Fitness means better golf...

22/1/13 Tuesday. A very successful weekend of golfing on Saturday and Sunday again. The fitness training is delivering obvious benefits in tandem with practise. In this my second set of rounds for 2013 after the week before I broke my handicap on Saturday with a 38 stableford point round and backed up on the Sunday with a 36 Stableford point round. These results have got my playing handicap down one stroke to twelve. In the coming weeks I will be adding a new facet to my training which is expected to drop several strokes off my handicap and establish a solid single digit playing handicap. All of the recent improvement shown by the competition results has come from the improved fitness and weight loss. This is not an instant change and the dieting started in August 2012 the fitness training was gradually introduced in December. A daily routine since January 1st, 2013 using strand pulling (chest expander equipment) exercise routines and swimming. My golf practise has not increased or changed from the past 3 years in terms of action and time spent. Whilst this with coaching has definitely developed golf skills, it is the fitness that has made the execution much better on the course. As regular readers will be aware my game has never been a long one due to health and physical condition. Hence my total focus has always been on establishing a proven correct swing technique to make the ball go forward as well as it is possible for me to do so. No prizes for guessing who won the Long Drive competition on the Sunday, it was me. Once again I had a great game off the tee and noticeably consistently much longer. This was also happening with the rest of my clubs and did cause some difficulty with club selection. My game attitude is one of having fun more so than usual at the minute. Taking the opinion that as I am hitting the ball much better than 2-3 months ago, so what if this is causing problems. I had never imagined that hitting the golf ball like I am now, could feel so good! Golfing feels so fresh and new to me every week and these days I hit many shots that are so sweet, it is sensational. Sunday I tied in second place in the A Grade at Kingston SE. Playing for fun is the focus but the success in the competition is still an important motivation behind the enjoyment. There is a consistent fault in my game at the minute and this is exacerbated as a result of the improved fitness. In all of my past two weekend rounds (four) I have belted putts way past the hole. It is in part a misread of the green speed at the time. The major cause is that my strength has significantly improved and these misreads end up with the ball going four to five metres too far. In my reading of other golfers game diaries and many observations on the analysis of our golfing rarely is fitness given as much attention as swing plane or grip, stance etc. My Golf Diaries were not much different. Physical condition was a regular subject in mine, as I have permanent injuries which affect my game so they would get attention. Mostly because of the limitations placed on my ability to swing a club correctly. Fortunately awareness of injury as a regular facet of my life, does make me look at improving the condition, just as I have my golf swing. Rory McIlroy has made significant changes in his physical training and Tiger Woods was always noted for it. There are many lesser contemporary golfers who have done the same as well and this is something that many club golfers have ignored as a way to significantly improve their golf. I fully expect this fitness program I am now doing in tandem with the new golf training system starting in coming weeks to be the cause of a three to eight stroke drop in my playing handicap. Thankyou for your time and attention “Hit ‘em straight all” Geoff