If you were to take a tour of Fred Couples'
palatial residence near Los Angeles, you might deduce that he is a
sports junkie. He owns framed jerseys from pals like George Brett, Dan Marino, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Steve Larmer and Nolan Ryan.
But, unless you know him, you would probably struggle to find
clues as to what Couples lists as his occupation. Surely he didn't build
this beautiful home by watching ballgames from the couch.
"The TV
remote, I know where that is at all times," Couples says. "My trophies?
They're in boxes. Not sure where exactly, but they're safe. I do have
some things from Ryder Cups and Presidents Cups, smaller things. You can
see those. If you didn't, though, you would have no idea what I do.
Some guy came over the other day and asked me if I was an entrepreneur.
How about that? Me, an entrepreneur. He had no idea I'm a golfer. Which
is fine."
Come next March, Freddie will secure another item for
his non-existent trophy case. To tee off THE PLAYERS championship week,
he will be inducted as a member of the Class of 2013 into the World Golf
Hall of Fame. He won THE PLAYERS twice, in 1984 and 1996; he won the
1992 Masters; he won 15 PGA TOUR events; and at age 52, he's still
winning.
"Surprised? Yeah," Couples says. "I had no idea I'd be
voted into the Hall of Fame. I don't know how it works. Who votes? Have I
been a great player? No. A good player, yeah. Did I get in because I'm
2-0 as a Presidents Cup captain? I don't think so, but I'm excited about
it and really thrilled. I hope to play a few more years on the
Champions Tour, but it's nice to be honored like this when I'm still
alive and well. Do you vote?"
This is vintage Freddie, understated and easy going. He can recite last weekend's NFL scores and...
Any preconceptions that golf conditioning means hours on end in the gym lifting heavy weights until you can’t lift any more are wrong as it doesn’t! Simple exercise and fitness tips can make your golf a whole different game.
Did you know that 20 years ago the average handicap for both men and women was exactly the same as it is today? Golfers are having more lessons than ever before and are buying more new equipment which hits the ball both further and straighter, so why have they not improved?
The answer is that they have not improved the most important piece of equipment…… themselves!
Have you ever wondered that when you’ve had a golf lesson and you’ve been told to go away and practice a new movement, why it was that when you’ve gone back for your next lesson, your pro has told you that your swing hasn’t changed enough yet and you have to go away and practice it more?
The reason for this is that although you know what you need to do you may not be strong or flexible enough to achieve it. Gone are the days when doing what we’ve always done is enough and we need to do more to achieve the results we want.
If you are serious about improving your game then try employing the exercise techniques of a golf fitness trainer and link their knowledge to your golf lesson. You might be surprised at how much quicker your golf game can improve!
Remember, you’re only as strong as your weakest point and that can have a huge impact on your golf swing!!
There are many different things that contribute to playing an enjoyable and successful round of golf. There is the need for supple muscles and joints and physical fitness.
Stretch
The first step in preparing the body for an enjoyable, worthwhile practice session or round of golf is to stretch the muscle groups that work during the golf swing.
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All the research reports on the meditation have proved umpteen times that meditation is extremely helpful for us to enjoy a healthy and successful life. Meditation is equally beneficial for housewives, pregnant woman, working persons, students, or retired persons. You will rarely find a man now-a-days who doesn’t experience a daily dose of crushing tension. But neither money nor the doctors can make you free from this biggest disease of modern civilization. Only meditation can rescue us and the happy news is that it is easy and totally free, and without any side-effects.
AN ANCIENT INDIAN ART
Meditation is an ancient Indian art (called ‘Dhyana’ in India) whose magical effect was known to the Indians thousands of years ago, and they taught it to the whole world. Unfortunately further research on the art was not carried on in India to simplify it and use it as an effective treatment for various ailments. Although research continued to be conducted by Western psychotherapists and saints of Indian origin living there. Various methods evolved time to time to maximize the benefits and simplify the art.
