October 2012: The Instruction Blog: Golf Digest

Weekend Tip: Hit it farther like this wounded veteran

Saturday, October 27, 2012

By Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Twitter @RogerSchiffman

If you've been wondering why I've been AWOL from the Instruction Blog the last two weeks, it's because I've been on the most awesome golf trip anyone could imagine. I just spent the last 12 days touring the greatest courses of Ireland with 11 wounded veterans who play golf as part of their rehabilitation. The experience has been the most rewarding of my life. To read my blogs about the trip and see a slideshow, click on the link here.

All of these veterans are inspiring beyond belief, playing golf with traumatic brain injuries, with only one arm or one leg--or even no legs. Take Marine Sergeant Tim Lang, for example. He lost his right leg in a bomb blast in Iraq. The explosion sent him 75 feet into the air and he landed on pavement, breaking his back in four places. During his recovery at Walter Reed he met Jim Estes, a PGA professional who founded the Salute Military Golf Association (SMGA). Estes convinced Tim to try golf. Less than four years later, Tim is an 8-handicapper and won a long-drive championship. I played with him at Dooks and Royal County Down. He averages close to 300 yards off the tee, and that's no exaggeration.

Marine Sergeant Tim Lang and his makeshift practice aid that promotes a free arm swing.

The photos here show how he developed his incredibly powerful golf swing, and it shows what Bob Toski and Jim Flick have long said: Distance comes from the free releasing of the clubhead through impact, not from a powerful lower body. The lower body provides stability, but a relaxed grip pressure and free arm rotation through impact, coupled with solid contact and a correct angle of approach, is what really creates optimum ball speed. I've seen very few people compress the ball as well as Tim does.

As part of Tim's rehab two years ago, he devised a prop for his right leg that he made from plastic paint containers mounted on each other, adjusted for the correct height. He glued foam he found at a furniture store on top of the cans to protect his knee.

This allowed him to hit 500 balls a day. He was successful in a tournament using his prop (below), bringing it onto the course for all his shots, even putts.

The next time you hit balls, you might think of Tim and his paint cans. Try to keep your lower body as stable as he does, making a complete backswing. After setting the club in a good position at the top, keep your shoulders turned and simply swing your hands and arms down, delivering the clubhead into the ball on an inside path.

You'll be amazed how much distance you can generate--and how straight your shots will go-- when you simply allow your arms and hands to swing the club freely.

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Fitness Friday: Organizing a workout

Friday, October 26, 2012

By Ron Kaspriske

If you're a casual gym goer, you probably haven't given much thought to the order of your exercise plan. Notice I didn't say exercise "routine"? As I've said in the past, "routine" is a bad word in fitness. You should mix things up often--not only to give your muscles a greater challenge, but also to keep you mentally fresh. With that said, you still need to follow some basic logic when planning your workout.

While I encourage you to try many different exercises, you should do it under the following framework:

Photo by Erik Isakson

FOAM ROLLING/SOFT-TISSUE MANIPULATION:
Before starting any workout, it's always a good idea to massage the connective tissue (fascia) and muscles that you plan to train. Pressing a foam roller along areas of the body such as your hips, hamstrings, glutes, shoulders (above), etc., can help increase the range of motion in the muscle and also reduce recovery time from soreness. You don't have to use a foam roller. Massage sticks are also effective as are things like tennis balls. This part of your workout can be done in 10 minutes or less and isn't mandatory, but you'll be surprised how much it improves the quality of your exercise and also the functionality of your muscles.

Related article: Roll away your pain

MOVEMENT PREP:
I've stolen this term from my friend Mark Verstegen, who trains professional athletes around the world. Essentially what it means is that before you add the external load of weights, cables, resistance bands to any exercise, you should perform a series of "warm-up" movements with your body weight only. A great example would be doing push-ups before doing an alternate-arm dumbbell bench press. Before doing Romanian deadlifts, you should do a set of inverted hamstring stretches. The idea is to prep the muscle before making it move heavy loads. In fact, a good rule of thumb is to always do body-weight only exercises before moving on to weights, cables, etc. I'll concede that you can use light resistance bands in this part of your training, but nothing too thick.

