24 Hours to Better Golf this Winter

I am very excited to share the Off-Season Project with you! With the help of my good friend and golf fitness expert Derek Lemire we have created a fantastic challenge for you this off-season. Are you prepared to dedicate 24 hours over the next twelve weeks to better golf? Derek and I have built a program for you that will improve your technique, increase your club speed and better your body and all we ask for 2 hours per week. Take a look...

We are challenging you to invest 24 hours towards better golf this winter. I can assure you this video will change the way you view the off-season. Do you accept the challenge?

Check it out HERE

Prepare to Play Great Golf

In today's fast paced world there isn't enough time to play golf, never mind work in a proper warm-up before you play. With the help of Berkeley Hall's TPI Certified trainer, Derek Lemire, this article isolates a few important exercises you can sneak in before the round to help you better prepare to play some great golf.

Here is a breakdown of the key areas to focus on and suggested exercises to complete:

HIPS

1. Hip Kick (0:50)
2. Hip Rotation (1:05)
3. Hip Tilt (1:35)
4. Internal Hip Rotation (2:10)
5. External Hip Rotation (2:25)
6. Hip Flexion (2:35)
7. Hip Separation (3:10)

LEGS & SPINE

1. Hamstring Stretch (3:45)
2. Lateral Lunge with Rotation (4:30)
3. Forward Lunge with Rotation (5:15)

SHOULDERS & LATS

1. Vertical Shoulder Activation (5:45)
2. Scarecrow/9090 (6:10)
3. Shoulder Fly (6:30)
4. Lat Stretch (6:50)

CORE ACTIVATION

1. Forward Plank (8:00)
2. Side Plank (8:30)

I would encourage you to select two from each body zone and work towards incorporating them into either your daily routine or at the very least do them before going out to play.

Remember this - if you keep doing what you've always done, you'll continue to be the golfer you've always been! Accept the challenge and commit to the change.

When You Play: Watch or No Watch?

1watch

Can playing with a watch on help or hurt your game? Now, other than having quick access to the time to see how late you are getting home the results of this test are a no brainer - leave your watch in the bag!

2watch

Our fitness trainer at Berkeley Hall, Derek Lemire, was down hitting a few drivers and I thought he'd make for a good subject. Derek is dangerous off a 6 handicap and has improved dramatically the last few years.

For the test I asked Derek to hit shots without a watch, with a single three ounce watch and just for kicks with two three ounce watches. He hit three shots in each condition, I would delete data for the worst shot of the three and then we repeated. The Trackman results were very interesting:

No Watch

• Club Speed 94.6mph
• Ball Speed 143.3mph
• Carry distance 227.6yds
• Total distance259.8yds

One  Watch (3 oz.)

• Club Speed 93.5mph
• Ball Speed 142.8mph
• Carry distance 222.5yds
• Total distance 249.7yds

Two Watches (6 oz.)

• Club Speed 92.6mph
• Ball Speed 141.2mph
• Carry distance 218.2yds
• Total distance 244.5yds

As you can tell there was a noticeable difference between each example and while I understand no golfer would wear two watches a Rolex or watch with a heavy steel band can easily weigh up to 6 ounces. A 3oz watch or bracelet on your wrist can rob you of as much as tenyards per tee shot.

Moral of the story: unless you are hitting the ball too far at the moment leave your watch in the bag - it can only slow you down.

Rules question: If a golfer felt like they had too much club on a par three would they be able to put their watch on, hit the shot and then remove it again? I'd love to hear from the rules gurus out there on this one....

How to Warm-Up for Peak Performance

This is the first in a series of articles addressing the physical side of the game from Berkeley Hall Director of Fitness, Derek Lemire.  Derek trains PGA Tour Phoenix Open winner Kyle Stanley and is also TPI certified. Today Derek addresses how to warm-up in preparation for a round of golf:

This article deals with one of the most common questions I receive, "What are some good stretches before I play golf?"

Good stretches to warm-up before the round incorporate the entire body into the routine.  Take your body through gross movement patterns and prepare for the stressors that it will have to endure during the round.

