Four Elements of Golf

         When golf began as a past time sport no one realized what a difference it would make if you were conditioned to play the game or de-conditioned.  Golfers never exercised in order to have a good game or to improve their swing.  It was the ultimate weekend sport played mainly by men.  Since the year 2001 golf has begun to take on younger following thanks in part to Tiger Woods.  Being one of the youngest golfers ever to win the PGA tournament he has also raised the bar on golf and golfers.  Over the past two years we, the fitness industry, have seen a growing interest in understanding how to get fit for golf and how to get Tiger Woods golf swing.  Ok, yes Tiger Woods has been blessed with great talent but at the same time he works hard at achieving his perfection.  Golf has taken on new meaning and is now being recognized as no longer a past time sport but as a sport that requires proper training.  Which means golfers who want that perfect game or want to increase the distance with their drive will have to start training like all the other athletes out there with a few exceptions here and there.             

Golf is about four things: endurance, power, strength and flexibility which make up the four elements of golf.  Tiger Woods understands how all these components of fitness play into having that perfect game.   The best athletes around the world know that if they want to play their sport to the fullest of their abilities then they have to have all the four key elements because with out them there is an increase chance of injury or damage to the body.              

With golf now being seen as a sport more than a past time the four elements become a crucial part of the game.  Endurance, cardiology aspect of training, allows individuals to with stand increases or decreases in temperature or weather conditions and the physical demand on the heart when walking an 18hole course.  Power, works from the center of the body, allows the swing to be improved and at the same time decrease the chance of injury.  Flexibility, increase range of motion of the whole kinetic chain, helps with the amount of rotation that is required around the trunk (mid-body) to perform a successful swing.  Strength, physical strength of a muscle, is required because each muscle needs to contract and fire so that the ball can travel a longer distance when struck by the club.             

When anyone, non-athlete or athlete, plays a sport it is essential that the four elements be utilized.  For example, a boxer trains his arms to be strong and powerful but forgets to train his core (mid-section) when training in the ring.  The boxer has just increased his chances of becoming injured because all his power is coming from his arm when he punches instead of his core.  Understanding how to combine the four elements when playing a game of golf or just hitting at the driving range will increase your overall performance of the sport. 

Since fitness has become an essential part of golf the book takes the reader thru eight different protocols all designed around the four elements of golf.  Each protocol is selected to help anyone who is passionate or simply enjoys playing golf by focusing on the major muscle groups involve in the golf swing. 

During the past decade there has been new developments when it comes to working out, like new types of equipment i.e. therabands, therapy balls or Swiss balls, medicine balls and BOSUs.  Also there are ways to create combination exercises that simulate all the components of a golf swing.  

 Dr. Gansel has created protocols that look at how to develop toned strong and powerful muscles and at the same time increase the flexibility of the muscle being worked.  The final component comes in when creating exercises that require all four elements and simulate the golf swing simultaneously.  For more information contact Dr. Gansel, owner of Head-To-Toe Chiropractic in Stamford.