Related article: Guide to warming-up

STRENGTH TRAINING:
Now that you've prepped, you can move on to exercises that add external loads to your body. Things such as chops and lat pulls with the cable machine, goblet squats with a dumbbell, and barbell bench presses. Think of this phase of your workout as doing anything involving heavier weights in calm, controlled movements. That last part is key. This is not the time to be moving in a violent, explosive manner.

Related article: Will bulking up ruin your golf game?

POWER TRAINING:
The final segment of your workout involves fast, explosive movements. Golf is a fast-twitch muscle sport. The swing itself lasts less than 1.5 seconds, so it's important to train your muscles to expand and contract as quickly as they can. Fast-twitch fiber can be trained by doing exercises that require strength and speed (power). A few examples would be to do a standing broad jump or a medicine-ball wall throw. Plyometric exercises are great. So are any exercises where resistance bands are employed to deter speed.

Related article: Get to the core of your swing

FINAL NOTE
This might sound like a lot to do, particularly if you only have 30 minutes of gym time. But I would break it down in this manner: 15 percent of your time on tissue massage, 25 percent on movement prep, 30 percent on strength training and 30 percent on power. The benefit of doing all of this as quickly as you can is that you also improve your cardiovascular health.

Ron Kaspriske is the fitness editor for Golf Digest

Follow @Ron Kaspriske

(Photo by Getty Images)

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Fitness Friday: Train your backside to stay in balance

Friday, October 19, 2012

By Ron Kaspriske

Most amateur golfers have really strong quadricep muscles but their hamstring muscles aren't nearly as strong. The quads (front of the thigh) and hamstrings (back of the thigh) should work together in an inverse relationship. If the quads contract, then the hamstrings lengthen--and vice versa. So what happens if you have strong quads but weaker hamstrings? It becomes a real challenge to swing a golf club in balance. These muscles are supposed to work together to keep the body in posture and also provide stability. But if you're quad dominant, the imbalance will make it very hard to hit the ball flush with consistency, because you'll be fighting to keep your body from swaying during the swing.

Adding to the problem is the fact that weak, inflexible hamstrings are typically accompanied by weak hips and glutes, says Trevor Anderson (@TA2claps), director of fitness for the David Leadbetter Golf Academy. The area, which is part of the body's posterior chain, is important for stability and also to avoid injuries such as lower-back issues. The chain can easily be trained with exercises such as squats, deadlifts and glute bridges. Click on the video below to watch Anderson demonstrate one of his favorites.

Ron Kaspriske is Golf Digest's Fitness Editor.
Follow @Ron Kaspriske

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How He Hit That: Jonas Blixt's cross-handed putting

Monday, October 15, 2012

Editor's Note: Every Monday Kevin Hinton, Director of Instruction at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y. and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, tells you how a tour player hits a key shot. This week, Kevin looks at the putting style of Frys.com Open champion Jonas Blixt.

By Kevin Hinton

With his win at the Frys.com Open, Jonas Blixt became the third rookie to win on the PGA Tour this year. Jonas' superb putting made up for an average week of ball-striking, where he finished only T-59th in greens in regulation. Blixt led the field in total putts, with 25 putts in the final round and only 105 for the week. He also completed the event without a three-putt. Remarkably, this was Blixt's third consecutive event without three-putting. His last was 243 holes ago, during the third round of the Barclays on August 25th. Blixt currently leads the PGA Tour in the statistical putting category of stroke gained, which is considered to identify the tour's best putter.

Below we look at Blixt's cross-handed putting style, and whether it's something that might benefit your game.

Benefits to Cross-Handed Putting

Level is better

By putting "left-hand low," it becomes much easier to level your shoulders at address than with conventional putting. This will also help to level out your eyeline. Many people struggle with their putting simply because they have too much tilt at address.

Turn off the electricity

Similar to the variations of the "claw" grip, putting cross-handed can help eliminate the right hand from taking over at impact. The grip can definitely reduce a players' potential for yipping. The belly and long putters also attempt to counter any unwanted electricity at impact, but cross-handed often offers a much shorter learning curve than these other methods.

