Friday, March 6
Don't Forget Your Second Sport
Since our medicine ball group went back to twice a week, Tuesday & Thursday, I am only making the Tuesday medicine ball workout, and then only if I am not playing golf. I love golf; it can only be played, not won.
This winter I have stepped up my practice and lesson taking investment. The swing change has been fun, with the motor learning and watching that cute little white ball fly higher and prettier. I am having the feeling that I "Own-My-Swing". A guy from Canada named Moe Norman coined the phrase "Own-My-Swing". Moe had his own style but his accuracy was uncanny. Once he was partnered with the great Sam Snead. Sam hit a mid iron to layup and it stopped just short of the hazard. Sam was shocked to see Moe grab his driver; Moe winked at him and said, " See the bridge up there, watch this." Moe proceeded to drive the ball right across the bridge and won the hole. Tiger Woods has used the phrase to describe his goal for his own swing. So, all this practice has me swinging in a more predictable fashion. My coach Tee Jay Burge has guided me and helped me discover my own swing. But has my game, the playing, improved? Not yet. But as Tiger and millions of other say, "I'm getting close".
Which bring me to my Second Sport, medicine ball exercise. While playing I can sense my conditioning is lacking. Late in the round it is becoming difficult to maintain my mechanics. Because I walk and carry my bag or use a hand cart my conditioning is more closely related to my performance than if I used a motor cart. Walking and carrying adds an additional load when playing golf; the bag and clubs weigh around 25-30 pounds. One must stay within them self to finish on a competitive level but my game has been falling off near the end of the round. Strength is not the answer and aerobic endurance won't help that much. I need to address my Stamina, which my medicine ball workouts delivered. I recently acquired a rowing machine and feel I can develop a routine to supplement my lack of medicine ball opportunities. This machine will stress the trunk, the legs and the arms. The trunk being the shoulders, spine and hips. A well conditioned trunk allows the body to maintain the critical posture needed to swing the golf club predictably and consistently. All sports movement breaks down in the trunk first but it is the least understood and last recognized. We "see" the arms and legs fail first, but it is the trunk that has failed. One's posture has been lost. The trunk has the unstable mass and the arms and legs flail because they work from the trunks stability.
Oh, you may have recognized the two golfers in the photos. Che Guevara and Fidel Castro in their now famous round of golf at The Havana CC after The Revolution. Well, Che won and Fidel closed the course until recently. And, the rest is history.
