3 Specific Golf Exercises to Improve Your Stamina

You have decided to walk eighteen holes and, by hole number twelve, you are feeling the effects - labored breathing, aching legs..."boy," you think to yourself, "am I out of shape!" The truth is, golf is a sport as well as a game - it takes toned muscles to swing a golf club and to walk a course carrying a bag on your back.

You should not go onto a golf course without at least stretching before you swing a club, but, it would be much more beneficial if you also put a few exercises within your work-out routine. Golf for Beginners often writes about the mental game and offers you tips on everything from stance to injury prevention and now we present you with our "should-do" list of disciplines to keep you in golf shape.

1. CARDIO: Endurance and cardio-specific exercises such as cycling, walking, swimming or running, for about thirty minutes per day should be added to your training regimen.

If you are older, just get out and move your legs, take a brisk walk, stay active and you will be able to translate that energy to the golf course. The National Academy of Sports Medicine says that, maintaining a routine of moderate cardiac exercise will slow fatigue and will also allow, "the golfer to stay physically and mentally focused throughout the round."

2. STRETCHING:  PGA Director of Instruction at Salisbury Country Club, Adam Smith, suggests simple stretches before teeing off; torso rotations to loosen up the upper body, leg lifts to loosen your hamstrings and jumping jacks for cardio as an example.

3. STRENGTHENING: Jennifer Gatz, Exercise Physiologist suggests strengthening and stretching exercises to improve body flexibility during a round of golf.

Next time you are at the gym or, if you use bands, try a seated row to strengthen your back muscles. Wrist curls using a light weight will also help when you are coming through the ball.

If you are in decent shape and regularly visit the gym...
To improve endurance and stamina, try compound movements that utilize more than just one joint; "squats, step-ups, push-ups and pull-ups".

Will Torres, a New York-based personal trainer and founder of the personal training studio, Willspace says these combination exercises, "will improve your endurance more so than exercises in isolation. 'Isolated exercises like bicep curls and leg lifts aren’t going to stimulate you enough to increase your stamina.' "

Disclaimer: Golf for Beginners and it's writers only offers exercise suggestions to improve your stamina - we are not doctors or physical therapists. Contact your doctor or a qualified professional before beginning any exercise routine.

Do you perform specific golf exercises at the gym? What exercises or stretches have helped you improve your golf game? Let us know in the comments section below and by tagging us on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.


photo: healthtap.com, Wikipedia

What Golfers Can Learn from Dustin Johnson at the U.S. Open #golf

Dustin Johnson and the U.S. Open - two names that will be forever paired on tongues whenever there is a mention of winning golf majors in dramatic fashion, do you agree? D.J. left nothing to chance, topping his finish with an 18th hole birdie, in spite of a questionable USGA ruling.

It is because of this exciting win that Golf for Beginners has written this blog about what the average golfer can learn from Dustin Johnson and his conquest over Oakmont Golf Course.

What positive mental thoughts can you take away from Dustin Johnson's win at the U.S. Open?

1. Persevere in spite of obstacles and surrounding drama.
2. Don't carry the monkey on your back. Put whatever negative thoughts you may have out of your mind until the end of your round -stay focused on each shot.
3. Look forward. Learn how to scramble when you're in trouble because when you hit those inevitable bad shots, you need to know how to advance the ball.
4. Know the Rules of Golf: Stay aware and be cautious where you may commit a penalty - in 2010 for example, DJ grounded his club in a bunker.
5. Putting IS Everything: You can be "Really proud of the way you hit the ball," as DJ stated at the 2015 U.S. Open but if the putts are not dropping into the hole, your score won't reflect it. Make sure that, when you are playing golf with your foursome, you take the time to learn how to get within that three-foot circle of trust with long putts and to drop those two and three-footers instead of taking an easy "gimmee".

Also, Try these 3 golf swing thoughts...

"If I rolled the putter halfway decent today, which I did roll it well, just any putts go in the hole, I win this thing by a few shots, it's not even close. It's just how it goes," said Dustin.Johnson at Chambers Bay. This year, DJ putted beautifully, finishing on 18 with a putt for birdie...so putting determines everything, as confirmed by the PGA!

What did YOU learn from the Dustin Johnson and players at the U.S. Open? Share your thoughts in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter using our handle @Golf4Beginners.

What Are The Top Three Rules of #Golf You Always Follow?

Do You Always Follow The Rules of Golf or, as in the game of Monopoly, do you sometimes make up your own?

Most golfers lie somewhere in the gray area of the sport and, for beginners in particular, golf is more recreational than competitive. Newbies, for example, are more concerned with getting the golf ball airborne than figuring out the nearest point of relief...and that's fine until you learn the game.

It's your game, play anyway you like, just don't boast about your score...unless, of course, you follow the Rules.

QUESTION: How many golfers reading this blog carry in their bag the Rules of Golf book?

Okay, quickly rummage through your golf bag...snack bar (check), divot repair tool (check), bag of tees (check)....Rules of Golf book? Hmm...

Why not...do you find it too cumbersome to carry and, if need be, to open the book to find the correct ruling at the time of infraction?

Why do we need to follow the rules anyway...it's just a game...you may ask.

The rules were designed by the USGA (and R&A) for everyone so that you can develop an accurate handicap, allowing golfers to play with other players regardless of skill level...in order to be on an equal footing.

I am sure you have come across those players who bend/break the rules for their benefit (and I'm not talking about beginners - we'll give them a break for the purposes of this article - also, I guess it's okay if everyone in the group decides to play a friendly, non competitive match as there as separate rules for recreational golf.

The question of Sportsmanship and The Rules of Golf has also come up previously on the LPGA Tour and has been answered previously by Golf for Beginners - click the above link for the answer.

Have you seen these rule breakers in any of your rounds?
- Ball kicking to offer a better lie (in more ways than one!).
- Giving up on a hole and taking a double instead of a ... 19?
- Finding the wrong ball in the woods and claiming it for play.
- Not putting the ball into the cup as the first putt sails six feet past and then knocking the ball loosely   with one hand - whether or not it drops in in the hole it is counted (a great score-saver).
- Playing Mulligans all day long - hit a ball, don't like it, hit another and the first one doesn't count      throughout the round.
- Boast about your low score at the 19th hole.

Well, just in case you don't follow the rules because you don't understand them, you are now in luck. The fourth edition of The Rules of Golf in Plain English has just been published so, no more excuses.

According to the book notes on Amazon, "The earliest standards for the game of golf included just three hundred thirty eight words and thirteen rules, which included what to do if your ball had the misfortune of falling into “watery filth” and how to proceed if your ball was stopped by a horse."

Additions to the Rules now has grown the book to over forty-thousand words...no wonder golfers don't read them!

Golf for Beginners believes you should always follow the rules of any sport.
If you don't have the book of rules handy, here are three rules we believe you should always follow:
- Count every stroke and penalty so that you can track your improvement in the game.
- Play the ball as it lies
- Maintain proper etiquette throughout - no matter what you come up against - during your round.

We believe that the rules add to the enjoyment of the game for yourself and your playing partners. Start today if you are a beginner golfer and, if you are an advanced player, know that playing by the rules is as important as getting that golf ball airborne!

What are the most important rules of golf which you always follow? IF you could change one rule, what would it be?

Let us know in the comments section of this golf blog and on Twitter @Golf4Beginners.