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Stay In The Game of Golf

By Mike Hansen

Common golf injuries involve the lower back, shoulders and arms. A good exercise program can help prevent these nagging injuries.

Perform this exercise to improve rotator cuff strength:

Grab a light pair of dumbbells and make a 90-degree bend in each elbow.
Raise both arms to the side, so there’s a 90-degree angle in the shoulder and a 90-degree angle in the elbow.
With your palms facing forward, lower your hands toward the ground until your forearm is parallel to the ground.
While keeping your elbows up, raise the dumbbells back to vertical. Repeat 15 times.

Stretch and strengthen your forearms and wrists with these exercises:

STRETCH

Hold arm straight out in front of your body.
Grab tips of fingers of one hand and pull back gently and hold for 15 seconds.
Pull fingers down the opposite direction and hold for 15 seconds.
Switch hands and repeat twice on each hand.

STRENGTHEN

Stand with arms hanging at sides.
Grab a golf club in one hand and grip the club pointing straight ahead.
Raise the club by cocking your wrist and keeping your arm at your side.
Raise as high as you can, then lower and repeat 10-15 times.
Repeat on other side.

To eliminate back pain, improve your flexibility with this simple stretch:

Lie on your back with legs extended.
Raise one leg and bend the knee at a 90-degree angle.
Cross that leg over the extended leg, keeping your opposite shoulder on the ground.
Hold and repeat three times before switching to the opposite side.

About the Author:

Mike Hansen holds a degree in Exercise Science and is a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Golf Fitness Instructor, located in Irvine, CA. He is the featured golf fitness columnist for Southland Golf magazine. His website is www.healthygolfer.com