Imagine that you are on the 18 th tee, with a kick in your step and you feel good about yourself. You swing easily. Your swing is on a pure ball flight. You are not gagging on the oxygen and you are not getting that same aching feeling in your back that tends to rear its ugly head on hole 14.
This is not Fantasy. It is what comes when you lose them some unnecessary pounds that have been burdening your golf game.
This is the fact that most golfers are unaware about: your body weight has a direct effect on all aspects of your golf play. Your scale is working against you in more ways than one: From swing speed to endurance, balance to flexibility, all have numeric values against them.
According to the recent study conducted by National Center for Biotechnology Information, golfers with better cardiovascular health are able to sustain themselves much longer than their comrades of heavier build plummet after hole 12.
There is a scientific fact behind the relationship between losing weight and improving golf, and it is not only anecdotal. So how can losing those pounds make your game? Let me explain this in exact terms.
Does Weight Loss and Golf Performance Science?
Golf swing is a complicated biomechanical movement. Each additional pound that you are overweight influences this process.
Try to think through. Once you are carrying extra pounds, your body has to struggle more. Your heart goes pounding. Your muscles become tired faster. Your cash flow is harmed.
A landmark study released in the American Journal of Medicine followed 55 sedentary men who turned into habitual golfers. These findings were mind blowing as participants lost an average of 1.4 kg and their waist sizes also dropped considerably within 20 weeks.
That is where it is interesting however. The golfers did not only reduce weight, their handicaps also fell tremendously because of increased fitness levels.
The Sabotage of Excess Weight on Your Swing Mechanics
Being overweight in the trunk area triggers series of swing issues.
It limits your turn first. 78 to 109 is the torso rotation professional golfers attain when they make a backswing. You just cannot get into these ideal positions when you are overweight especially on your core.
Second, it disturbs your balance. The studies indicate that an improved balance is directly proportional to driving distance in college golfers.
Thirdly it influences your swing speed. Some golfers are afraid that they will lose weight which means that they will have less power but, on the contrary, it normally happens to be the other way around. The improved fitness will result in greater transfer of energy in your body to the club.
Attending professional classes can become the turning point of golfers affected by the issue of extra weight affecting their swings. Baltimore has medical weight loss clinics which provide an all-inclusive weight loss regime using nutrition, exercise and medical monitoring to enable golfers to lose weight permanently and remain active and feeling energetic so that their game can be at its best.
The Cardiovascular Advantage; Why Fit Golfers Play Better
Most individuals do not know that golf is a physically demanding sport.
The activities in a round last 4-5 hours on average. You are going to walk between 4-7 miles. You will swing more than 100 times. It will raise your heart rate with every shot and calm it down as you make your way to your next golf ball.
Experiments with heart monitor indicate that in most cases middle-aged golfers who walk around a course have their heart-rates beating a session of 110-120 beats per minute. It is moderate-intensity work out as per CDC standards.
When you are overweight, your body is stressed in terms of the cardiovascular system. At the 14th hole you are on empty. You meditate when you are distracted. Your swing timing becomes worse.
On the other hand, fit golfers are able to keep their energy the whole round through. Golf Digest gives coverage of the longer rounds.
Real-life successes: The Transformation of These Golfers Games Through Weight Loss
It shows in the scorecard.
Luke Kerr-Dineen is a Golf.com writer who has lost 40 pounds and wrote about it. His conclusions were interesting:
- Better turn behind the ball: He was able to turn all the way behind the ball
- Improved stamina: No more tiredness at the back nine games
- Increased mobility: Increments the ability to attain optimal swing positions
- Better body image led to increased confidence which led to better course management.
Interestingly, after losing the 40 pounds, Kerr-Dineen lost 3 mph of the swing speed initially. And this is the interesting thing: he shot much faster. He was hitting more greens and fairways in spite of reduced distance.
The lesson? Not always do you shoot for reaching it longer, you shoot to better it.