Be sure to EXCLUDE the following from your warm-up:

• Bounce in Forward Flexion

This motion puts you in bad flexion posture, reduces the activity of the flexor muscles and can actually stiffen your back.

• Club Behind Back and Rotate (Sequencing)

This old favorite can add sway to your swing and poor shoulder position in rotation can cause muscular strains.

• Swing Multiple Clubs

This method of warming up can lead to compensatory movements in arms, altered proprioception (balance), altered weight control, overswinging, a reverse C and increased potential for a reverse pivot.

These are the moves to INCLUDE in your pre-round warm-up:

• Hip, Trunk and Shoulder Stretch

When you do this get into a lunge position, maintain upright posture, suck in lower abdominals and bend trunk into side of forward leg.  Switch and do the other side.

• Core Stability and Rotation

Assume an athletic stance, rotate upper body with no motion below.  Keep the elbows at your rib cage while feeling tension between inside thigh and lower abdominals.

• Cross Over Hip Drill

For this exercise cross the right elbow to the left knee.  Gradually increase speed as you go and do 30 seconds on one side before switching.

This is best illustrated with a video...

Keep in mind that these warm-up exercises are the basics. Time is always a factor and these three exercises shouldn't take you more than five minutes. If you're interested in peak performance it's five minutes very well spent.

Follow Derek on Twitter @DerekLemireTPI

Here's what Rory McIlroy has to say about training for golf.

Centeredness of Contact

As you may have heard, it's all about impact! And it really is. The most important part of the golf swing is the point at which the golf club communicates to the golf ball - impact. The ball spends 1/2000 of a second on the face and it's during this sliver of time that the outcome of every shot is determined.

I often share with golfers how the laws of physics cause the ball to respond to the club, and while this information is helpful it refers primarily to centered hits. It is too seldom that I discuss off-center hits and how the ball responds to this frequent occurrence. Today's the day!

When the ball is struck anywhere other than the center of the face a phenomenon called gear effect occurs. Ever heard of it? It causes the ball to draw (or fade less) on toe oriented hits and fade (or draw less) on heel oriented hits. I often see a golfer struggling to stop the ball from fading, yet every shot is struck off the heel or inside of the face. Gear effect is elevated when you use clubs with larger heads such as a driver and it's actually the reason why the face of a driver is curved from toe to heel and from top to bottom. The curve on the face of a driver actually gets the ball, when struck off the toe for example, to launch to the right (for right-handers) and then gear effect causes the shot to curve back to the target. Gear effect plays a role in all shots where the ball is not struck in the center of the face and let's be honest - and that is most shots.

The research I have conducted using TrackMan has shown that better golfers (single figure handicaps or better) hit the sweet spot or center of gravity less than 20% of the time! Think about that for a second...

The best method to ascertain where you are striking the ball on the clubface is to use a dry erase marker to cover a portion of the face. Hit a shot or two, take note of where the strike occurs and then re-apply. After a handful of shots you'll start to get a good idea as to what your tendencies might be because, while you may not hit the sweet spot often enough, most golfers are fairly consistent with where they miss.

Keep in mind that it is very difficult to influence where the ball is being struck on the face by altering your distance from the ball. For example, heel hits do not mean that you should move away from the ball as this will more than likely cause you to reach out for the ball even more and exacerbate the problem.

Once you start to learn what your tendencies are an excellent drill is to position a row of tees just outside the toe if you hit shots predominantly off the heel and vice versa for toe hits.

After a few shot you will start to sense what the body and arms need to do in order to make a quality strike in the center of the clubface. Give it a try!

Another important note: andrewricegolf.com is pleased to announce that Derek Lemire,

Fitness Trainer at Berkeley Hall and trainer to recent PGA Tour Champion Kyle Stanley, will be making regular contributions to this site. Derek will be offering important advice to all golfers concerning exercise programs, stretching and even nutrition. I have worked with Derek at Berkeley Hall for a long time and I am excited to share his passion and knowledge with all of you.

Thanks for reading and good striking!