"Golf, man these guys are good!"  If you watch golf with any regularity, you know that was one of the PGA's marketing slogans.  Golf is the game I love to love and love to hate, often times on the same hole.  It is one of the few, maybe only games, you can be euphoric on your first shot, and want to rip a tree out of the ground on the next shot 3 minutes later.  How can a sport wreak so much havoc?  As my instructor said one day, "it's fucking golf," and that folks, needs no further explanation.

Photo by cottonbro on Pexels.com

August is National Golf Month, and as a weekend golfer, writing about golf is only natural.  Golf is the great equalizer when it comes to men, women, and children.  Everyone can enjoy golf at their level on the same course, at the same time.  With handicaps and different tee boxes, everyone has a chance to compete regardless of current skill.  Golf is a game you can enjoy for a lifetime.  I learned the basics of golf from my grandfather when I was around 10 years old.  He, along with my other grandfather and father also played golf regularly.  My stepdad and I played golf together when I was a teenager and he plays today at a 10-12 handicap.  Golf is in my blood!

Golfing with my buddies in New Orleans

When you sign up for my newsletter on mattpeale.com, you get to read about some of my golf adventures as I play with high school friends and another fraternity brother.  Last May as the pandemic kicked in and the extra unemployment was handed out, I and my two friends got back into golf after taking a hiatus for a few years.  It was one of the few activities we could do without masks worrying about physical distancing.  Golf courses all over the country were packed for the same reason and the game saw a resurgence similar to when Tiger Woods was winning every weekend.

Golf requires a strange combination of flexibility, mobility, and coordination without a need for above average strength.  The golf swing is counterintuitive with the smoother and slower you swing, the farther the ball can travel.  The swing is all about geometry and keeping your lower body relatively still while rotating the upper body around an axis point to make an almost vertical circle.  In baseball, you have to step into the swing and generate an incredible amount of bat speed to hit the ball out of the infield, much less 400 feet over the fence.  Stand at home plate to hit a golf ball 400 feet (133 yards), and it is a pitching wedge or 9 iron with a slow and controlled swing.  Pro golfers look like average people, and besides recognizing some of their faces, you wouldn't know they are professional athletes making millions of dollars.

Photo by andrew shelley on Pexels.com

Developing large, powerful muscles in the gym does not guarantee you can and will hit a golf ball, much less hit it a long way.  Core rotational strength, not size, a calm demeanor, and ability to quickly forget the last shot are what make a successful golfer.  Low back stability, flexibility of the shoulders and hips, and the ability to generate clubhead speed by laterally shifting your weight give the distance and control needed for solid ball contact.  Golfers are more concerned about technique than raw physical strength.  Technology has come a long way to helping any golfer hit the ball farther by matching the shaft and clubhead to their natural swing speed.  35 years ago, golfers had to muscle the ball more because the clubs were unforgiving, and all had steel shafts.  For a true 300-yard drive, you had to make absolutely perfect contact and swing hard!  Now, almost anyone with a matched club and a few lessons can hit it 260 yards.

Here are a few muscle groups to stretch for the average sedentary professional who enjoys golf.

  • Chest, shoulders, and biceps
  • Hip flexors and groin
  • Calf and abdominals
Kneeling hip flexor stretch

The muscle groups to strengthen for mobility can help you stabilize your swing to stay on plane.

  • Mid (scapula) and low back
  • Hamstrings and hip rotors
  • Obliques and abdominal extensors

For more detailed help, please check out my online course, Overcoming Chronic Pain Through Stretching & Strengthening.  The pictures and videos of your muscle groups are easy to follow and understand for total body conditioning.  Your golf swing improves almost by accident when you increase overall flexibility and mobility throughout your body.  It is less than $1 per day and guaranteed or your money back to work.  Try it!

 This free site is ad-supported. Learn more
​