Golfers at Bay City CC avoid aches and pains with a regimen of golf-oriented stretching and strength training.
Time is of the essence in this fast-paced world. Hurry to the golf course. Hurry to the first tee. Hurry the swing. But with all that hurrying, a bad shot is far from the worst thing that can happen. Pull a muscle, slip a disc or strain a hamstring, and the next round could be weeks or months away.
At Bay City (Mich.) Country Club, Head Golf Professional John Nowosatka is taking members’ well-being into his own hands by offering a six-week golf fitness program that will help prepare them for the upcoming season.
“Some of our older members need to get their bodies moving before the season starts, and this is a great program to help them do that,” says Nowosatka. “It’s basic stretching and core work, but it’s something proactive that we can do.”
The instructor who leads the classes is a certified fitness trainer from a nearby college. Each class lasts approximately an hour and consists of stretching, strength training with bands, and on-floor core exercises. Then, after a few weeks, stability balls are gradually introduced into the routine as well.
“Bay City’s membership is older,” says Nowosatka. “We introduced this program to be more preventative.”
Marc Cubbison, a Physical Therapist at University Hospitals in Cleveland, Ohio, and a Certified Golf Fitness Instructor, Medical Level 2, with the Titleist Performance Institute, wishes more clubs would take this proactive approach. Cubbison is often asked about exercises that golfers should do on the first tee, but hesitates to get too specific with his answers.
SUMMING IT UP
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“I can’t tell a random golfer what to do on the first tee, because I don’t know what his or her specific physical limitations are,” he explains. Before making any suggestions, he’d need to put golfers through a screening process to identify their limitations and help them zero in on their problem areas, much like what Nowosatka is doing at Bay City CC.
Low-Cost Alternative
“Group classes are a great way to go,” Cubbison adds. “It makes it more fun for members who can share the experience and it’s cost-effective if you’re bringing in an outside trainer.”
Nowosatka borrowed the idea of a golf-fitness class from a similar program offered by Saginaw (Mich.) Country Club a few years earlier. So far, class size ranges from nine to 12 members, and the club is looking into a women’s program. Combining sexes was an option, but in Nowosatka’s experience, not all men feel comfortable working out with women, and vice versa.
When the program ended for this season, several members expressed interest in an ongoing program during the season.
Bay City CC covered the cost to bring in the outside trainer who supplied the fitness bands for members. The club then asked members with stability balls to bring them from home. For next year, Nowosatka said the club is looking into purchasing a few balls for members to use and keep at the club.
Free Advice
In addition to golf fitness programs, experts can offer general tips to help players improve their games. “Tell [golfers] to get their blood flowing before they get to the first tee,” says Cubbison. He recommends parking as far away from the clubhouse as possible and walking to the pro shop. Jumping jacks, marching in place and pushups (against the car) in the parking lot are also excellent ways to get the blood flowing before you tee off, he adds.
Off the course, Cubbison also suggests a well-balanced program of stretching, strengthening, cardio and balancing, either at the club or as something players do on their own.
“Balance and core stability are huge factors when it comes to the mechanics of the golf swing,” he says.
One particular exercise he recommends is to have clients stand on one leg and pull the other leg to their chest. Then he asks them to hold as long as they can. If they can do that, he tells them to try it with their eyes closed. After that, he has them try it on an uneven surface.
“This focuses on core and stability,” he says. “Both are key to golf.”
Cubbison works with a handful of club professionals around the Cleveland area, too. He guides some patients to pros and when he does, he lets the pros know what that patient’s limitations are.
Once a professional knows what a client can—and cannot—physically do, his or her ability to teach a proper swing is greatly enhanced.
While Cubbison’s techniques can be helpful, Bay City CC has proved that a little effort goes a long way, too. The club’s classes, held in the men’s locker room, have been an excellent way to get golfers back after a long winter.
“Our members love to golf,” says Nowosatka. “These are really simple exercises, and they help them to play significantly better.”
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