Happy Birthday to Me

As of December 28th I am 45 years old.

I’m trying to keep the tears off my keyboard.

Not really, I feel great and I am hugely optimistic about the coming year. I expect to have several breakthroughs this year in my personal, business, and of course, golf life.

I have elevated my strength training and nutrition program to the next level and will be adding a golf specific flexibility program over the next few weeks. Flexibility is a weak point for me that I need to address and prioritize before the season starts. On a scale of 1-10 my strength would be around 8. On a scale of 1 – 10 my flexibility would be around 2. Tight hamstrings? I have to warm up for 10 minutes just to touch my knees. Not good. I will be investigating a few flexibility/stretching programs and keep you posted on my progress.

For anyone out there interested in increasing their strength I am in a better position to give advice in this area. I have a very simple strength training strategy…SQUAT. No, this is not an acronym for a complex training program. It simply means put a heavy weight on your shoulders and go up and down. If you are physically able to do this (with good form) this should be the heart and sole of your training program. If you get your form down and work hard you can (and will) make amazing improvements in your ‘overall’ body strength including your core. I do train my entire body but if I could do only one exercise it would be the squat. Nothing fancy here, have I made myself clear? SQUAT.

Anyone who may have advice when it comes to strength, cardio, or flexibility training as it relates to golf please weigh in!

Inflexibly yours,

Golf Experiment

Four Strokes Short

Well our golf season has been over for a couple of months and we now have a good foot of snow on the ground.

The season was fun and frustrating!

I finished the season with a handicap of 7, four strokes short of my goal. I am somewhat disappointed with the results but I do realize that a 3 handicap was a very aggressive goal. My goal for next season is to be a 2. I think going from 7 to 2 is still aggressive while still being ‘reasonably’ realistic. Time will tell.

Although the season was frustrating to a degree I did make significant improvements in my technique and improved my short game dramatically. This gives me hope for next season!

I am on track with my off-season fitness program and I am gaining strength and flexibility. When the weather breaks I intend to set up an off-season program with my swing coach that will continue to improve my technique and more importantly allow me to practice and groove my swing before the courses open this spring.

I turn 45 in 6 days…the clock is ticking.

Have a great Christmas and a Happy Golf Year!