Making it Happen

I have been out and about of playing golf over the last several weeks. Spending time at the LPGA event at the Blackhawk country club in Danville, California and working at the specific chiropractic center. I am hoping to play soon but with that being said I just concluded a six month program with an amateur golfer. Here is what happened!!!!
Making It happen

1. Over 110 scores consistently: Now he is shooting in the high 80's and low 90's.
2. No ability to move Pelvis: Rotation has increased from no stability or mobility, to stability with some mobility (basically he is able to actually rotate his pelvis when he had to move his whole body before)
3. Incredibly inflexible in the shoulder joint: Now he is able to touch the wall with out bending his elbow.

Now what does all this mean?
Over the course of 6 months not only did this golfer practice quit a bit he was also able to find his body. More importatnly find how his body was moving and not moving in the golf swing. There is still considerable work to be done but HIO golf fitness is proud to be putting an improved golfer out on the courses.
His friends dont believe how much he has improved. If you or someone you know is looking for results you know where to go!

QUICK POST

Short Entry today

• check out breaking out of your comfort zone
• Come Visit us at the LPGA event at the Black Hawk Counry Club
• have a great week

Larry

Golf Fitness Basics

If you are looking to improve your golf fitness you should consider 5 aspects of fitness. Each is individually important but nonetheless should not be ignored. Golf demands golfers to have basic flexibility, stability, balance, coordination and muscular endurance. If any of these qualities are absent, the golf swing will be inefficient and inconsistent. The golf swings is athletic from stance to follow through. All major muscle groups are used in a specific sequence to allow distance, consistency, and accuracy. The non optimized golfer might hit a few solid shots in a round of golf, but that is chance and not skill.
Without taking it to the basic fitness components, your swing cannot be consistent, nor will it ever have accuracy along with distance.

• Stability: This is your ability to utilize your strength and flexibility. You need have stability have an optimized swing.

• Flexibility: Flexibility is a must to achieve a full backswing and front swing without strain. Lack of flexibility creates strain in your body and ultimately affects your golf swing, depriving your golf swing of club head speed, accuracy, and distance.

• Balance: Balance is your body’s ability to perform all the component of your golf swing while staying on your feet. As you begin to improve stability, flexibility, and strength often times balance training is missed. If you are strong but are falling out of your swing you are losing almost everything you have worked so hard for.

• Coordination: The golf swing requires a particular sequence of motion. This motion must be done over and over again in the same sequence to have lowered scores and consistency.

• Endurance: Having endurance is your body’s ability to maintain all of the above components for an entire round. Not only that when you body has endurance is allows you to maintain the mental aspect of the game a little bit better.

Implementing golf fitness for your golf swing MUST include ALL of the above components and you will get you results!

Driving it home

I was out on the course yesterday with a friend who was playing from the blacks while the rest of us were playing from the blues...not only was he still out driving us he was more consistent. This is the type of person that gets great results from what we do at HIO golf fitness. His game is already great but it is stuck. Adding more yardage to his game, adding more consistency to his game is tough cause it is there already...it is getting the body to be into peak condition and then raising the peak again that is going to get him to drive it home. It is going to be a fun adventure as we travel together with his training. All this being said he is already driving it home.
Now you may be asking what IT is???? It in this case is not the ball, not the swing, not the player, but the program. The program is going to to take his game to the next level.
Lesson one:

1. Get back to the basics
2. Break down the body into individual parts and work from there
3. Add Cardiovascular routine

The basics at HIO Golf Fitness are getting the body to function at its highest potential. The nervous system is the master controller of all movements and if that system is not under par ;)
then the body will not be optimizing. So we are going to be on a strict regiment of checking the nervous system.
Breaking the body down is going to be the most challenging aspect for my friend. His swing and game are already great and taking him back to elementary-seeming body movements is going to seem strange at first but time and time again we see quick improvements. Without checking him and watching him play I know that pelvic tilts and single leg balance are going to be key into his improvements.
Cardiovascular routine: I am going to change his current routine from random and long to quick and effective.
I am looking for to watching the process of DRIVING IT HOME.

