Problems with your back swing?

Tips to improve your back swing

The key to a natural back swing is to focus on your shoulders turning back and letting your arms go back naturally. You shouldn’t worry about your arms in a back swing too much.  The arms and hands job is to only hold onto the club and the body does the rest. Something to keep in mind while approaching the ball is: turn the shoulders, swing the arms, and cock the wrists. Then swing down and through the swing, turn the hips, swing the arms down and un-cock the wrists. You want the arms and golf club to start their movement back before the shoulders start turning. The club head has a much longer distance to travel to the top of the back swing then do the shoulders. If you start turning the shoulders with the club, hands and arms you won't have anywhere for them to go once the shoulders have reached their max turn. Once the club, hands and arms reached your knees (or so) then it's time for the shoulders to catch up and start turning to the top. Keep the left arm straight (right handed players) during the backswing and go back as far as you can. Your tempo is dictated really by your personality, some people are naturally slow movers so will have a slower tempo while others tend to move faster. The important thing is to do what is most comfortable for you.

 

To your golfing success

 

Fran Watson
P.S.  For more info, click here

Golf Tips

Golf is good for you!


There’s no doubt about it that the game of golf is one that is massively popular all over the world. Golf is a low-impact sport that can provide participants of all ages not only a fun recreational activity but also some type of exercise. Golf is good for the body, it’s good for the mind, it’s good for social activities, and it’s good for business.

There has been a renewed interest in golf lately among the younger generations with the rise in popularity of golf phenomenon Tiger Woods. These days, golf is enjoyed by young and old alike. It gives fathers time to spend with sons and daughters, brothers with sisters, and friends with other friends.

The game of golf is played on both the amateur and professional levels with notoriety coming to good players locally and nationally. The professional golfers who are most famous are well-known world-wide, and often people strive to emulate them and their amazing play styles.

Of course, golf isn’t without its stressors. It’s nice to be out on the course when it’s a sunny spring day with a mild breeze, but it can be spoiled by bad shots, horrible lies, water hazards, and missed putts. You see, golf isn’t an exact science. There are many variables that go into a good golf swing, and it’s nearly impossible to perfect them all – all at the same time.

Even so, golf can become an obsession with some people as they strive to lower their scores and beat their friends. Millions of dollars is spent every year on golf lessons, magazines, how-to videos, and programs that purport to improve your golf swing and lower your score.

Golf equipment is also big business as clubs are always evolving with new technologies and equipment to build them. Big head drivers, graphite shafts, and other equipment advancements are touted as being the new best things in golf. They are advertised heavily and make claims that you just have to have these products if you want to play good golf.

If you’re not a golfer, you might wonder what’s so wonderful about this game. After all, taking a stick and hitting a little ball into a hole doesn’t sound like very much fun. But golf is challenging and involves much more than just physical ability. It requires thinking skills, deduction skills, and mental clarity. Because it’s nearly impossible to perfect a golf game, it’s a great way to challenge yourself as well as others.

We highly suggest you take up golf if you want a ways to meet new people, connect with old friends, and enjoy a fun, challenging activity. The golf course is also a great place to conduct business. There’s so much we can say about golf, but nothing extols the virtues of this sport like getting out on the links and just doing it!   Happy golfing   Fran

Golfer's Elbow

source Reader's Digest

The elbow can be a funny tendon. It's designed to have maximum flexbility but this also means it's prone to injuries. Here are some suggestions for dealing with the problem so you can get back to your game.

Elbowing you out
Tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) affects the tendon on the outer side of the elbow. Golfer’s elbow (medial epicondylitis) is an inflammation of the tendon on the inner side of the elbow. Both tendons are involved in wrist movements – bending the wrist back in the case of the lateral tendon and down in the case of the medial tendon.

Tennis elbow: This condition can occur when playing tennis, perhaps as a result of overuse or hitting a ball awkwardly, but it is more common during other activities that require repeated gripping and twisting movements such as plastering and painting, or as a result of a sudden strain caused by lifting. Tennis elbow tends to develop between the ages of 40 and 60 as tendons grow less flexible.

Golfer’s elbow: This condition may be caused by an acute injury or by repeated strains sustained when playing golf, but it is more commonly associated with other activities such as racquet sports. Like tennis elbow it can develop for no obvious reason.

Symptoms to Watch
The affected area will be tender and there may be some mild swelling. Wrist and elbow movements can cause the pain to worsen. In tennis elbow the pain is felt on the bony bump on the outer side of the elbow. The pain of golfer’s elbow is felt on the inside of the elbow. In both conditions pain may persist when at rest and, if severe, can cause problems sleeping.

Treatment Options
To prevent the inflammation from getting any worse it is important to avoid repetitive movements of the wrist and elbow as well as any other movements that seem to increase the pain.

•It may help to wrap it in an elastic bandage.
•If the condition is brought on by a particular sporting activity it is important to check your technique.
•A heat pack or wrapped hot-water bottle held against the elbow can provide relief; alternatively a wrapped ice pack can be applied twice a day for 5–10 minutes.
•Other options for relieving pain and inflammation include oral or gel-based non-steroidal anti-inflammatories, physiotherapy, ultrasound and TENS (transcutaneous electronic nerve stimulation.

If the pain is not relieved by any of these measures, a corticosteroid injection may be given directly into
inflammatories, heat and cold treatment or steroid injections will also reduce inflammation.

Once the swelling has gone down, exercises to strengthen the muscles around the affected area will help to prevent recurrence. Repetitive movement or overuse of the tendon should be avoided.

Stay healthy

Fran