the saturday golfer’s guide to golf
The Saturday Golfer. You aren't a professional, but sometimes you wish you could train like one. Having worked with Tour Players and amateur golfers for over 30 years, I have a four simple things that can help you perform your best with out a huge investment in time and effort. Adding in a few of these simple things will go a long way.
1. Warm-up: This means getting you body moving properly before hitting the range or course. The key main areas to focus on are Thoracic Rotation (think mid and upper back or shoulder turn in golf) and the hip rotation. These are the two biggest problem areas for golfers of all levels, but especially if you sit for a living.
2. Fuel-up: Proper on-course nutrition is a key element to not only maintain energy throughout the round, but equally important to maintain the ability to focus. This does not mean a hotdog and a beer at the half way house. I recommend making a bag of mixed nuts and dried fruit and keep that in your bag. This is a great combination of protein, healthy fats, natural sugar and fiber, all of the key elements needed for a successful round. Try to eat a handful every 4 holes throughout the round.
3. Drink-up: NO, NOT Beers and cocktails. Even the slightest level of dehydration will dramatically impact performance, so I recommend a minimum of 1 16oz bottle of water every 3-4 holes if below 75 degrees outside, when the temps get above 80, I like to add a hydration powder or tablet to one of those waters on the front 9, and one on the back 9. I prefer the tablets and powders over a sports drink, since most of them are full of chemicals and tons of sugar.
4. Rest-up: This seems simple, but coming to the course after a good nights sleep can pay big dividends. Even if you are not using any type of sleep tracking technology, being in bed a minimum of 8 hours will go a long way to a productive day on the course.
Golf is a game that we can play for decades—and it’s even more often as we get older. If we want to make a round of golf part of the Saturday routine, we should do the little extras to foster longevity, success and satisfaction! It doesn’t take much to make a huge difference.