One Armed Man and Reversed Spine Angle

Out on the course on Sunday, My father and I were playing with a gentleman who loves golf so much that he played for a significant amount of time without the use of one of his arms. He was so trained to play that way he still just uses one arm to putt.
Watching this man play was like amazing. His body was mobile and stabile. It was the almost the picture perfect swing. The only swing fault he consistently had was reverse spine angle. He was so flexible and so used to using one are with his full swing he contorted his body to create power. As you can imagine one would have to do playing with one arm.
So to make a long story short reverse spine angle typically can create a myriad of issues with power, accuracy, and efficient...let alone the added stress to the spine. "A Reverse Spine Angle is defined as any excessive upper body backward bend or excessive left lateral upper body bend during the backswing." (mytpi.com) According to TPI it is the number one cause of back pain in the golfer.
In order to correct this through fitness the golfer must gain strength with in his core and trunk as well as create proper biomechinaillcay mobile swing.
This is done with Exercises such as

1. Chops
2. Lifts
3. Pelvic Tilts
4. Planks
5. Reverse Crunches
6. Dead Bugs
7. Golf Professional drills (talk to your local golf pro)

As your body begin to work in the proper pattern for the golf swing, distance, accuracy, and consistency will improve.

As for the one armed golfer...keep playing my friend and we will play soon!

45 holes!

I am sitting down for the first time today after a glorious weekend of golf. The weather was perfect and the courses were awesome. My best friend from Whitworth University came down and we hit the greens. We started on a public course on Friday, went to a private course on Saturday and back to 9 hole public course on Sunday.
What did I learn about myself...better yet what did I learn about golf to pass on --> Golf is fun and friends are great!
Okay you all know that already or else you would not be attracted to the sport in the first place. As the British Open was unfolding, we were swinging and enjoying each others company. What I did learn or brought to the forefront of my mind is that professional golfers are so good. I spend some time in the rough and struggled to get a clean shot. Pro's hit into the rough and it is a bummer, or so it seems.
My Top Ten Tips from the Weekend at Boundary Oaks, Green Valley, and Diablo Hills:
10) Bring water if it is not on the course
9) Play at your level don't try to match others (better or worse)
8) Smile (no matter what!!!)
7) Know your clubs
6) If there are several people around the same spot let them put first so you can watch how the green moves
5) Don't rush if have to wait at the next tee box (even if the people behind you are getting impatient)
4) If you are going to play several days in a row, you better warm up first (aka have a conditioning program that compliments your golf swing)
3) Utilize the turn to your advantage (rest, food, beverage, restroom)
2) Eat Nutritious meals to let your body recoup from the rounds.
1) HAVE FUN!

With all that being said get out and play!

What's up with your Friend???

The sun is out, the grass is green, the sky is blue. Your friends are in for a weekend of golf, laughter and fun. Last time you played with this group of guys you won and the other pairing had to pay for the first round of food at the Oakland A's game. (Maybe not your situation, but you can imagine a similar scenario right)

As you approach the first tee, you notice some thing different about Tyler. He has more pep in his step and is more excited than usual about the round of golf. Was it the California burrito he just wolfed down before going into the pro shop or the prospect of a new job??? He volunteers to hit first, he takes a swing, picture perfect the ball goes straight and far. That is when you realize, Tyler must have found a new pain killer for his aches and pains, and been taking lessons to get that swing right????

So you approach your shot and hit the ball nicely but not like Tyler did. So you mockingly say "You must have found the magic formula for your back."

Tyler not one to expose his secrets mid competition, simply smiles and nods.

Throughout then next 17 holes Tyler does not miss a stride with this swing (the two puts help your chances though).

Finally as you return the carts you ask again. This time Tyler tells you about a new fitness program that has been working him through each and every component of his swing and picking his body apart and putting him back together. Not only has this program helps his golf swing, but it has helped him to get into better physical health.

Now the moral of this story: Golf is a great game and fun to play with friends...it is even better to win and be pain free!

Do like Tyler did and make a difference in your body!