Single handicap

Well I finally made it!
After 15 years, I was finally down in 2008 to a single-digit handicap (7.8).

(That was 2008, now I am 70 and I am playing 11.6!)

The last years I hovered above 10, thinking I would never get there. But in 2008 I decided to cut back on working and I really started making fast progress once I got the opportunity to go from playing once a week to 2-3 times per week and I worked really hard om my short game. If and when you get to play more frequently, you’ll get lower. But the best thing I did was getting into a specific core stability training program on golf.

Maybe yave you heard the term, focus on the core? No, we’re not talking about the inside of a golf ball; we’re talking about the inner muscles that make up the abdominal region, hips and lower back. Most people focus their attention on the muscles that are more visible and easy to train, such as biceps, pecs and back, however, the most important muscles that act as our foundation are often over looked.

Chances are that if you are an avid golfer, you also would love to be a single digit handicap golfer. So what do these golfers have that you don`t have. You may be thinking they are simply better golfers, and they may be true, but odds are they are also more in tune with how their level of fitness affects their ability to play a great round of golf. Golfers need to focus on technique to see improvement, but two basic components of conditioning can improve your golf fitness and reduce your risk of injury and lower your handicap.

Single digit handicap golfers have gone beyond technique and are committed to being as fit as possible for golf. They? have developed a fitness routine that ensures that their bodies are capable of playing an exceptional round of golf. You too can focus on fitness and improve your golf game.

One of the first areas you need to look at is your core strength. Your core muscles are those in your torso, the ones that are critical to how well you swing the club. If your back, abdominal and shoulder muscles are not in shape they are not going to be able to support you well enough to produce an excellent swing. Getting your core muscles in shape will give you a more powerful, fluid swing, offering more distance and accuracy.

Shoulder rotation is another key area. By exercising and stretching your shoulder muscles you will increase your flexibility, ensuring a full swing with balanced rotation. This goes for spinal rotation as well. If you work your back muscles, keeping them limber, they will enable you to better swing the club. The majority of single digit handicap players have full range of motion in their shoulders in addition to optimal spinal flexibility.

Finally, a proper fitness routine will improve your endurance, making a long round of golf much easier. This means that your first swing of the round and your last will have the same level of power, and fatigue will not have set in to destroy your mental focus.

Adding these components to your golf conditioning program will not only improve your game, but will likely improve your overall fitness as well. The muscles of the core region act as a link between the upper and lower body. The stronger and more able they are, the greater the synergy of movement can be. Core strength is essential for golf players..

I have been doing this specific core stability training program on golf for quite a while now and it really improved my game ! So becoming a single digit handicap golfer is about more than skill, it is about preparing your body to use the skills you have every time you pick up a club.

“A golfer has to train his swing on the practice tee, then trust it on the course. ”

Dr Bob Rotella