Virginia Golfer May/June 2014 | Page 19

Turning Points Fit For Play Loosen your joints to develop a dynamic, on-plane swing by SCOTT FEDISIN with TOM CUNNEFF Illustrations by BARRY ROSS A lthough there are a lot of moving parts to a golf swing, the shoulders and hips are the engines that create power, so it’s vital that they stay strong and flexible. “The shoulder is the part of the body that moves the most, next to your hands,” says Scott Fedisin, who works with a number of PGA T professionals. “But our it’s important to separate the upper and lower body. You want the shoulders and hips to be individually strong so they can separate to create more power in your swing.” You can do the following exercises at home or at the gym with resistance tubing, a foam roller and a medicine ball. (When using resistance tubing, start with the green color since it provides moderate resistance—the darker the color of the tubing, the stronger the resistance.) HIP SWEEP Position a foam roller upright while holding a lightweight medicine ball in front of your chest so you’re not moving the upper body. Thereafter, alternate the legs up and over the roller, starting with the legs moving inside to out, then outside to in. The leg on the ground is primarily responsible for generating stability and strength in the exercise, while the moving leg is working the range of motion. Do 10 reps to the outside and 10 to the inside on each leg. Co-author Scott Fedisin is a Nike Golf NG360 Golf Performance Specialist based at the Sea Island Golf Learning Center in St. Simons Island, Ga. Co-author Tom Cunneff is a writer from Hilton Head, S.C., and a regular contributor to Virginia Golfer. SIDE-STEP WITH SQUAT This simple motion is great to improve hip and glute strength and lateral stability. All you need to do is stand sideways on a step with your left leg. Then quickly raise your right knee up to chest level before placing the foot back on the floor and squatting down into it. Do 10 brisk reps before switching legs. REACH BACKS These two exercises increase the shoulder’s range of motion and help promote the separation between the upper and lower body. With the tubing at chest level and your feet spread shoulder width apart, extend both arms and grab the handle with your right hand. Pull the handle all the way back behind you with your arm outstretched. Keep your left arm extended in front and your head and hips facing forward. Alternate hands with each return of the handle. Do two sets of 10 on each side. Next, get in a static-lunge position with the right leg forward and the left leg back. Grab the handle with both hands outstretched and rotate side-to-side with both arms. Perform 10 reps on each side, then switch legs. One Pay, Two Play. Unlimited Golf. We call this “Tee for Two.” Starting from $320, escape for an overnight stay of epic golf. For the price of one player, two can experience luxury accommodations and 45-holes of unlimited championship golf on courses designed by Robert Trent Jones, II and Greg Norman. Call 888-541-4757 or visit LansdowneResort.com. Promo Code: VSGA14 44050 Woodridge Parkway, Leesburg, VA 20176 30 miles west of Washington, D.C. w w w. v s g a . o r g Master_VSGA_MayJune14.indd 17 * Some restrictions may apply. M AY / J U N E 2 0 14 | V I R G I N I A G O L F E R 17 5/1/14 12:43 PM