WHY PEOPLE FALL ILL
Before evaluating the health benefits and effectiveness of meditation we have to explore the reasons behind illness. Modern life style is taking us away from the nature and disturbing natural rhythm of communication between mind and body. This rhythmic disturbance creates hindrance in the functions of our body, causing a situation, which becomes a breeding ground for bacteria and diseases. In addition, lack of physical exercise encourages such a negative process. If we are able to evolve a procedure that can help us to restore healthy communication between our mind and body it will strengthen the immune system of our body and make us healthier.
Meditation is the best antidote to the unhealthy process. It harmonizes the communication between the various parts of our body, especially the mind and the body, bringing a natural rhythm in them.
1. Keep Your Hands Low
Limiting the height of the follow through will effectively reduce the height of your shots. The lower the hands, the lower the ball flight. Moving the ball back in your stance or choosing a stronger club and trying to swing easy are other ways to accomplish the same thing, but they’re less reliable and more difficult to execute. Instead, keep your hands low in the finish (compare the two photos at right), and the trajectory of your shots will be lower.
2. Give Your Spine The Forearm
Make sure you’re on-plane at the top of the swing to guarantee solid ball striking and increased accuracy. Notice in the photo at left how my right forearm is parallel to my spine, my left wrist is flat and my elbows and arms form a tight triangle. These are indications that I’ve rotated my shoulders into the back swing perfectly.
3. Use Your Body For Power
Every good golfer knows that power comes from the body, not the arms. To learn to power the club with your body instead of your arms and hands, put the club behind the ball at address, with your body in a dead-stop position. Without taking a back swing, try to drag the ball into the air. If you’re a player who uses his or her hands to control the club, you’ll probably struggle at first. However, you’ll quickly find that once you start moving the club with your body, you’ll begin to get the ball in the air more consistently. This helps you turn fully through the ball on the downswing.
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Zen habits are simple lifestyle habits that have the potential to
radically alter the efficiency of our minds and the potential of our
lives. We can easily integrate these habits into our daily routines to
keep our minds sharp and efficient for years to come. Here are seven
ways to keep a great head on your shoulders:
1. Challenge your mind with new activities, skills and information.
The primary function of the human mind is its ability to absorb information and adapt to challenging unfamiliar environments. Do you remember the old saying ‘use it or lose it?’ Nothing could be closer to the truth. If you don’t use your mind, you will lose your mind. So broaden your horizons, learn new skills and challenge your mind every single day.
2. Your mind is part of your body. Fuel, exercise and rest your body properly.
The human brain accounts for roughly 2% of the total mass of the human body, yet it consumes over 20% of the oxygen and nutrients the human body intakes. Therefore, it makes sense to fuel your body with healthy food and keep your blood oxygen levels high with regular exercise. Also, a tired mind is rarely productive, so get yourself enough sleep every night. For a practical guide on maintaining a healthy, fit body I recommend The 4-Hour Body.
3. Pay attention now. Concentrate on the present.
People often obsess themselves with the past and the future. But life is happening right now. You can’t learn something or remember something that’s happening now if your mind is stuck in another time.
It takes about eight seconds of intense focus to process a new piece of information into your long-term memory. So don’t let your life and your mind slip away. Instead of dwelling on the past or worrying about the future, practice being and living in the present moment.
Don't tell unless asked is an unwritten rule of golf etiquette when it comes to offering swing tips.
However,
when the advice comes from a golf instructor, a person who knows every
facet of the game - from what club to use to the importance of the
mental game - we'd be foolish not to accept it.
Following are 15
tips from golf professionals who work from Santa Barbara to San Diego.
While the tips range from putting and driving to flexibility and mental
preparation, they have one thing in common: follow them and you'll lower
your scores.
1. PRACTICE ANYWHERE YOU CAN
Most people
have one complaint when it comes to practicing: they don't have an extra
half hour a week to go to the range. While there is no substitute for
an effective practice session at the range, it's possible to practice in
your back yard or living room, says Justin Stotts, manager of Golftec, a
Woodland Hills indoor instructional facility.
"The hardest thing
when it comes to golf is muscle memory," Stotts said. "But that can be
worked on just about anywhere. You try to create the swing wherever
you're at - maybe holding a club or even a fork in your hand. The thing
is, you have to know what you're working on, and that's going to take a
lesson from a pro who will show you what you should be concentrating
on."
