Although things are far from normal right now while the world is navigating the COVID-19 pandemic, one thing is still certain: with springtime comes the hope for golf season to be around the corner.
While Canadians are staying inside and safe, there is still an opportunity to work on your golf game – even if you aren’t able to hit balls.
“I believe that when golf courses do open, you could be ready to hit the ground running by doing things now during this isolation period,” says Golf Town athlete Lisa ‘Longball’ Vlooswyk.
Lisa has been hosting a series of Virtual Clinics on our Facebook Page, sharing her tips to help improve your game. One of the sessions focused specifically on fitness, and exercises you can do at home while watching TV or trying to get a full workout in.
If you missed it, get your workout gear on, grab some water and watch it below.
Lisa touched on simple exercises that can be done in even the most limited of spaces and without any weights or extra equipment including lunges, planks, and more.
Here are some key areas that you can work on thanks to Lisa’s advice, and some rationale for keeping your body fluid and loose from a registered massage therapist!
STRETCH IT OUT
Lisa says before she and her fellow World Long Drive bombers begin a competition they will stretch for at least 30 minutes. The more flexible your muscles are, Lisa says, the bigger turn you can make – which means more clubhead speed.
Being stuck at home doesn’t mean you have to be, well, stuck.
Lisa says stretching even 20 minutes a day will help your golf game once it’s time to tee it up again.
“It’s not like you should start this massive workout routine to hit the golf ball longer, straighter, better and add yards and drop your score… I honestly think it’s not about that,” she explains. “The more flexible you are, the better positions you can get in in your golf swing. It also prevents injury, once we start golfing again.”
One of the keys, Lisa says, is rotational flexibility.
Even if you’re binge-watching TV, she says, you could do a simple stretch like sitting on the ground in an ‘L’ position, turning your torso as far as possible to one side and holding for 30 seconds, and then turning the other way (Lisa does a demonstration of this in her virtual clinic).
“People will be stunned how much more rotational flexibility people could get,” she explains. “It comes from creating coil and torque. These are things you can do right now to get ready for the season.”
STAY FLEXIBLE
Maintaining and improving flexibility is important at all ages, according to Jennifer Quilty, a registered massage therapist in Ottawa.
She says if there is a decreased range of motion in a joint the body will compensate for the lack of movement in the joints above or below. A lack of mobility in a golfer’s shoulder, she says, can increase the likelihood of developing golfer’s elbow because it’s compensating for the lack of movement in the shoulder.
“You can be bendy like a pretzel but if you don’t have enough strength in certain areas of the body, this could also lead to problems,” Quilty says.
Lisa touches on the importance of flexibility in her clinic, and Quilty says flexibility and stability are both important things for golfers. They both can be worked on at home quite easily.
ROLL ON
If you’re looking for something to help your muscles in-between massages, Lisa says there’s one purchase she’s made that is a game-changer, which she talked about in her clinic.
“Foam rolling. It is absolutely awesome for golfers,” she says. “You don’t realize how tight some of your muscles are. You can order that online and shipped to your home – you don’t have to leave your house to get this.
“Generally once you start foam rolling, you have no idea how tight your muscles actually are. It’s like having a massage – it’s an at-home massage you do yourself.”
TUNE-IN TO LISA’S VIRTUAL CLINICS AT 1PM ET EVERY TUESDAY, THURSDAY AND SATURDAY IN APRIL ON GOLF TOWN’S FACEBOOK PAGE. MISSED A CLINIC? CATCH-UP HERE.