| When I was in my late teens and early 20s, I | | | | you have a golf swing that falls far short of |
| won a local long drive contest three years in a | | | | having good extension with the arms, a good |
| row. At that time, I never weighed more than | | | | shoulder turn and a nice wide arcing swing, you |
| 165 pounds (I am 6 feet tall), and the most I | | | | should focus your attention on stretching first! A |
| could ever bench press was 200 pounds. When I | | | | good stretching routine that covers the entire |
| graduated high school I weighed 155 pounds, and | | | | body will take about 30-40 minutes to complete, |
| could consistently drive the golf ball 270-280 | | | | and should be done two to three times per week. |
| yards. As this was 25 years ago, we were using | | | | After you have noticed a considerable increase in |
| drivers made of persimmon and the shafts were | | | | your flexibility, which you should see in a couple of |
| steel, and the average PGA tour pro would drive | | | | months, you should begin to notice greater ability |
| it about 260 yards. The main reason why I could | | | | to get that fuller shoulder turn and longer arm |
| hit the golf ball further than most people was | | | | extension in your golf swing. Bear in mind, your |
| because I have a golf swing that has a wide arc | | | | flexibility will also be enhanced if you are carrying |
| due to a good shoulder and hip turn. | | | | less baggage on your body as well. Aside from |
| Do you remember watching Tiger Woods in his | | | | John Daly, who is naturally gifted and has been |
| amateur playing days and when he first came out | | | | very flexible since his junior days, you don't see |
| on tour? In 1996, when he joined the tour, he | | | | too many very overweight golfers with a big full |
| weighed 158 pounds, standing at 6'2. Remember | | | | swing like Tiger Woods. Therefore, consider a |
| watching him hit driver, wedge into the 500 yard, | | | | proper diet and aerobic conditioning program with |
| par 5 15th hole at Augusta in 1997 when he won | | | | your flexibility routine. |
| his first Masters? Tiger was not the super strong | | | | After a period of time, and you notice significantly |
| athlete we see today. In fact, although he has | | | | greater flexibility in your golf swing, then consider |
| added 25-30 pounds of muscle, he really does not | | | | a strengthening program if want to add more |
| hit the ball much further now than he did then. | | | | distance. |
| Remember Sam Snead? Into his later years, he | | | | One note about some of the golf training |
| reportedly could still kick the top of a doorway | | | | gimmicks out there. Some of them do have |
| with one foot still on the floor. It is no wonder | | | | some merit. However, I do not believe in using a |
| that he remained very competitive on the PGA | | | | weighted golf club for strength training, and here |
| Tour into his 50's. He set the record for oldest | | | | is why. The golf swing is NOT a natural motion |
| winner on the PGA Tour at the age of 52. In fact | | | | for the human body, and for many golfers, it has |
| here is a story I learned while playing the Virginia | | | | caused a lifetime of back problems. Just ask Lee |
| State Intercollegiate tournament at The Cascades | | | | Trevino, Fred Couples and Seve Ballesteros. The |
| in Hot Springs. In 1973, Sam Snead's nephew, J.C. | | | | fact is the golf swing itself is very hard on the |
| Snead, a long time PGA Tour player, set the | | | | back, knees, hips, shoulders, elbows and wrists. |
| course record on the Lower Cascades course | | | | Therefore, swinging a weighted golf club with any |
| with a round of 60. In 1983, ten years later, Sam | | | | force at all simply makes no sense to me. I swing |
| Snead tied it! He was 71 at the time! | | | | a weighted club very slowly for the sole purpose |
| I guarantee that Sam Snead did very little weight | | | | of loosening muscles before practice or a round |
| lifting, but knew the importance of flexibility! | | | | of golf, but never for the purpose of trying to |
| I have played with many muscular golfers over | | | | build up my golf muscles! On that note, swinging a |
| time, but few could hit the ball as far as me. This | | | | weighted golf club nice and slow right after your |
| was due to their inferior golf swing. They had | | | | stretching routine makes a good bit of sense to |
| focused most of their fitness training on building | | | | work on that fuller extension and shoulder turn in |
| big muscles, rather than flexibility. Therefore, it is | | | | your swing. |
| most important for you to develop more flexibility | | | | By improving your flexibility, you will be able to |
| first. I can think of a few current and former NFL | | | | develop a more natural and fluid golf swing that |
| quarterbacks that play golf pretty well (John | | | | will be a bit easier on the body over time. Then |
| Elway and Tony Romo come to mind), but I can't | | | | you can focus on improving your strength to |
| think of a single linebacker that is any good! | | | | enhance performance even further! With that in |
| With this in mind, it is my recommendation that if | | | | mind, flexibility first, strength second! |