Winds of change

If you are struggling with your putting, the simplest fix can be just to change. Change your putter, change your grip, change your routine. . . change anything! Putting is so mental, and in theory should be so simple, sometimes all we need is a different perspective or a fresh loo. Switching to cross-handed just may provide that.

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Ten things we learned on Day 3 of the World Golf Fitness Summit

Saturday, October 13, 2012

By Ron Kaspriske

Every other year, many of the game's top teachers and fitness experts unite to discuss various topics at the World Golf Fitness Summit. The current event began in Orlando on Thursday. Here are some of the highlights from Saturday's session.

10. Endoscopic spinal surgery gives golfers with a number of back issues a way to ease their pain without traditional surgery. In most instances, there is no overnight stay in a hospital and officials at the Laser Spine Institute report that patients can return to golf in less than three months. The procedure involves reaching the spine through a small tube and then using a laser to correct the issue. Among the typical problems this procedure can correct are bulging discs of the spine, pinched nerves, bone spurs, spinal stenosis, etc. Many major insurance carriers cover the procedures.

9. Phil Mickelson's 2006 loss at the U.S. Open at Winged Foot (right) wasn't because he choked on the 18th hole by hitting an awful drive, says sports psychologist Dr. Rick Jensen. It was because his driving accuracy was his weakest link. He was ranked 160th on the PGA Tour in driving accuracy at the time. "You have to recognize your weakest link, whether it's the golf course or the gym," Jensen said. Once you recognize it, you have to work on mastering that skill. Until that happens, you can't rely on that skill. Too many people count on skills they haven't mastered and then think they choked when that skill fails them, he said.

8. More and more, PGA Tour players warm-up for a round by working out in the gym, says Golf Digest fitness advisor Randy Myers. Tour pro Brian Harman does a full 30-minute workout even on tournament days.

7. The word "routine" should be used loosely when talking about your workouts, Myers said. Varying your fitness regimen is key. Many tour pros, for example, focus on mobility and aerobic training during tournament weeks and then focus on strength training at home. So instead of jogging every day, or working out on the same cardio machine, implement other activities to your weekly exercise regimen including playing sports. Walking 18 holes while carrying your golf bag is a suitable exercise some days

6. Do exercises slower, with less repetition, and focus on the quality of the movement, says Andrew Fischer, trainer for Bubba Watson. Doing reps fast, Fischer explains, recruits momentum into an exercise and momentum is a poor substitute for real strength.

5. Speaking about Bubba Watson, Fischer says his active feet are a product of relieving stress on the lead (right) knee as he swings through impact. Watson often looks like he's falling off balance, but the rotation of his right foot toward the target helps reduce the chance of ligament strains and tears in the right knee that might be caused by Watson's awesome swing speed.

4. Tyler Parsons, a trainer who works with long-ball hitters J.B. Holmes and Kenny Perry at Matt Killen's Golf Academy in Kentucky, has been conducting an experiment with his own driving distance. Parsons has gone from a clubhead speed of 120 mph to as high as 152 mph and credits some of the gains to wearing weighted wraps around his forearms. The wraps, which weigh only two ounces, are preferred over training with a heavier-than-normal driver because he finds they do not impede fast-twitch muscle function or ruin the kinematic sequence of the swing. The wraps are still in the experimental phase, but initial findings have been favorable, he says.

3. Phil Mickelson's trainer Sean Cochran stressed the importance of graduating exercises once the body adapts to them. In simplest terms, if it becomes easy to lift a weight or perform a movement, there are many things you can do to make the exercise harder. Progression is crucial to training, otherwise improvements will stall.

2. Golf Digest Teaching Professional Chuck Cook (right) spoke about the importance of generating power from the ground--literally using it as leverage as a golfer starts the downswing. He said trainers need to teach clients exercises that generate force by pushing off the ground.

1. Redcord suspension training is gaining momentum as a useful fitness tool for golfers. Its real benefit is activating and strengthening stabilization muscles required to control the body movements and club during the golf swing. For example, the stabilizing muscles of the shoulder allow for greater range of motion in the joint, which would help a golfer swing on plane. Golf Digest mentioned Redcord in its September issue on building your own golf gym.

