Category: Exercise

Exercise, Health & Wellbeing

Recovering from Injury

My Story.

The key to recovering from injury is to patiently listen.

A few years ago I discovered damage to my left shoulder caused by golf. This was not totally unexpected as I swing hard and have been doing so for a long time. Things wear out over time and use and to fix my situation a shoulder operation was required. My surgeon advised me this meant no golf for 6 to 9 months.

The operation was a success. I was then given an exercise program by the surgeon including physiotherapy. The exercise began very gently to begin with and was supervised by a physiotherapist. The program was similar to those listed here and started with simple range of movement exercises gradually working up to strengthening the shoulder again.

After 3 months I was allowed to begin some putting and short chips. At 6 months I was allowed to hit easy iron shots. I tried the full hits but my shoulder did not feel comfortable. Not wanting to do damage, I quit hitting full shots until 9 months after the operation. This worked out fine, after a year the left shoulder was finally as strong as the right and I was golfing again.

Don’t let an injury keep you from your game. Listen to your health professional’s advice and listen to your body.  If you have suffered an injury or have had surgery I will be happy to discuss working with your surgeon and physiotherapist to get you golfing again soon and safely.

Disclaimer
As a NZPGA Golf Professional, I do not hold any medical qualifications. Consult your physician before attempting any of the exercises listed on this website if you have been injured or undergone a medical procedure.
Exercise, Health & Wellbeing

Are you Golf-Fit?

A swing improvement program must be limited to the students range of body movements to be successful. If you have had an injury or have had surgery I will be happy to discuss working with your surgeon and physiotherapist to get you golfing again soon and safely.

Are you golf fit? Most of the programs below will give you a good idea of your range of movement. If you are losing distance and consistency in your golf game, chances are you are losing your range of movement and stiffening up a bit.

Try some of these exercises and see how flexible you really are!

 

Disclaimer
As a NZPGA Golf Professional, I do not hold any medical qualifications. Consult your physician before attempting any of the exercises listed on this website if you have been injured or undergone a medical procedure.

 

Exercise

Back interfering with your game?

Stiffness in the lower back and hips can make it difficult to accomplish your ambition to gain more distance off the tee, or regain lost strength. If attempting any of the suggestions on these videos, remember to take it easy. Build up your flexibility and range of movement slowly, or you might do more harm than good.

Almost all regular golfers suffer from low back and hip pain from time to time. Here are simple exercises to take a look at. I have selected each of these videos carefully and  found the advice particularly helpful to golfers over  50 who are in the process of improving their technique or distance.



 

Disclaimer
As a NZPGA Golf Professional, I do not hold any medical qualifications. Consult your physician before attempting any of the exercises listed on this website if you have been injured or undergone a medical procedure.
Exercise, Uncategorized

Start Small

You may think you are too old to get fit and strengthen up. This is not the case. Just remember to begin slowly with simple routines you can easily handle .

Here is an every day example of a golfer who now has fun.

I once taught a gentleman who was older, he had hardly ever golfed before and had enrolled for a six-hour series of lessons. He was very stiff, with very limited range of movement and consequently could barely make contact with the ball. Despite his challenges, he was enthusiastic, he practised between lessons, started walking regularly and performing a series of home exercises/stretches I prescribed for him. After the sixth lesson (seven weeks) he could made contact with the ball and get around just well enough to enjoy a round of golf.

After the lessons I didn’t see him at the driving range for about 4 months. When he reappeared I could not believe his improvement! He had developed a nice fluid golf swing, achieved good distance and was really happy. I asked what he had done extra to achieve such outstanding results. His answer was “nothing different”. He just kept up his exercises and played regular golf. He admitted to me  that we he first began he was so stiff he could really only start the stretches I had taught him while still in bed, before getting up in the morning. Still, this tiny start was what was responsible for him loosening up his body up enough to enable the beginnings of a good golf swing. Look at the fun he has now!

The video of Gary Player is a fantastic example of what is possible for some senior golfers. Don’t expect these kind of results, be motivated by them!