Here we are in 2024! It’s that wonderful time of the year for New Year’s Resolutions. Those goals and promises we make to ourselves only to have them fall by the wayside a few weeks later with piles of excuses burying them. You know the ones: lose weight, get in the gym, take some golf lessons, etc., etc., etc.
Five years ago, my wife and I decided to invest in our most important commodity; ourselves. We started working with personal trainer friends of ours. We began changing our diets. For me, I was starting to feel all the aches and pains associated with age. I’ve mentioned before how golf was becoming difficult physically. As a young golf professional, I played pretty much every day the weather permitted without any major issues. As a middle-aged man, playing two days in a row was becoming difficult. I needed to do something.
Reluctantly, I agreed to join my wife and get personal training with our friends. I say reluctantly because I despised the gym. I had been going to the local Y and going it alone hitting ellipticals and some weight machines, but I had no real purpose or plan for anything I was doing.
Once I started working with my friend, there was purpose to each exercise. Proper technique was taught. I started getting stronger. The little, nagging aches and pains started going away. When golf season came around, I noticed I was hitting the ball farther. At the end of a round, I felt I could still play nine more holes.
I felt so empowered by it, I decided I wanted to help other golfers, and I became TPI certified.
I’m now 58 years old. I’m stronger than I’ve ever been and getting stronger. I’m hitting the ball father than ever. I can play every day again if I choose.
I have clients of all different age groups accomplishing the same.
If one of your New Year’s resolutions is to get better at golf, here are three things you should do.
Get a physical assessment done by a TPI certified professional. The physical assessment examines how you move, and physical limitations you have. It will identify swing issues caused by those limitation. From there, an exercise program can be developed to improve those limitations and help improve your swing.
Get lessons from a PGA professional, preferably one who is familiar with TPI. With the assessment done, the swing instructor can then focus on the area(s) of the swing which have already been identified as potential issues. The assessment is a great tool for the PGA professional to help focus in on fixing mechanical issues within the swing in conjunction with a trainer who is dealing with fixing the physical limitations.
Stay committed. This is the hard one. We always want to quit or go back to the old ways of doing things when we don’t see results right away, or we struggle improving. DON’T GIVE UP. By starting down this path, you have made an investment in yourself. Even if you don’t feel like your golf is getting better, it is. Even if you don’t feel like you are getting stronger, you are. If nothing else, you are getting healthier, and there is no better investment in the world than your health.
Some of you are already saying to yourselves, I would love to do those things, but it’s too expensive. I get it. It can get very expensive. If nothing else, I encourage you to get committed to improving.
Here is a way you can get started.
In the next few weeks, I will have a paid subscription option. Each week I will have a swing issue such as: swaying or early extension. I will cover a possible physical limitation as a cause for the swing issue. There will be a specific exercise to help alleviate the physical issue along with a swing drill you can incorporate into your practice.
Others are saying, “I’m too old.”
That is just an excuse. You are never too old to get stronger. You are never too old to learn. I see 70 and 80 year olds all the time working out and getting stronger.
People have asked me if I guarantee results. I can only guarantee one thing: if you do nothing, you will not get better. In fact, you will get worse. So, are you ready to do something?
If you’re interested in training, leave me a comment. I do offer virtual training as well as in person and group training. I also offer training at corporate golf events, conventions and seminars.
Be humble as you play. Be grateful when you play. Enjoy every moment spent playing this amazing game. Now, go golf!
