Sorry for my absence from the blog world. My life has changed a little over the past month, as my wife and I welcomed a baby girl into our lives 3 weeks ago. Everyone says parenthood is a great gift and I can't argue with them at all.
Watching her stretch out in the morning after taking her out of the sleep sack is one my new favorite things. It reminds me of how much we should be stretching daily. She doesn't know much yet in this world, but she instinctively takes a couple minutes to stretch her little arms and legs.
Even though the spring weather hasn’t been cooperating as we would like, I have still seen several golfers out on the courses as I drive around. Despite what some people think, golf is a great physical activity. Did you know you can walk more than 5 miles during 18 holes of golf if you don't use a cart? Combine that with maximally rotating the body 50-65 times, and you will get a good workout while golfing.
So why not take a few minutes to stretch out before jumping up to the tee? I see most golfers run from their car, throw on their shoes, pay the greens fee and rip the driver from the bag.
Here are a couple good stretches to do before starting to play golf this year with some slight "tweaks" to mimic the backswing and follow through.
Hamstring Stretch
Place your leg up on the bench or cart with a slight bend in the knee. Flex forward from your hips, keeping the back straight until you feel a pull in the back of the leg. Add some rotation to the right and bend trunk to the left. Then, do rotation to the left side and bend right.
Lateral Side bend Stretch
To stretch the right side, stand with your left foot in front of the right. Side bend to the left and use your left hand to pull up on the right wrist. Then, rotate to the right and side bend to the left. If you want a little more stretch, you can add trunk flexion by bending forward for your trail side (right side for right-handed golfers), or trunk extension by leaning back for lead side (left side for right-handed golfers).
Posterior Shoulder Stretch
Stand in your golf stance and use your right hand to grab behind your left elbow. Rotate trunk to the right and add a shoulder stretch by pulling with your right hand. Add side bending to the left side. If stretching trail shoulder (right side for right-handed golfer), add some trunk extension, or when stretching lead shoulder, (left side for right-handed golfer) add trunk flexion.
Hold these stretches for 20-30 seconds and repeat 2-3 times on each side. Taking an extra 5 minutes before you start can help you prevent injury. You may even notice an improvement in your score!
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