fitness expert in your home on a weekly basis. One that will motivate you and inspire you to continue and strive to be the best you can be.

Go out and get your very own golf fitness expert!

Functional exercise for golf can mean different things to different golfers. But the key is to take a look at the golf swing mechanics and devise golf exercises, drills, and golf programs to strengthen weak or limited phases of the swing.

Not every golfer has the same deficiency; and treating golfers this way is like “one-stop” shopping. This will result in failure. No improvement for the golfer. This is a complete waste of time, money and physical effort.

The first step is for the golfer to partake in a golf fitness evaluation to determine the correct functional exercise for golf program.

This evaluation should cover strength, flexibility, stabilization and endurance. These are all key factors in performing at your best. These individual tests cannot be general fitness tests, but tests devised specifically for the golfer in mind.

Functional exercise for golf is dynamic, sequential and incorporates core strength and stabilization. Any functional exercise for golf that does not address this is not for golfers.

First off the golf posture is not common among many sports or athletic movements. Being ‘bent-over’ at the waist with your weight more at the balls of your feet incorporate balance and stabilization immediately.

And remember?this is only at address!

To maintain your posture dynamically throughout the golf swing takes a ‘unique’ blend of all components mentioned above. That is why it is so important to incorporate functional exercise for golf in your routine.

Once you’ve taken the above mentioned evaluation, you’ll have a good idea of what your weaknesses (limitations) are and start designing a function exercise for golf program that will hit those areas.

This functional exercise for golf program should be done a minimum of twice, but preferably 3 times a weak to get results. Being consistent with your program will leave you a happy golfer on the course.

No one ever said it would be easy, but by incorporating a functional exercise for golf program will be well worth it.

Golf swing timing is a key factor in being able to repeat a mechanically sound swing for 18 holes. In fact it is true to say that correct timing is everything. This is the main reason why golfers need to concentrate when taking a shot.

Golf swing timing has to do with the way the golfer controls their body and swiftly gets his muscles and body organs to swiftly respond to commands from his brain. Actually the identical situation any athlete or performer finds themselves in.

Interestingly enough many athletes and performers have got exercise sessions worked into their program where they condition their bodies to maintain the highest levels of performance. Yet golf swing timing is a situation that is as demanding and in many cases more so, than the situation faced by many athletes. Still many amateur golfers expect their body and muscles to respond without any exercise or muscle conditioning in preparation for their golf swing timing.

Of course it does not happen and this is the reason why many amateur golfers continue to struggle with their golf game, hardly improving over a number of years. Most professionals on the other hand, take a lot of time and care to condition their bodies and muscles for the perfect golf swing timing. The results always show.

Part of the reason why this situation has persisted for many years is because traditionally golf has been viewed as a leisure game to be played with little or no prior preparation. This view has caused numerous golfers to fail to enjoy their golf game and in some cases to acquire nagging injuries on their bodies, even as they fail to achieve any reasonable golf swing timing.

And yet golf fitness is not as tough and rigorous as some people make it out to be. Some of the exercises can even be done in your office when you have a moment to spare. 15 seconds at a time in your work station is adequate.

The bare fact is that as a golfer it will be very difficult to achieve good golf swing timing without attaining golf fitness first.

The perfect golf swing IS achievable for any senior golfer!

Actually we have noted in our ongoing programs, a dramatic change in the quality of the games of senior golfers many of whom are achieving the perfect golf swing at their ages and despite relative inexperience on the golf course. Not only that, they are hitting the ball as long as their PGA counterparts. And we are talking about both male and female players.

So how do they do it?

The answer is so simple that it may be a little difficult to believe at first. Actually it is the result of a simple combination of personal coaching on swing mechanics and getting stronger. They do not get stronger as a result of arduous weight training using heavy weights designed to give bulky muscles.

Rather the training ideas have even been described as “enjoyable” by some and the program even involves simple exercises that will not take you away from the office or your work and yet have the potential of helping you reach the perfect golf swing much quicker than you ever thought possible.

Very specific conditioning and training achieve the perfect golf swing and a much better game. Exercises that are not straining but are in fact targeted very specifically at improving the quality of the golf game are responsible for the ‘miracles’ in junior golf players.

Surely if it works so well with senior citizens, younger golfers should have no problem. Right?

Actually we are also witnessing junior golfers who are also dramatically revolutionizing their game through the same exercises and conditioning which also involves using products recommended by experts and people who earn a living improving ordinary amateur’s golf games and helping them towards achieving the perfect golf swing.

There is no doubt that body flexibility is extremely important for golf and to golfers. Little wonder that one of the biggest fears amongst many golfers looking to improve their game is that of losing their flexibility as a result of weight training that builds muscles and stretching exercises.

This is one of the reasons why many amateur golfers still avoid joining golf-specific exercise and conditioning programs. They mistakenly link every weight-training program with muscle building and bodybuilding.

