Want to improve your golf performance as you grow older? Is that always on your mind when you use golf for your favorite outdoor exercise? When you go out to golf you’re hoping for a good round. I know I do as Tiger Woods has inspired me to shoot closer to my age instead of my weight.
How often does your outcome match what you hoped for? Do you usually shoot the scores you had envisioned before you teed off? If not, do you ever evaluate your course management skills where and how you could have saved strokes and avoided blowing up your score over the final holes?
Tyger Good's got 5 easy tips for you to implement immediately that will improve your golf performance by shaving 4-6 or even more strokes off your score the next time you play with your foursome. Give them a try and see what happens. Here they are:
1. First off you’ve got to put the proper fuel in your body before you leave home. How many times have you watched Tiger have a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or a PowerBar and drink Gatorate during a round? Most golfers don’t give it a second thought. They either don’t eat at all before they leave home or they eat something after the ninth hole that is not going to give them the long-term energy they’re hoping for.
So whether it’s lunch or breakfast before you leave you need to consume a complex carbohydrate and a good protein source. This combination will warrant the best use of your energy for the long haul.
An example for breakfast would be a bowl of oatmeal and a couple of egss with a piece of fruit or a juice. For lunch you could have a turkey sandwich on whole wheat with a piece of fruit. Lot’s of lettuce on the sandwich and try to avoid mayonnaise or butter.
2. The second tip is to properly warm up your body before you even hit your first ball. Especially us senior golfers need to spend extra time stretching out our muscles. I see so many young golfers show up 5 minutes before tee time, hack a few balls and head to the first tee. Those golfers are headed for a double bogey right off the bat - but hey they’re just getting “warmed up” right?
A better approach is to give yourself at least 30 minutes before your tee time. First do some dynamic (movement oriented) stretches with a club behind your neck to prepare your body to perform.
Things like arm circles, partial squats, toe touches, torso twists, etc. will improve your flexibility. Then take some half swings with a 7 iron, and work on that 9 to 3 swing. Now after that you’re ready to hit some wedges for your short game. You’ll find with this approach your hits on the range will be much better, which will build your confidence, and lower your score.
3. Drink lots of water even before you leave your house. Try to consume up to a gallon of Water before you get to the course. This will help you absorb and digest your pre-game meal and hydrate your muscles for optimal performance.
Don’t take this lightly.
Dehydration causes energy loss, lack of focus and concentration and reduces fatigue later in the round. And remember, that’s before you even come to the course. Once you get there you should be drinking water every hole.
4. Don’t wait until you get tight to stretch on the course during a delay. You should be constantly moving your body and stretching your joints while you wait to take your next shot. I see and hear too many golfers complaining of tight lower backs or shoulders during the round, what amazes me is that with all that complaining they do nothing about it.
Why?
Think of your body as an exotic sports car. If the Ferrari starts to break down – there are ways you can fix it with working out at home or local fitness center with light weights and high repititions. I mean stretch those areas before and after you’re playing. You’ll see a big difference in your swing mechanics late in the round.
5. Snack while you play. No I don’t mean the full meal at the turn with a beer. Save that for the 19th hole. I mean bringing fruit and nutrition bars to eat every 4-6 holes. When you supply your body with the proper nutrients, your energy levels stay balanced and you will avoid those mental lapses late in the round.
How many times have you had a good score going only to blow up late in the round? I’ll bet more than a couple of times. I know I have. Treat your body like a Formula 1 Ferrari not a Ford Pinto.
These 5 tips if applied, will definitely improve your golf performance, and you too will say, "One Time - Big Time!" and bring out the champion in you too.