Ron Kaspriske is Golf Digest's Fitness Editor

Follow @Ron Kaspriske

(Mickelson: Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images)

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Ten things we learned on Day 2 of the World Golf Fitness Summit

Friday, October 12, 2012

By Ron Kaspriske

Every other year, many of the game's top teachers and fitness experts unite to discuss various topics at the World Golf Fitness Summit. The current event began in Orlando on Thursday. Here are some of the highlights from Friday's session.

10. If you're having trouble getting your body to move in the proper sequence during a golf swing, practice skipping stones across a pond, says PGA Teacher of the Year Mike Malaska. "It's an accidental golf swing," he says.

9. More often than not, if your body feels tight in a certain area, stretching is not the solution to your problem, says PGA Tour fitness expert Ben Shear (pictured), a frequent contributor to Golf Digest. A quick check will tell you whether you need to work on your mobility. Here is an example: Say your hips feel tight. Lie down on your back and try to lift your knees up toward your chest one at a time. Did your range of motion improve significantly? Did it seem easy to lift your knees up? If so, stretching will probably not help your tightness issue. The problem most likely is a lack of stability in the hip joint. Shear suggests you work on improving the stability of the hip instead of simply stretching. A telltale sign stretching will not help your tightness is if the tightness returns repeatedly.

8. The body needs natural salts to promote bone density, says author and nutritionist Don Tolmon. Salt gets a bad rap but the non-processed types are some of the best things you can ingest, especially in terms of preventing and treating osteoarthritis. "Low-salt diets lead to weak bones," he says. In fact, eating salted raw celery is a great way to keep your bones strong.

7. Most pills and capsules contain traces of aluminum and will not dissolve in the body, Tolmon says. So if you are going to take supplements and vitamins, opt for powders and not pills.

6. Instead of taking fish-oil capsules to get omega fatty acids, which many believe aid brain function among many other benefits, eat walnuts.

5. When you run or squat or swing a golf club, your toes should be slightly flared, says Charlie Weingroff, former strength coach for the Philadelphia 76ers of the NBA. Weingroff now trains athletes at Drive 495 golf and fitness center in Manhattan. Studies of top sprinters and Olympic weightlifters show the majority flare their feet slightly in order to center the leg under the hip joint. He says the flaring should be no more than 20 percent.

4. Aging golfers should make the mid-back a priority when it comes to stretching, says Al Vermeil, former strength coach of the Chicago Bulls and San Francisco 49ers. This area tends to stiffen more as you get older and can lead to developing "C" posture, which is a rounding of the back. He suggests putting a couple of pillows under your mid-back and lie down on the floor, arms raised above your head. This will help elongate the thoracic spine.

3. PGA Tour trainer Chris Noss (@CoachNoss) does very little long-hold stretching with his tour pros--he trains Rickie Fowler and Zach Johnson--and cautions all golfers to avoid this type of stretching before they play. Static stretches make it harder for the muscles to contract rapidly, as they are required to do during the golf swing.

2. Breathing is rarely considered when training, but it is crucial to peak athletic performance, says PGA Tour trainer Dave Herman (@AthletesTrainin). Oxygen is a key component of muscle function so all exercises should be performed with some attention given to breathing.

1. Roughly translated, the origin of the word 'pharmacy' means someone who murders by poisoning his prey, Tolman says. Something to ponder next time you opt for drugs instead of other options for pain. Look it up.

Ron Kaspriske is Golf Digest's Fitness Editor.

Follow @Ron Kaspriske

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Ten things we learned on Day 1 of the World Golf Fitness Summit

Friday, October 12, 2012

By Ron Kaspriske

Every other year, many of the game's top teachers and fitness experts unite to discuss various topics at the World Golf Fitness Summit. The current event began in Orlando on Thursday. Here are some of the highlights from Day 1:

10. Teaching pro Claude Harmon III, son of noted instructor Butch Harmon, said lower-body stability is extremely important for a good golf swing. But Ernie Els' recent success comes despite now lifting his left leg as he takes the club back (right), but also shifting his left foot toward the target through impact--neither of which denote stability. Go figure.

