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Stretching for a Good Start
By E.J. Clair, Junior Editor
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It's not just swinging a club that can make golf a strain on your back, as Angela
Stanford shows at the 2003 U.S. Women's Open at Pumpkin Ridge.
Photo by E.J. Clair |
Your phone rings, and it's suddenly an unexpected chance at the all-important first round of the season.
You rush from your car to the first tee (two bends from the waist to your toes, a few practice swings, and a deep breath). You tee off.
By the third or fourth hole your body has warmed up and you are feeling good (two pars), but by the 14th or 15th hole, fatigue starts to set
in (slice into the trees) and your body mechanics are no longer as strong (lost ball, three bunkers, one lake). By the last three holes, you're
fatigued to the point where you might not notice your body's definitely struggling (dribbling putts). Next morning, you ache.
Sound familiar?
"Flexibility is key," said Tigre Garcia, a sports trainer at Bellarmine Preparatory School in Tacoma, Wash. "The more flexible you are, the
better your game will be and the more power you will have. Build your core strength, abdominal and lower back muscles."
According to Garcia, the golf season is 12 months a year, and part of that is off-course.
Golfers seem to avoid seeking medical assistance until their injuries are chronic.
Dr. Wendell W. Adams, Jr., an orthopedic surgeon at Rainier Orthopedic in Puyallup, Wash., said aches at the shoulder, elbow, and Achilles are
the common complaints.
"People tend to be very tight. They don't have elasticity in their muscles. The repetitive overuse of muscles causes injury."
How can this be avoided? Our bodies respond to stress. The more you do something, the better the body will be at it.
"Golfers often don't realize that if they would strengthen their legs, they would have a stronger swing," Adams said.
Tom and Valerie Waitley, the area directors for Curves International, oversee the 850 fitness clubs where more than 250,000 women build
flexibility and muscles.
"Increased strength will improve distance on your drives and give more control." Valerie Waitley said, "but until you are flexible, your swing
will be neither natural nor fluid."
Raymond C. Schuler, a golfer from Tacoma, recently experienced a long rehabilitation.
He injured his shoulder in a February 2003 skiing mishap. After surgery, he went through a four-times-a-day rehabilitation program for six
months.
Able to swing a club in late April, he played his way into the championship flight of the PNGA Master-40, made the cut at the Oregon Open in
June, and then defended his title at the club championship at Tacoma Country and Golf Club.
Schuler said he believes his running schedule of 12 miles a week, plus pushups and calisthenics allowed for such a fast recovery.
To improve your game, off-season training is crucial. If you want to be stronger for next year, continue from the fitness level you ended last
season and build on that.
"Golf injuries are easy to avoid," Schuler said. "Stay in shape and stretch, stretch, stretch."
So start getting into shape and stretching regularly. When that all-important first round of the season phone call comes, you will be ready
to play through.
E.J. Clair writes a junior golf column for Pacific Northwest Golfer and Golf Northwest
Magazine, and questions or comments can be directed to info@pngamedia.com.
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