Golf is probably the only sport where stroking less brings more to the athlete. That being said golf is a very technical sport. It requires a lot of disciplined practice, muscular balance, strength, and overall love for the game.
With covid-19 still (sadly) bringing havoc to our everyday lives, people found a way to adjust to these not-so-new circumstances (can anyone believe it has been a year?) which as you probably presumed, include a lot of online and indoor practices that can bring you astonishing results that you can show off once the golf courses open once again.
We’ll be discussing options that include practicing indoor and online, what type of exercises can assist in your muscular development especially the hip and shoulder rotation which can present a big problem. And of course, we’ll show you how to evaluate your current grip. Everything in the name of improving your game!
Practice Indoor and Online
When you want to improve something in your life, whatever that goal might be, there’s no time like now. Although the covid-19 situation has been devastating, and still is, there is a silver lining in this situation and that is the ability to do practically anything from the comfort of your home. Even improve your golf game.
Some of the most astonishing indoor golf nyc offer personalized instructions demonstrated by professional golfers, with the latest technologies of performance software and immediate constructive feedback by instructors. For those who are truly committed to the game, this will be a refreshing and fantastic experience.
You can always search videos online and they are a great place to start. But if you really want to become more than average this is probably a much easier way to improve, considering the fact that you’ll have a professional instructor.
Vigorous Exercise
You don’t have to have a gym membership to be active. All you need is a strong will, a plan, and rest days. Easier said than done, but if you know why you are exercising and if you believe that you are the type of person who exercises everything else falls into place.
Some of the most common problem areas for golfers include hips and shoulders. You can easily avoid having those same problems by exercising in a smart way that will improve not only your performance but will also target specific muscles needed for a precise stroke.
The following exercise can be great for golf improvement and overall health:
- Pelvic Rotations – This exercise corrects internal and external hip rotation. It’s a common know warm-up exercise that helps increase balance as well. It’s a pretty simple exercise that you can do by rotating your pelvis in both directions while standing on one leg.
- Windshield Wipers – This exercise corrects limited internal hip rotation. It’s a fantastic exercise that can help you improve your forward portion of the swing. You can perform this exercise by lying on your back with your knees and hips bent at 90 degrees. While your legs are up you place clenched fists between the knees all while separating your feet as far as possible.
- Shoulder Wall Slides – This exercise corrects shoulder and upper-back mobility. This is very important considering the fact that it helps golfers achieve that fluid and easy swing. Perform this by standing 5 to 12 inches away from the wall with your back facing the wall. Place your elbows and forearms against the wall and slide them down. While sliding down squeeze your shoulder blades.
- Push-Ups – This exercise is extremely good for building strength in your upper body. If you haven’t exercised in a while you can start by doing push-ups on the countertop, table, chair, etc. You can gradually get down on the floors and increase your repetitions.
Adjust Your Current Grip
The secret to an amazing swing is a proper golf grip. As the famous Ben Hogan said: “Good golf begins with a good grip”. Having a good and consistent golf grip will improve your whole game. Practicing and having vigorous exercise is crucial but it won’t come to anything without a sturdy foundation. Bad habits are easy to pick up and hard to break so as soon as you adjust your grip you’ll witness an enormous improvement in your game.
You can start this experiment by picturing yourself on the course. Ask yourself: How do I usually pick up the club? How do I hold it? What are my fingers doing? Is it comfortable? If you think there is room for improvement you can try some of the following.
- Adjust The Grip Size – Depending on the shape and the size of your hands a different grip size can either make your game comfortable or extremely uncomfortable. So make sure you consult with a golf professional.
- Hand Position – When holding the grip your left thumb should point down the right side of the shaft. While your right thumb should be on top of the left thumb and it should be facing down.
- Interlock Vs. Overlap – To link the hands or not? That is the question most golfers ask. And there are benefits to both these positions. Some players interlock some don’t. But, in recent years more and more golfers are linking their hands together as it promotes wrist hinge and an overall solid grip. But ultimately it’s up to you.