9. Golfers can only learn through experience, says instructor Mike Hebron. In studies of the brain, experts now know that all learning is "nonconscious," he said. Therefore, making mistakes is a very important part of learning as the brain will draw on those memories when trying to improve the swing. See? It's OK to slice it OB.

8. Golfers who don't have considerable hip speed in the downswing should employ a weak grip and favor a draw ball flight, says noted instructor Mike Adams. The grip will keep the clubface from shutting before it makes impact, and an in-to-out path will make the ball curve right-to-left. Kenny Perry is a great example of a player with slow hip speed who plays this way and still hits the ball a mile.

7. Scapular stability is crucial to golfers at every level, says PGA Tour fitness consultant Dr. Craig Davies. Without good retraction of the shoulder blades, it's nearly impossible to swing a club correctly and avoid shoulder issues. For more on the subject, click here.

6. Tiger Woods' coach Sean Foley says instructors should never let their golfers continue to repeat a swing that will eventually lead to injury--no matter how well those golfers are playing.

5. Do you let your junior golfer have sports drinks? Careful, says nutritionist Robert Yang, the color additives have been linked to attention deficit disorder (ADD).

4. In a test of 30 adult amateur golfers at Baltusrol Golf Club, Dr. Angelo Scarpati found that swinging a heavy training club actually lead to decreases in swing speed by 2-4 percent.

3. Broad jumps, agility drills and shuttle runs are a great way to improve the power and kinematic sequencing of the golf swing, says Trevor Anderson, strength and conditioning coach for the David Leadbetter Golf Academy.

2. Muscles are designed to work together, not in isolation, says Jason Glass, one of Canada's top strength coaches. Glass appears regularly on The Golf Channel's Fitness Academy. A great example of this is how the right upper back muscles and left glute muscles work together during the backswing. Knowing this, muscles should be trained as a group and not in isolation.

1. When Hunter Mahan hits the ball flush, he grunts, Foley says. This doesn't have anything to do with fitness, but it's still interesting.

Ron Kaspriske is Golf Digest's Fitness Editor.

Follow @Ron Kaspriske

(Photo by Dom Furore)

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How He Shot That: Branden Grace Fires a 60

Monday, October 8, 2012

Editor's Note: Every Monday Kevin Hinton, Director of Instruction at Piping Rock Club in Locust Valley, N.Y. and one of Golf Digest's Best Young Teachers, tells you how a tour player hits a key shot. This week, Kevin describes how Branden Grace won for the fourth time this year on the European Tour by shooting a 60 at Kingsbarns enroute to capturing the Dunhill Links Championship on Sunday. Kevin offers his tips for going low and shooting your best possible score.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest
Twitter: @RogerSchiffman

By Kevin Hinton
Twitter: @KevinHintonGolf

There are several things about Branden's swing I like, but one aspect in particular is the loose, free-swinging action he creates. One reason he can create this look is that he allows his left arm to bend in his backswing. Amateurs often report to me that their struggles are being caused by their failure to "keep the left arm straight," which closely trails only "I pulled my head up" as the most common complaint I hear.

The reality is, neither of those things are fundamentals to playing great golf. In addition to Branden, there are numerous examples of world-class players who have bent left arms at the top of the swing, as well as a few notable examples of great players whose left arm is bent at impact--Lee Westwood and Retief Goosen are the first that come to mind. Here are a few benefits you might notice by softening your left arm in your swing.

Lack of tension There is no easier way to add tension to your swing than by trying to keep your left arm unrealistically straight. Most people are not flexible enough to do so, and as they try, the tension in their swing builds. I'm not suggesting you bend your arm to the degree that the shaft rests on your shoulder, but it's important to find a middle ground. If you're working on straightening your left arm throughout your backswing, be certain to monitor your grip pressure and overall tension level. You might also realize that some stretching might be in order.

Better wrist hinge
In this video, you'll see that as Branden's left arm has reached parallel to the ground in his backswing, he has at least 90 degrees of wrist hinge. His left arm is not straight at this point. It's much easier to properly set the golf club when your left arm is "soft," not rigid or over-extended. By allowing his left arm to bend slightly, his right arm can fold, making it much easier to hinge the club.