2. GET TO THE CORE
Fitness and stretching are key to
improving golf performance, with the core - abdominal muscles, lower
trunk, legs and shoulders - being the most important areas of
concentration.
"That's where the power of the swing comes from,
and those are also the parts of the body that give you endurance," said
Eric Horve, director of golf instruction at Tustin Ranch Golf Club.
"Most people start to lose focus after 14 holes, and strengthening their
core can help them stay focused."
But leave the heavy lifting to
bodybuilders. Golfers should concentrate on more repetitions with
lighter weight to build endurance and retain flexibility, Horve said.
Yoga also is becoming a popular way for golfers to build core strength.
"It's
all over the golf industry right now," Horve said of golf-specific yoga
exercises. "It's unbelievable how effective it can be."
3. ESTABLISH A PRE-SHOT ROUTINE
Like the swing, pre-shot routines require practice.
"You
practice it on the range and it produces a high probability" that the
shots you make are the shots you want, said David Wurzer, director of
instruction at Westridge Golf Club. "A solid pre-shot routine gives a
level of consistency that will help any golfer gain a higher probability
of success in their shots."
The essential components of a
pre-shot routine include: thinking (gathering information, such as the
lie of the ball, distance from the hole and wind); sensing (imaging and
visualizing the shot); and commitment (trusting that the cognitive and
intuitive parts of the routine are where they're supposed to be).
4. THE QUARTER DRILL
One
of the quickest ways to lower your score is improvement on the greens.
John Francis, a teaching professional at Westridge Golf Club, recommends
the quarter drill.
"Take two quarters and place them about a foot
from each other," Francis said. "Get five balls and putt the ball from
one quarter to another quarter. Try to get the ball to die on the face
of each quarter. When you've hit five in a row, go to 2 feet apart and
then 3 feet apart."
The quarter drill is "multi-beneficial,"
Francis said. "It teaches you to perfect your small backswing, which is
the hardest one to perfect in golf. It also gets you in the habit of
pinpointing your putt, since a quarter is one-fifth [the diameter] of a
hole. It also teaches you to get the ball online the first foot of the
putt, which is very important."
5. HAVE REALISTIC EXPECTATIONS
Most golfers dream of career rounds while driving to the course. But, let's be honest, it's probably not going to happen.
"If
you're a 20-handicapper who hasn't played in a few months you best not
head out to the first tee thinking you're going to shoot under 80," said
Eric Lohman, director of golf at Black Gold Golf Club. "You have to
give yourself a few holes to warm up and you have to have patience
through the entire round."
Realistic expectations also provide an
opportunity for positive reinforcement that all golfers need in order to
to improve. If you've never shot under 100, try to make par twice
during a round rather than beating yourself up for posting an 8 every
now and then.
6. GET A LEG UP
One of the best ways to improve golf performance is proper posture at
address, which includes a straight back in order to achieve proper turns
in the backswing and follow-through. To achieve this, flexibility in
the hamstring is critical. Jeremy Klinkhamer, who works with the San
Diego Body Balance for Performance Center, recommends a hamstring
stretch that can be performed in a doorway.Lie on your back
with one leg on the wall and the other leg through the open doorway. The
leg that is up should have a straight knee with the foot in a neutral
position. The leg through the door should be bent to alleviate back
tension. Move closer to the wall for more stretch and away from the wall
for less stretch. The stretch should be gentle enough to tolerate for
three minutes.
7. MAKING THE ROUNDS
Chip Boldin, director
of golf for Pro Kids Golf Academy in San Diego, says playing mini-rounds
within a round will lead to improved scores.
"You play the course
three holes at a time," Boldin said. "When you're done with three holes
you fold the scorecard over and then play the next three."
The
method not only prevents players from getting down on themselves after a
stretch of bad holes, it also prevents players from getting too
comfortable.
"The worst thing for some golfers is to make three
birdies in a row because then you start pressing and start giving it
right back," Boldin said. "Using this scoring trick you're able to get a
clean slate six times during a round. It helps you deal with the bad
bumps and prevents you from getting too comfortable when things are
going well. It also gets you focused on the immediate shots at hand."
