A Driving Range Outing

I have been doing a few balance exercises recently along with some stretching so I thought it was time to take to the driving range. (Still too cold for me to take to a course, I’ll admit!).

While I was preparing my old muscles with some stretching and flexing (!) I noted that several people came to the range, took the allotted balls to the bay and went straight to hitting balls with a Driver - no thought of preparing or warming up. Surely that’s not the way to practice.

Well, watching the quality of their shots it was obvious that they were not doing things properly.

Not that I am perfect, you understand, just still trying to warm up.

Getting ready to hit the 50 balls that I had purchased, I split the balls into groups of 5.

The first batch were really for warm up. The second batch was 90% for wedges while the third and fourth were for full 9 irons.

Thus far things were going ok. I had a tendency to hit the ball slightly to the toe of the club but this, I think, was due lack of muscle control in my lower legs allowing the momentum of the club to push my torso backwards. More work required here.

I then progressed to full 6 irons and hit two batches of 5 balls.

I was happy to take my time and think about ensuring some basic set up positions were adhered to: grip, posture, alignment, posture and posture.

As you might be able to tell I think that posture is quite important!! Bent knees above balls of feet, shoulders not rounded but as straight as age allows, head held up and upper arms hanging vertical.

I remember a comment from someone who was learning golf which went something like “I started off feeling comfortable but when I was in the correct address position everything felt as uncomfortable and unnatural as you can imagine”.

In order to make sure that I was adhering to some of these basics I had my phone camera on a small tripod. Post practice review is fun. Well, no, what I should say is post practice review is funny. Very funny in my case although I do like this slow mo!

The other thing that I noticed was that the balls were very cold (as cold as the weather -5ºC) so ball flight was maybe 15 to 20 yards less than normal.

The next stage of practice was to hit another 2 batches with my 17º Mizuno rescue club. I bought this to replace an old 2 iron which was becoming more difficult to hit. I was quite pleased with the results - ball hit generally out the centre with a reasonable flight.

I went back to my wedge for the final 10 balls, selecting a variety of targets at varied distances from 50 yards to 90 yards. Just trying to build a little feel although this will take thousands of balls to build back up after a winter of golfing very little.

I finished off by a visit to the putting green. After 15 minutes I was glad to get back to the car and switch on the heat to the seat.

All in all a fun afternoon out and even better that my driving range now has an upper tier. There’s something a little more manly about hitting golf balls from a second storey!!

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Exercise for Golf: Balance (2)

This is the second article I’ve done on balance exercises for golf. For the first set of exercises, click here.

Steamboats

Purpose: This exercise aims at improving your overall balance by targeting the entire lower body. In order to stay balanced you will need to utilise muscles from the hips to the bottom of the foot in conjunction with one another.

Benefit: This exercise improves stability, balance and consistency in your golf swing.

Instructions: Begin this drill by standing with feet roughly 6 inches apart (an elastic exercise band around both ankles will add some resistance). With a straight leg, begin by slowly moving your right foot straight forward for approximately 15-30 seconds. Next move your straight right leg about 12 inches across to the left of your left leg for 15-30 seconds. Third, move your right leg straight backwards approximately 12 inches, without bending the knee, for 15-30 seconds, and finally move your right leg directly out to the right side about 12 inches and maintain for 15- 30 seconds.

Repeat standing on right leg. Perform 2 sets (twice).

Trunk Rotation (with ball between knees)

Purpose: Improve balance and rotation into backswing

Benefit: Find the best turn into backswing

Instructions: Stand in address position with football between knees. Hold arms across chest. Keep knees pointing forward and turn slowly into backswing. Return to starting point and turn into follow through. Keep ball steady between knees.

Repeat 10 times.

More balance exercises soon.

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Exercise for Golf: Balance (1)

What has balance got to do with it?

The golf swing is a complex set of movements that require flexibility strength and power. In order to complete the swing you need balance - at the address, on the wind up, on the downswing and on the follow through. In other words if you do not maintain your balance throughout the swing then your shot will not be optimal.

In order to maintain balance the central nervous system takes inputs from the eyes, the inner ear, and nerve receptors in the joints and muscles.

As you get on in years balance is not always so easy.

A simple test of your proficiency in balancing is the Single Leg Balance. Stand on one leg with the other tucked in behind. If you can retain your balance for 10 seconds then your basic balance is classed as satisfactory.