More clubhead speed
The first two points are essential to producing the final product of a golf swing that creates ample clubhead speed. If you are overly tense and do not allow your wrists to hinge and unhinge properly, your potential for speed is significantly limited. I certainly get the argument that a straighter left arm can lead to a wider "arc" to your swing, but I feel for many golfers that the risks outweigh the potential reward. Most amateurs will benefit more by loosening up and allowing the club to swing freely. Branden is a great example of this.

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Weekend Tip: For a Fried Egg, Leave the Clubhead in the Sand

Saturday, October 6, 2012

By Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

In the November issue of Golf Digest, just out on newsstands today (Ernie Els on the cover), Golf Digest Teaching Professional Rick Smith presents a very effective tip for that horrible predicament--the buried or fried egg lie in the bunker. Follow what Rick has to say if you have this problem this weekend, and you'll get the ball out every time. And remember to follow me on Twitter @RogerSchiffman.

Here's Rick:
To dislodge the ball from this lie, you need to make a few adjustments from your traditional greenside-bunker swing. Take your normal bunker stance, including opening the face of your most-lofted wedge, but instead of having the club enter the sand two inches behind the ball and skimming through it to a full finish, I want you to leave the clubhead in the sand.

You're going to make a steep swing that enters the sand just behind the ball with a lot of downward force and no follow-through. This type of swing will thrust the ball out with a whole lotta sand.

Keep in mind the ball will roll more than usual when it lands, so it might be tough to get it close to the hole. But you can't ask for much else than to be putting after facing this awful lie.

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Fitness Friday: 10 Worst Things to Eat and Drink for Golf

Friday, October 5, 2012

Every week my colleague @RonKaspriske, Golf Digest Fitness Editor, presents Fitness Friday on the Instruction Blog. This week he talks about nutrition and the 10 worst things you can eat before a round or at the turn. Look for Weekend Tip tomorrow, and remember to follow me on Twitter: @RogerSchiffman.

Roger Schiffman
Managing Editor
Golf Digest

Here's Ron: I don't want to sound like a conspiracy theorist, but remember when you were in elementary school and they introduced you to the "food pyramid?" You probably haven't thought about it in a long time, but the European versions introduced in the 1970s and the United Stated Department of Agriculture version introduced in 1992 are a big reason so many people have bad eating habits.

The idea was that these pyramids would illustrate how much of each type of food you should eat on a given day. The closer the food type was to the top of the pyramid, the less of it you should eat. Now take a guess what foods were at the bottom?

The USDA's 1992 version said a person should have between six to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice and pasta per day. Yup, instead of loading up on fruits, vegetables, lean protein, or fiber-rich beans, the USDA told you scarf down six bowls of cereal.

Sound fishy, or in this case, grainy? It sure does to me. Especially when you consider the United States is the largest wheat producing and exporting country in the world. When you make all that grain, it sure does behoove you to tell your citizens to buy it and eat it.

I'm going off on a rant here because I still see people eating bad foods such as refined ("simple") carbohydrates when they play golf. For some reason, people often choose a bag of pretzels over a handful of nuts; a sports drink over a banana; beer over water and a hot dog over some natural beef jerky.

Now I'm not so naive to realize that, for many, taste comes before nutrition. It's why there's a McDonald's in Moscow's Red Square. However, I do think it never hurts to remind people why they shouldn't be eating what they are eating.

In short, golfers need protein, complex carbohydrates (think fiber), iron, potassium, B vitamins and water to get through a round, says dietician Amanda Carlson-Phillips, who heads the nutrition department at Athletes Performance in Phoenix.

So what should you NOT eat? Click on this link for a list of 10 common foods and drinks you can find at just about any golf course in the U.S. It's OK if you're guilty of consuming one, a few or even many of them over the course of your golf career. It's not OK if you eat or drink them regularly when you play.

Oh, and by the way, under intense pressure from politicians and nutritionists, the USDA adjusted the pyramid in 2005 and then did away with it altogether in 2011 and is now using something called choosemyplate.gov. This will come as a shock, but the USDA is now downplaying the amount of wheat products you should eat each day.

Ron Kaspriske
Fitness Editor
Golf Digest

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