The Walking Advantage: Make Golf Your 24 Hour Fat Burner
And here is a secret that a great majority of the golfers do not know: golf is your best weight loss weapon.
The enegy required in walking during 18 holes is about 1,200-2,000 calories based on the weight and difficulty of the golfing course. It is equal to a 5-mile walk or 3.5-mi runs.
However, this is how golf is so special, it does not seem to be worked out. You are concentrating on your shots and looking at the sceneries, as well as enjoying the company of playing partners. The fat burning occurs automatically.
Studies carried out at Rose Centre for Health and Sports Science revealed that golfers consume an average of 1,400 calories when they walk the course of an 18 hole game.
That was as compared to driving by a cart: you will only burn about half of the calories. The answer is quite clear when you are looking to lose weight.
Balance and Flexibility: The Sleeping Beauty Of Performance Boosters
Weight loss does not only influence your cardiovascular system it changes yours in terms of flexibility and balance.
Being overweight especially in the mid-section is physically constraining. It is as though someone was trying to swing with a heavy back pack on.
By losing weight a number of things happen:
- You are able to have greater rotation in your spine
- Your hips are free to turn without limits
- Your balance becomes better in the swing
- You are able to have better posture through the round
According to a research conducted by the Harvard Medical School, golfing does offer incredible cardiovascular advantages yet; this is only offered when the game is played by foot and keeping fit.
Mental Game Connection How Weight Loss is a Confidence Builder
Golf is 90 percent mental and your mental condition is straight related to your physical condition.
The more you feel good about your body, the more you are playing with a lot more confidence. You are shot at you would not be. You swing in a commitment rather than you steer the ball.
Losing weight will even bring you a better sleep. Good nights sleep translates into focusing in course. It implies less brain error and stable choices.
Investigations have indicated that golfers with improved sleep indexes possess low handicaps. Weight loss yields a domino effect: weight loss yields to better sleep and better sleep yields to better golf.
Realistic Ways to begin Your Golf-Improvement Weight Loss Voyage
Are you ready to change your game? This is what you should do:
On the course
- Go by foot, not by cart: Prefer to walk, when circumstances admit, rather than to use a cart
- Walk with your clubs: Save your energy: save some calories by carrying the clubs rather than pushing a cart
- Don t drink sugary sports beverages or beer: Avoid sugar by drinking only water
- Smart snack: Stop snacking on candy or chips, pack protein food instead
Off The Course
- Include cardio exercise: 3-4 times in a week of walking, cycling or swimming
- 1) Emphasis on core strength: Planks, rotation activity, and stabilities
- Be more flexible: do stretching or yoga every day
- Keep track of your progress: Keep the tab on your weight and your golf score also
Developing Permanent Sustainable Change
There is no magic and dramatic things, overnight shifts, but habits that work and are sustainable.
Start small. When you are used to riding a cart, you can walk only front nine. When you usually buy a hot dog at turn, bring a healthy sandwich.
Make attainable targets. Look forward to shedding 1-2 pounds each week and not 10 pounds in just one month. You expect your body to adjust and it takes time and also your golf swing requires time to adjust as well.
Monitor both of these: your weight and handicap. You will be surprised how well they would match up in time.
And note that this is not about turning into a fitness model. It is all about being the best golfer possible.
The weight loss and golf improvement thing is not a hypotheses, it is a reality supported by a lot of research and testified by thousands of golfers. Every pound you shed makes your body more flexible, your stamina increases and your overall performance game increases.
Your golf bag may contain your most valuable equipment in the way of clubs and training tools but the greatest performance enhancing tool you have may be as basic as shedding off weight. The golfer who takes the commitment to do it seriously is not only playing better-he also plays with more gusto, more satisfaction, and even finds himself more confident and often realizing that these are not going to be his last successful years in golf.
The next time you are angry at your game, accusing either your swing or your equipment isn t all. Be brutal to yourself. You could be on the scale waiting to see your scorecard improved.