Edging ahead of ‘equals’ on the fairways.

• I KEEP hearing from the pros that golf is a game in which a small advantage in one area can mean the difference between finishing first or finishing 20th. Scan the pro Tour statistics and you will see the difference between a person ranking first in the category and 25th or 30th could be as small as a quarter of a shot in scoring average. Over four rounds and a small edge allows a player to win by one shot instead of losing by one shot.
   

• As I see it, being fit is about the body feeling and functioning well so the mind is more capable of focusing on the task at hand: the next shot.
   

• The new breed of players on the professional golf tour are indicative of what is happening in the game. The top young players are leaner, more muscular, and more flexible than the generation of golfers before them.
  

• Fitness training can reduce your physical limitations and help you optimize your swing pattern. Training enables more efficient transfer of momentum, which translates into improved ball striking capability and increased club-head speed at impact. A theoretical model has been created to compare ments. According to this con struct, the amount of energy transferred to a golf ball hit 300 yards is of about the same magnitude as the energy transferred to a baseball hit 300 feet from a resting position. Consider that a 10-hand I cap golfer will take about 50 hard swings and another 50 to 75 practice swings per round, with a club that weighs slightly less than a base ball bat. If you compare this golfer to the base ball player who bats five times during a game and takes about 15 total swings, it is easy to see a difference in swinging requirements.
   

• Furthermore walk about 8,000 yards per round; a centre fielder travels less than 2,000, moving back and forth to the dugout between innings. Even including movements to run base paths or chase down fly balls, the total distance traveled by a baseball player does not come close to that traveled by a golfer.
  The conclusion is that though golf may require less intensity than baseball, the greater volume of activity provides higher overall energy costs when compared to baseball. The baseball community has accepted physical training as part of its programme. Since July this year IGU East Zone is following fitness as part of its programme at the Tollygunge Club. It was great to see one of wards from this programme, Manavi Halwasiya, lift the East India ladies title the other day.
  Golf is a sport and golfers are athletes. You need strong and flexible muscles to generate power and club-head speed. You need stamina and endurance as swell, to maintain focus over 18holes. You need good posture to achieve a proper ball address position and prevent injury.
  To produce a EM good golf swing, these physical characteristics of posture, balance, flexibility, strength, power, timing and endurance must all work together in harmony Of course, natural golf skill and technique are also important but to get maximum results from your swing, and take full advantage of lessons and equipment, your body must be conditioned to meet the specific physical requirements of the game of golf.
  Some golfers believe strength training will have ability. Things will not reach such a situation if proper stretching exercises are also employed. Remember, strength training can not just help improve your game, it can also help prevent injury.
  Golf requires both strength and flexibility Additionally significant muscular endurance is necessary to hit bucket after bucket of practice balls, and to avoid overuse injuries.
  The muscles in the trunk area, the 'core' of the body, play an important role in stabilization as well as providing power for trunk rotation. Specifically the serratus anterior (which follows the path of the ribs on the sides of the trunk), the erector spinae in the back, and the abdominal oblique muscles are most active.
  The hips and legs also contribute significantly to the golf swing. In fact, the power developed in a golf swing begins at the hips and is then transmitted through the trunk and out to the arms,
  Strength training has changed the nature of golf. Tiger Woods has revolutionized golf with his combined skill and strength. Added muscle he had raised the level of golf to the point where par-5s are obsolete. So get on and give me 25 push-ups!

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