8. HERE'S THE PITCH
There's no way to overestimate the importance of the short game in lowering scores.
"If
people are looking at lowering their scoring they have to spend equal,
if not more, time on every phase of their short game, including putting,
chipping and pitching," said Greg Hood, general manager of the Jim
Mclean Golf School at PGA West. "The average golfer misses a lot of
greens in regulation, and if you can develop a positive chipping and
pitching technique you will see great improvement in your score."
Good
instruction will lead to proper technique. Then it's a matter of
"trying to make sure to control the trajectory and spin of the ball,
knowing what club to pick, knowing how long each shot will fly and how
long it will roll. That all comes through practice," Hood said.
9. TILT, TURN AND SWING
To
be more consistent with your tee shots, follow these three simple
steps, courtesy of David Emerick, director of instruction at the Hodges
Golf Center.
Tilt: Set up to play a tee shot with the ball lined
up with your left heel, then tilt your upper body so the right shoulder
is in line with your right knee. (Your head will be behind the ball).
Tilting will help you make contact with the ball at an ascending angle.
Turn:
This involves the core muscles of the body, where a good golf swing is
centered. Use your core muscles to move the arms and swing the club. By
relaxing your arms, you can make a good turn and stay behind the ball.
Swing:
Golf pros make the swing look easy because they swing easy. Hitting
through the ball instead of at it will produce a controlled swing.
You’ve heard of all the benefits to meditating but have you ever
given it a try? When I first tried it I failed miserably. My first
attempt was to sit there for 15 minutes while trying to “think of
nothing.” I could probably only pull off around 5 seconds of thought
free time before I was thinking about what’s for dinner, I should call
my mom, I need to get the car serviced, etc. I would then get annoyed
for losing focus and force myself to think of nothing again. And so the
cycle continued.
What worked for me was a much easier way to get started meditating. These are the tips I’ve learned:
- Find Quiet. Turn off the TV, radio, cell phones, sign out of messenger, mail, and any other thing that can interrupt you.
- Start with 5 minutes. I found a 15 minute
meditation a little too long to start off with. Instead I backed off
down to 5 minutes and found that a much more manageable starting point.
- Sit Comfortably. I made the mistake of sitting
cross legged on the floor without cushions. My ankle put pressure on my
other leg’s shin bone which was a small ache to begin with but
eventually grew into a nasty pain. I now sit naturally on a chair
(trying not to slouch) or cross legged on the floor with some pillows.
- Adjust if Uncomfortable. Trying to ignore a small
ache until it grows into a pain is just pointless. The pain will scream
for your attention and continually interrupt your concentration. So
instead, adjust your seating. After you’ve meditated a few times you’ll
learn how to sit in a way that will keep you comfortable for the
duration of your meditation and so you won’t have to adjust any more.
- Loosen Up. I sometimes carry a lot of tension that
I’m not aware of until I focus on relaxing. I wear glasses and I’ve
found that I have tension in my ears to hold my glasses in place. Weird!
To relax, I scrunch up my shoulders to my ears and then slowly let them
fall down. I feel the muscles in my face relax. I relax my cheeks, my
mouth, my shoulders a little more. Loosen my arms. Feel my hands get
heavy. Oh, and I also take off my glasses.
- Close Your Eyes. I find closing my eyes entirely
works for me. Others have had success with keeping their eyes half open
but I find that I just end up thinking about what I’m looking at.
- Don’t Think of Nothing. It’s a mistake to try and
fight thoughts and force yourself to “think of nothing”. If you haven’t
meditated before you may not be aware that you’re not really in control
of your thoughts. If you’re not in control you’re going to have a really
hard time trying to control your mind by thinking of nothing.
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If you were to take a tour of Fred Couples'
palatial residence near Los Angeles, you might deduce that he is a
sports junkie. He owns framed jerseys from pals like George Brett, Dan Marino, Wayne Gretzky, Michael Jordan, Steve Larmer and Nolan Ryan.
