Golf Fitness Part 2

Today you will be shown 2 exercises that can be added to your golf workout routine.

First…Standing Squats

Hold a 10-pound dumbbell with hand-over-hand grip. Feet should  be more than shoulder-width apart. Lower to a squat. Rise, turning to  the right while bending your elbows and raising the weight over right  shoulder. Hips should face right, with your weight over your right foot  and your left heel off the floor. Return to the starting position and  repeat to the opposite side.

Benefit: In addition to strengthening the glutes, this  move increases strength and mobility in the large muscles in the back  and shoulders. The muscles of the shoulders help you control the golf  club at the top of your backswing through impact, so it really helps you  control the plane of the club and improve consistency on impact.

Main Focus:  Power

 

Next…The Twist

Lie on ground and cross right leg over left, with  left hand on right knee. Rotate body to the left, bringing right arm to  shoulder height. Inhale and externally rotate right shoulder, bending  elbow and bringing hand toward head. Exhale and internally rotate right  shoulder, bringing right hand toward waist. Repeat 5 to 10 times and  switch sides.

Benefit: This stretch improves internal hip mobility, which will improve your backswing and alleviate swing faults.

Main Focus:  Flexibility and Mechanics

Golf Fitness Part 1

Let’s face it, we all benefit from exercising. For athletes, it’s essential to do exercises that compliment their sport in order to keep their bodies functioning as a strong and flexible “machine”.

I am going to do a several-part series on creating the perfect Golf-Fitness plan that can easily be incorporated into your daily routine. Want to increase your drives? Need more stamina to make it through all 18 holes? Maybe you want more flexibility…whatever the reason, getting healthy is a great benefit!

Exercise #1…Split Squats
Spread legs as far apart as you comfortably can. With arms extended straight in front of you, shift weight to one leg and slowly sit back. Emphasize moving hips backward rather than knees forward. Switch to opposite side. Start slowly moving back and forth; increase speed at your own pace to make sure the motion doesn’t shorten. Complete 20 repetitions.

Benefit: This move stretches the inner thighs and strengthens the glutes. The glutes are your power muscles in your golf swing. Category: Power!

Summer Time Lessons

Looking for something fun to do this summer? 

Golf Lessons can be a wonderful way to spend your days!  Ron is an excellent teacher and really spends time with each student, observing individual golf styles and working to customize every lesson to suit individual needs.

Who would benefit from Golf Lessons?

• Current Golfers wanting to learn new techniques or work on specific parts of their game
• Anyone new to the sport of golf, needing to learn the basics
• Summer visitors who want a chance to spend some time outdoors
• Couples who want a fun date afternoon
• Kids who are out of school and interested in the sport of golf

Private lessons and buddy lessons are available and we will customize your lesson plan to exactly what works best for you…whether it’s just a one time lesson or it’s a package.  Multiple lesson discouts are given during the summer months too!

For Adults, Ron charges an hourly rate, although he always spends additional time with each student.

For Youth (17 and under), Ron generally gives 45 minute lessons.  Youth lessons can be extra fun when two or three kids come out together and take buddy lessons.

Couples lessons can be a fantastic way to spend a day out together…everyone benefits from a little healthy competition.  A fun learning environment will be created for you and your partner!

Additionally, specialty lessons focusing on skills such as chipping, putting, and course ettiquette are also offered.

For more information, check out Ron’s website at:  www.ronmontoyagolf.webs.com and click on the link called Lessons.  There you will find his posted annual rates…summer discounts may apply, so don’t hesitate to ask!  We love referrals, and you will love the benefits of referring clients too!

Life goes on after qualifying rounds

I know many of you have been anxiously waiting for an update on the US Open qualifier Ron competed in on the 12th.  While he actually had a very good round of golf, he unfortunately did not make it in the top 7 spots…which is what was needed to continue on to the Sectional Qualifier.

Disappointing…yes.  Learning experience…YES!  Motivation for the next event…YES YES YES!!!

Some really valuable lessons came out of this:

•  First, we learned that walking the courses is so much better than riding in golf carts.  There are several reasons for this including not getting stiff between holes, having ample time to discuss the next shot and strategy, and most importantly, it kept us mentally in-tune and relaxed.  I have to say that even though Ron did not qualify, his mental presence was fantastic during this round. 
• Another lesson learned was trusting the shot 100% and knowing we can count on his abilities to hit precisely where he needs to.  That may sound simple, but it’s not.  For those of us who are just hackers, striving to break 100 and just have a lot of ‘fun’ on the course, we hope we can hit our irons in the general vicinity where we need to and stay in play.  For a Professional Golfer, there is no doubt what distance each club is going, that the ball can be worked to fade, draw, cut, flop, run-out, spin back, land soft, (and many other options too)…that’s his job…and he has refined his skills to perform that job.  The kicker is the mental space and making sure that’s working in unison with the rest of his body.  Not letting a doubt or altered thought creep into his mind during a golf shot has allowed Ron to advance his game even more.
• When the pressure is on…jokes ease the tension!  We knew this…afterall, we are constantly joking and messing with each other during practice rounds, but until this tournament, we’ve stayed more rigid during events.  Well…lightbulb…staying relaxed keeps the game fun and the attitudes positive!  We had the good fortune of being paired with a very cool guy who joined in on the joking, along with his caddie, toward the end of the round.  It’s always such a pleasure to pair up with fun people on Tour!
• People quit…Ron will NEVER be one of them!  One of the guys in the pairing (it was all 3-player pairings for this event), withdrew after 9 holes…ouch.  Now granted, there is some rule about being banned from PGA events if you shoot over a certain score and maybe this guy felt he was in jeopardy going into the back 9.  Regardless, having a fellow golfer withdraw mid-round actually does impact the other people he was golfing with.  Ron managed to block that out and continue playing well.

So what’s next on the agenda?  Fundraising and mini Tour!  There is a 3-day event here in Arizona, at the end of the month that would be a great opportunity for him.  There’s decent money to be made in 3-day events and again, great experience and exposure for future touring.  As always, thanks for your continued support and stay tuned for more exciting golf news!