Although it is true that muscle building and body building will tend to make somebody stiff, the facts are that weight training can either be used for body-building and building of muscles, or it can be used to build strength.

The golf specific weight training programs are aimed at building strength and endurance. Not muscles. A genuine golf exercise program will have nothing in its’ weight training routine to remotely relate it to muscle or bodybuilding.

In fact stronger and conditioned muscles will tend to dramatically improve flexibility for golf, rather than reduce it. Flabby, weak, unexercised muscles are the ones that will tend to be very stiff and over time will take away the flexibility for golf in anybody.

Stretch exercises, which work best with strengthened muscles are very effective in helping to increase flexibility. These exercises usually have a major impact on the quality of the golf swing for most players.

Therefore it is not true that incorporating dumbbells into golf specific exercises makes a golfer lose flexibility. Rather the entire program plays a major role in enhancing flexibility for golf and the results from players who have tremendously improved their game, speak for themselves.

What you are about to read… will change your golfing life forever! What are these three “secrets”? If you knew how would they effect your game?. These three “secrets” are what the worlds best players do. Every player MUST know these “secrets” if they are to have a powerful, repeating golf stroke.

The problem with the majority of golfers is that they don’t know what to do. Oh their friends, well wishers at best, tell them that they are “bending their left arm”, “raising up through the shot”, “coming over the top” and host of other swing faults. But these are the same people that shoot the same scores you do! What could they possibly tell you that would improve your game?

The information you are about to receive is not theory or conjecture but science. Ooooh, you say, this sounds complicated. Well it isn’t, it is simply the laws of force and motion that govern our entire lives and day to day living. Once you understand these simply laws your golf game will forever change…for the better!

Secret #1: A Flat Left Wrist

Because the golf stroke involves a golf club, a left arm, and a wrist in between, it is called a “lever system”. The left wrist acts as a “hinge pin” much like the old time “flail” used to beat wheat. This “hinge pin” can rotate, cock or uncock but NEVER Bends!

Golfers however routinely bend the left wrist causing the clubhead to reach the ball before the hands do. This causes a “quitting” motion, adds loft to the clubface, points the face to the left of target, makes the clubhead swing upward disrupting the downward motion that ALL good golf shots MUST have. Good players DELOFT the clubface at Impact. Poor players ADD loft to the clubface costing them distance, direction, and trajectory.

A 5 iron, for example, has approximately 8 degrees for “forward lean” when soled properly. At Impact with good players the “lean” is approximately 15 degrees. This turns the 5 iron into a 4 iron. Poor players reach Impact with a “backward” leaning clubshaft thereby ADDING loft and turning the 5 iron into a 6-7 iron!

Secret #2: A Staright Plane Line

You only have two choices when it comes to the swing plane, you are either on or you’re off. There is no middle ground!

What exactly is the swing plane? The plane is the angle of the clubshaft as it sets at address - period! It is NOT Hogans plane of glass as many would have you to believe. There are only three planes available;

1. Horizontal - a wall
2. Vertical - the floor
3. Inclined somewhere in between

As golfers you and I use the Inclined Plane to swing the club back up and end, down out and forward, up back and in making the Golf Stroke three dimensional.

The clubshaft, actually the sweetspot of the club, may travel to any other plane angle during the swing as long as it DOES NOT cross the base of the plane. Here is a simple way you can know if you are on plane or not. Whichever end of the club is nearest to the ground MUST also point at the base of the plane from horizon to horizon. If neither end is nearer then the clubshaft MUST be horizontal to the ground and parallel to the base of plane.

Secret #3: A Lagging Clubhead

Lag by definition means “trailing”. When the clubhead passes the hands coming into Impact there is no “lag”. Without “lag” the golf ball cannot be compressed, we cannot hit downward, and we have a tremendous power loss. Clubhead lag promotes a steady and even acceleration giving us a dependable way to control distance.

Look at any picture of your favorite player at Impact. The left arm and clubshaft are in ONE LINE! Never two lines. This means that the player is utilizing “lag”. When a ball is struck with “lag” it explodes off the clubface! Without this “lag” the sound turns into one of mush, a soft Impact instead of a driving Impact.

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If you follow this outline, learn these three “Secrets” you will be hitting the ball with more compression than you ever thought possible.

For example, a Driver striking a golf ball with a 2 degree “backward” leaning clubshaft at 100 mph with 9.5 degrees of loft produces a launch angle of 6.4 degrees and a carry distance of 230 yards.

By changing Impact to a 2 degree forward leaning clubshaft the player produces a launch angle of 10.4 degrees and a carry of 251 yards. A 21 YARD INCREASE WITHOUT buying a new Driver and simply having clubhead lag!

YOU can improve your game dramatically by following the steps outlined above. Become the best player YOU can be and start winning those 4 way presses! If YOU really want to elevate your game, hit it farther, straighter, and nearer the hole then practice what I’ve shared with you.