Before you strike a golf ball, it is important to remember to stretch! Why? Well, consider this:

• - Before you even begin swinging, many of your muscles are under a lot of stress (think of the position of your body at address).
• - Also consider you are about to swing a club at  80+ mph, while maintaining this seemingly awkward position.
• - Plus, stretching decreases your chance of injury and helps promote a more fluid golf swing.

I love this quick video from EliteStretching: Stretches for Women Golfers.  Take a look and give these easy stretches a try the next time you step up to the tee box.

Do you have any other stretches you do before or after a round of golf?  Let our readers know!

I learned this drill from the Wake Forest University golf team, it’s one of my favs:

Criss-Cross Putting Drill

What you need: 3 balls, 6 holes

1.  Divide the 6 holes into two groups of three (three on one side of the putting green, three on the other side of the green).

2.  Begin with all three balls at one hole and putt one ball to each of the three holes on the opposite side of the green.

3.  After you putt each ball out, gather the three balls at one of the holes on that side of the green and putt each one back to each hole on the other side (so one ball goes to each of the three holes across the green, hope this makes sense!)

4.  Continue to putt each of the three balls from one side of the green to the other so that you begin from each of the 6 holes once (if you two putt every ball you should have 36 putts).

5.  Set goals: try and two putt every putt… after that try to get less than 34 putts (two one putts), and then 33 putts, 32 putts… etc….

If there aren’t six holes on the putting green, stick a tee in the ground and putt to that. 

Let me know what you think!

For those of us up north, the sun is shining and the temperatures are finally above freezing. The snow is beginning to melt away, exposing golf courses and getting our hopes up to be ready to hit the links soon. But, before we head out for our first 18 holes of the season, we all need to try these tips to ease into our golf game:

Get fit. Golf might not be the most strenuous or demanding sport, but you do need to be in shape if you plan to haul your bag full of golf clubs for a round of 18. As weather permits, head out for a run. Or, fire up the DVD player and give Jillian Michael’s 30 Day Shred a try. If you want to take it to another level, try the P90X® workout DVD.

Stretch it out. Start loosening up your muscles now. Yoga or basic stretches will get your muscles prepped and ready to go.

Start swinging. Head to a driving range and start practicing. Work on your consistency and get a feel for what you are capable of doing with each club. Continue to practice your swing even at home with some foam or whiffle golf balls. You might not get the perfect feel for how long your shot is, but it will work to develop muscle memory which will definitely help when you finally do step up to that first tee box.

Start warming up now and you’ll be ready to hit the course in no time. And, if you work hard enough, your first round might even surprise yourself.

Have you played a round yet this year? If so, let us know how it went.

As we mentioned in a previous post, a lot can be learned from Olympic athletes that can be applied to your golf game and your life. If you happened to see the Dutch skater Sven Kramer lose his gold medal because of his coach’s mistake, you know that not all lessons are easy to swallow.

For those of you who haven’t been spending hours in front of the TV and staying up late to catch the coverage, here is a quick recap. Kramer turned in an Olympic record time and thought he had earned the gold when he finished his 10,000m speed skate. Unfortunately he didn’t realize that his coach had ill-advised him to change lanes a few laps back. In reality, his coach was incorrect and when Kramer heeded his advice, it cost him the gold. Talk about heartbreak, anger and disbelief all rolled into one. So what do you do when adversity strikes?

Breathe deeply. Needless to say, Kramer was quite angry after he discovered what had happened. But once the dust settled, his anger subsided and he could see more clearly.

Seek wise counsel. We all know that coaches are indispensable advisors, but make sure you are getting the correct advice.

Realize we are all human. The coach made one mistake. Unfortunately it was on the largest stage possible and it cost his athlete a gold medal.

Take responsibility. Kramer could easily blame his coach, but instead, he stated, “At the end of the day, it is my responsibility. I am the skater on the ice. I have to do it.”

Perhaps you and I won’t be faced with a mistake of this caliber, but regardless of our skill level or talent, we will face trials on and off the course. The question is: how do you handle moments of adversity?