The Golf Thread...

Hey everyone. After a few years of hemming and hawing about picking up the game and duffing through 2-3 rounds a year I finally bought some clubs and am getting some lessons. I’ve got in 5 rounds so far and am getting seriously addicted!!!

Anyone else feel the vice?

C

Maybe not what you’re looking for, but I published a response to an inquiry from a golfer client of mine in a recent newsletter of mine, and got dozens of emails from people who absolutely loved it. See what you think.

http://www.ericcressey.com/newsletter6.html

If you like it, you can sign up for newsletter updates on the “Newsletter” tab of the site.

the vice? dude, it’s more than a vice, it’s a big time addiction.

I wish I was smarter so I could understand what the hell Cressey was saying in that newsletter.

In my experience, lifting explosively is the shit. I’m currently hitting the ball farther than ever, I blame it on doing snatches and cleans.

Deadlifts. They are key. It trains the grip strength like no other, and talk about strengthening “the core”

This might not be the best stuff to do (anyone want to chime in on what is?), but it’s worked well for me.

[quote]Eric Cressey wrote:
Maybe not what you’re looking for, but I published a response to an inquiry from a golfer client of mine in a recent newsletter of mine, and got dozens of emails from people who absolutely loved it. See what you think.

http://www.ericcressey.com/newsletter6.html

If you like it, you can sign up for newsletter updates on the “Newsletter” tab of the site.[/quote]

That was pretty cool man. Thanks for the link. Got an article on fixing slices??

C

[quote]CU AeroStallion wrote:
the vice? dude, it’s more than a vice, it’s a big time addiction.

I wish I was smarter so I could understand what the hell Cressey was saying in that newsletter.

In my experience, lifting explosively is the shit. I’m currently hitting the ball farther than ever, I blame it on doing snatches and cleans.

Deadlifts. They are key. It trains the grip strength like no other, and talk about strengthening “the core”

This might not be the best stuff to do (anyone want to chime in on what is?), but it’s worked well for me.[/quote]

I worked with a couple of golfers here in Hawaii. They all said the full contact twist seemed to help keep their swing “together.” One teaching pro I worked with was very adamant about the twist, deadlifts, and powercleans. It actually screwed up his game for a while because he had to readjust to hitting farther (he gained one club lengthwith his irons). A highschooler I worked with said that he felt skipping rope helped with his touch around the greens. I think it may have been that his cardiovascular conditioning was so poor that anything we did helped him. Of course, the eye-hand-foot coordination may have helped him.

Good luck,

Derick

Before you get lessons over the internet save up for a few lessons from a pro in your area. They will help you much better than someone who can “fix your slice” over the net. There are MANY MANY things that can cause different ball flight patterns. Get lessons. That will be the best investment you’ve made for your golf game.

Enjoy the game. Its frustrating but stick with it and you’ll have years and years of enjoyment and heartache :slight_smile:

P.S. Its beyond addicting. Its that one great shot you hit that always brings you back. Also be aware, you’ll say to yourself “Hey I got it.” No you dont! You’ll be saying “Hey I got it” 1000’s of times before you’re a TRUE low single digit handicap.

It is hands down the most addictive thing (besides the gym) that I have ever done. I budget my money every monthly so that I can afford my golf club membership. I try and get out every day after work.

By the way deadlifting makes putting a bitch…hard to lean over and look at the green.

[quote]PGA200X wrote:
Before you get lessons over the internet save up for a few lessons from a pro in your area. They will help you much better than someone who can “fix your slice” over the net. There are MANY MANY things that can cause different ball flight patterns. Get lessons. That will be the best investment you’ve made for your golf game.

Enjoy the game. Its frustrating but stick with it and you’ll have years and years of enjoyment and heartache :slight_smile:

P.S. Its beyond addicting. Its that one great shot you hit that always brings you back. Also be aware, you’ll say to yourself “Hey I got it.” No you dont! You’ll be saying “Hey I got it” 1000’s of times before you’re a TRUE low single digit handicap.[/quote]

Hey man,

Definetly gonna follow your advice on this one. I actually signed up for lessons last night! Apparently this school is awesome (two friends have used it and have improved mightily).

You wanna talk addicting?? I got in 63 holes in the last 3 days. Best way to spend a long weekend that I could think of!

