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FEATURES |
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 Get Ready for Golf
by Karen Misuraca
Director of Golf at Saddlebrook Resort, home of the Arnold Palmer Golf Academy, Jerry Couzynse offers advice for golf fitness.
1. To increase strength in your arms and hands, carry a tennis ball around with you and squeeze it as often as you can, making sure to alternate hands. When your arms are stronger, you will be able to improve your swing speed and hit the ball farther.
2. When practicing your putting, don't look up until you hear the ball drop into the cup. The most common mistake among poor putters is lifting the head during the stroke.
3. To experience the feel of releasing the ball, use this "baseball drill". With the proper grip, hold the club directly in front of you at shoulder height, similar to a baseball player swinging a bat. From this position, swing the club back and forth and feel your forearms rotating over each other. Starting the drill at shoulder height, lower the club slowly to regular hitting position. You will notice how easy it is to create the feeling of the proper release. With repetition, you will be able to produce straighter golf shots that you can replicate on the course.
4. Body Pivot Drill: standing upright, fold your arms across your chest, holding a club across your shoulders. Bend forward from the waist creating a straight back and the feeling of your rear end sticking out, then rotate your shoulders around your spine until you feel a slight catch in your lower back. Rotate your shoulders forward until your body is facing the target and allow your weight to transfer to the back foot and then to the front foot, ensuring that your back foot is on the toe when finished.
Do five of these drills, slowly increasing the speed to replicate the golf swing. Hit five shots with a short iron off a tee trying to duplicate the feel of the drill; alternate five drills and five shots. If you can't get out on the course or the practice range, try to do the drill in front of a mirror to see what you are feeling, and visualize a longer, straighter ball.
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