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Spring Is Here

Spring is here, and that means golf season has begun! When people think of golf,
they normally don’t think about fi tness to drop a few strokes off your game. Golf IS a
sport and its participants ARE athletes, and just like all other sports, it’s important to be

fi t. Golf and fi tness have both been a big part of my life and I can tell you fi rst hand that
the better shape you are in the easier the game becomes. Golf requires strength, pow-
er, fl exibility, balance, core stability, body awareness (coordination), and endurance.
There are several golfers that take there fi tness very seriously like Rory Mcilroy, Tiger

Woods, Adam Scott. Gary Player, even at 80 years of age, still does 1000 crunches a
week.

That being said strength training is important for golfers. I will go over a few ex-

ercises that can help to improve your game. First exercise is the squat. The squat is
a great compound movement that helps build several muscles in one movement. A
strong base will give you more power and help you to hit the ball farther. A strong core
will help you with balance and trunk rotation in the golf swing. For your core I recom-

mend planks and russian twists. I DON”T recommend situps because they can be bad
for your neck and back if not done correctly. Another good compound movement for up-
per body strength is the overhead press. The overhead press will build strength in the
shoulders and upper back and can help produce a powerful golf swing.

Flexibility is also another important factor. The longer the swing you have, the more
clubhead speed you can create, allowing you to hit the ball further. Be sure to warm
up before each workout and stretch after every workout. Even on the golf course you

should always warm up and stretch before playing.

Lastly, I want to talk about endurance. Golf, especially for high schoolers, can be
very exhausting because we don’t have the privilege of caddies or carts to carry the

clubs for us. We have to be able to walk up and down hills with weight on our backs for
four or more hours. It’s very hard to hit a golf ball when you are winded from walking up
a hill. So, in the off-season be sure to keep up on your cardio training. If you like using
a treadmill put the incline up to 4-5%. If you prefer to be outside, fi nd some hills to walk/

run. You can also use a weighted vest. If you don’t have a weighted vest, put some
weights in a backpack and walk some hills.

These are just a few of the things that will help to improve your golf game. Golf is a

game that you can enjoy for a lifetime, and the better shape you are in the longer you
will be able to play the game. Just ask Gary Player.

Jon Ligrow

Ligrow’s 24 Hr Fitness
ISSA Certifi ed Trainer
KELLY@SPORTSFINESTMAGAZINE.COM 989 545 0735 SPORTSFINESTMAGAZINE.COM April 2018 SPORTS FINEST MAGAZINE • 31
KELLY@SPORTSFINESTMAGAZINE.COM 989 6545 0735 SPORTSFINESTMAGAZINE.COM April 2018 SPORTS FINEST MAGAZINE 31