And yeah…I shot about 25-over on each of the rounds…but each one had about 3-4 shots that make it all worth it!

How long have you been playing?
C

Flexiblity is more important than lifting weights. If your flexible, it takes less effort and you will hit the ball better which in turn gives you more distance. Once you maximize your driving parameters, launch angle, spin rate, ball speed, then a decent lifting program would help.

IMHO, I think that the more you can strengthen the muscles on the back side of your body, the further you’ll hit it. About a year and a half ago, I finally started utilizing some exercises that hit the posterior chain hard (deadlifts, good mornings, GH, etc.) and by the following summer I had picked up 15-20 yards off of the tee.

Some would argue that this could be due to new equipment or something like that, but I just finished up my playing career at a Division I school. I was fitted for my driver on a launch monitor and have also been playing the game as long as I can remember. The incorporation of these lifts were the only difference in my preparation, so I’ve become a firm believer in prioritizing the PC.

I think Eric would agree with me in that the PC should be a priority for almost all athletes, not just golfers. Through my personal experience, the carryover to strengthening the rest of the body is incredible when improvements in PC strength are made. And I can almost touch the rim now, too :slight_smile:

[quote]Creidem wrote:
Hey man,

Definetly gonna follow your advice on this one. I actually signed up for lessons last night! Apparently this school is awesome (two friends have used it and have improved mightily).

You wanna talk addicting?? I got in 63 holes in the last 3 days. Best way to spend a long weekend that I could think of!

And yeah…I shot about 25-over on each of the rounds…but each one had about 3-4 shots that make it all worth it!

How long have you been playing?
C[/quote]

This is my 7th year of consistant play. I was an idiot when I was younger. Dad tried to get me into it but I didnt have the head for it at the time, still dont on occasion. I wanted to be great but great instantly. I didnt initally “get it” and got frustrated and gave it up for years until I was about 22ish. Now its impossible to get me away from the game.

If you every have any questions feel free to PM me.

ehehwwww…(shudders)… golf on T-Nation??.. WTF?!?.. I thought the “T” stood for testosterone… are you sure you’re not looking for E-Nation?? It’s right down the street near the drugstore that sells vagisil for your itchy vaginas…

Just f-in’ with you guys…

I’ve worked at a golf course here in Nor-Cal for 8 years and have been the merchandise manager for 5. I’ve been playing off and on since I was a kid and briefly got down to a single digit index…Been known to occasionally carry a golf ball 340+ but average closer to the low 300’s. I have even been fortunate to have a ball fall into the hole after a single swing of the club… all that being said… I can say without any hesitation that golf is the most absurdly inane, single greatest waste of time and resources this planet has to offer…

I have more stories about dim-witted, egomaniacal, self absorbed, asshole golfers than I know what to do with. Im actually in the preliminary stages of writing a book entitled:

[center][i]“The Death Of Reason”
how golfers killed our culture 4 hours at a time

look for it in a bookstore near you…[/i][/center]

[quote]Creidem wrote:
Hey everyone. After a few years of hemming and hawing about picking up the game and duffing through 2-3 rounds a year I finally bought some clubs and am getting some lessons. I’ve got in 5 rounds so far and am getting seriously addicted!!!

Anyone else feel the vice?

C[/quote]

WHY???

Yeah, hitting the ball far is great and strength training is beneficial there. Unfortunately, length off the tee is a tiny part of the game. Length off the tee is less important than being straight off the tee. A 250 yard drive may look less impressisve than a 300 yard drive, but there may be no benefit in scoring. No one cares if you can hit a 5 iron as far as a little guy’s 2 iron. The issue is where you leave the ball for your next shot. And if your next shot after the 300 yard drive is off of the green, no one care anymore about the long drive. (Unless you win a head cover in a scramble.)
Of course, the short game is where its at. You need to approach, chip and putt to break 85 on a regular basis. If your overall game improves because you’re hitting wedges into greens instead of 7 irons, you still need to putt.
I love golf and have played for 20 years. I also love lifting weights and have done so just as long. Watching the little guys, fat guys and girly guys win tournaments on the PGA tour pisses me off. It’s great that trainers can make money off of guys wishing to improve their golf game. Proper instruction in the game, however, is far more important. If I sound bitter, it’s because I am.

Old golfers never die…they just lose their balls.
:slight_smile:
HH