A slight modification would be to stand on one leg and close your eyes. How long can you retain your balance?

I made 7 seconds to start with - after a week I can make 18 seconds - progress!

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There are a number of other exercises that you can perform that will improve your balance.

Some of my favourites are:

• Leg Swings
• Single Leg Balance
• Steamboats
• Trunk Rotations
• Figure 4
• Beam Balance
• Stork Turns

In this post we’ll look at two of these balance exercises that you can try. We’ll be looking at others in future blogs - keep an eye out for them.

Leg Swings

Purpose: This exercise improves balance and stability in the lower body and spine.

Benefit: Creates improved coordination and control in the lower body in the golf swing.

Instructions: From a standing position (use a club for support if necessary) slowly swing your leg back and forth several times to increase the range of motion in your hip joint. There is no need to swing your leg above the horizontal.

Repeat on the opposite leg.

Single Leg Balance

Purpose: This exercise quickly develops better balance or proprioception.

Benefit: Improves your balance in your golf swing.

Instructions: Start by standing on one leg (hands on hips) and getting into a stable posture. Once stable, maintain your balance first with eyes open, and then try eyes closed. Also try this raising your heel. Attempt to balance for 20 seconds per leg.

Repeat on the opposite leg.

Good luck and balance well!

The Open Series: How do I get to St Andrews?

Where is St Andrews? It may seem like a fairly simple question with a really obvious answer but if you’re planning to come to The Open this year, it may not be quite as simple as you think.

As The Open will be held at St Andrews this year - my neck of the woods - I thought it would be both fun and useful to do a series to help anyone who is perhaps planning a visit.

For those who’ve never looked before, here is St Andrews on a map.

It’s fairly central in Scotland and within easy travelling distance of most of the major towns and cities in the Central Belt.

However, if you’re planning to visit The Open, things become less accessible depending on your mode of transport.

Rail

St Andrews isn’t served by a railway station. There is a railway station at nearby Leuchars (prounounced Loochers with a Scottish ‘ch’ or Lookers if you have no idea what a Scottish ‘ch’ is) which is only 5-10 minutes from St Andrews. There are regular buses between the 2 towns which and the bus arrives relatively close to The Old Course.

If you’re leaving the car at home and travelling by rail, this opens up a large number of places to stay all across Scotland. Leuchars is on the East Coast line meaning there are direct trains from Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh, Cupar, Kirkcaldy - plenty of places to find accommodation.

As an added bonus, Scotrail and Stagecoach are again providing their Golf Link ticket during the Open. This means you can buy a special ticket that includes your train travel to Leuchars and your onward bus travel to St Andrews. (More details at www.scotrail.co.uk/opengolf)

Road

Now, if you’re planning to drive to The Open is where things might get a little complicated. Yes, it’s easy to get to St Andrews even if the roads are more country than city class but St Andrews is not a big city. It’s not even a big town. The roads weren’t designed to handle the amount of travellers that descend on St Andrews every 5 years. That’s why the police get involved.

Each year, there are dedicated travel routes marked by yellow AA route signs. These signs (which direct you to the A91 into St Andrews) take you to the public park and ride car parks which will ease traffic delay to help you get to the golf faster.

Having attended in previous years, I would highly suggest you follow the signs even if you think you know a different/quicker way into St Andrews. It’s not worth the hassle and having worked in St Andrews during The Open, you’d be praying for a miracle to actually get a parking space near the town centre, or even in the residential estates outside the town.

Do remember that parking will likely cost you about £15 a day and they only take cash. Yes, you read that correctly - in this day and age they only take cash!

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Basically, these are your main options for getting to St Andrews for The Open. Most likely, accommodation in and around St Andrews will be well booked by now (more on that in another blog) so unless you have your own helicopter, you’ll be choosing between train and car.

If you do have your own helicopter, speak to your hotel as there are a few with helipads in and around St Andrews.

I hope this has been of use. In the run up to July, as part of my Open Series, I’ll be blogging about:

• Accommodation for The Open
• What to do in St Andrews for the non-golfer
• General Hints and Tips for your best Open
• Secrets of the Locals
• Don’t Miss at The Open
• Plan Your Day at The Open

Check back soon for the next in the series.

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