Virginia Golfer January/February 2014 | Page 16

Fit For Play Get Ready for Game Time A productive pre-round stretching session can help you hit your best shots when you tee it up by TOM CUNNEFF with CHRISTOPHER NOSS, American College of Sports Medicine certified trainer Illustrations by BARRY ROSS LEG SWING Hold onto one of the roof supports of a golf cart and slowly start swinging your right leg from front to back while coming up on the toe of your left foot to get the calf firing. Perform eight to 10 reps in both directions and then switch legs. Next, turn toward the cart and swing your legs from side to side in front of your body, again slightly elevating on the toes of the planted foot, while also letting your body rotate. The toe of your swinging leg should point skyward to loosen the hip socket. Finally, bend at the hips, grab the cart with both hands and bring one leg slightly forward and across the midline of the body. In order to get the most out of this exercise, move it back and up in a half moon arc to get the glute firing, keeping the leg slightly bent through the range of motion. ARMS MOVEMENT From a staggeredstance position, swing the arms along the side of your body above your head and behind your back. Allow your hips to rotate a little with each swing. Do five reps and then switch legs. Follow up the motion by spreading your feet shoulder-width apart. You’ll work the frontal plane by swinging the arms over your head and behind the back so that one hand is above the head while the other is behind the small of your back. Let the hips move from side to side in order to sense the compound movement that generates power and agility in the golf swing. Lastly, get in your golf posture with your arms extended straight out and start rotating, allowing your back arm to extend up while folding your front arm across your chest. SHOULDER STRETCH It’s imperative that the shoulders have a lot of flexibility and mobility so that you can ingrain the proper technique in your golf swing and prevent injuries. Facing away from a golf cart, reach back and grab one of the roof support arms and gently turn away five times to feel a nice little pulse in the deltoid muscle of the shoulder. Then, while holding on to the support arm, turn all the way around so that your body is perpendicular to the cart and your arm is stretched across your chest. Lean away from the cart gently five times to stretch out the rear deltoid before switching sides. Finally, to loosen up the hips, face the cart, grab a cross bar and lean back in a semi-squat position with arms extended in a straight line with your back. Bend the knee of the non-support leg and rest the ankle on the thigh of the support leg. As you sink into this motion, drive the knee of the non-support leg slightly toward the ground to feel a stretch through the hip of the non-support leg. Perform five reps and hold the last one for five seconds before switching to the other side. Co-author Tom Cunneff is a writer from Hilton Head, S.C., and a regular contributor to Virginia Golfer. 14 V IRGINIA G OLFER | J ANUARY/F EBRUARY 2014 Master_VSGA_JanFeb_2014_v20.indd 14 w w w. v s g a . o r g 1/3/14 11:40 AM ANDERSON AND DECKER: STEVEN GIBBONS/USGA PHOTO ARCHIVES; PORTYRATA: CHRIS KEANE/USGA PHOTO ARCHIVES; SAVAGE: ROBERT WALKER/USGA PHOTO ARCHIVES; HOLLANDSWORTH AND LAWRENCE: RICHMOND TIMES-DISPATCH PHOTO ARCHIVES; MOYERS: DAVE KNACHEL/VIRGINIA TECH ATHLETICS C hristopher Noss is a Charleston, S.C.-based conditioning coach who has worked with PGA Tour professionals for more than 20 years, including current clients Brian Gay, Rickie Fowler and Zach Johnson. In addition to spending time in the gym with his stable of players refining their strength and flexibility, he also prepares them to compete by incorporating an active full-body exercise regimen. “Doing a dynamic warm-up provides you with important feedback on areas of tightness, and allows the body to work specifically in each area and then as a holistic unit,” Noss says. “By performing an energetic warm-up, you will make your range session more effective and that should result in a more enjoyable time on the course.”