Fit for Play
Walking
Or Riding?
The Many Benefits of Ditching the Cart
by DAVE POND
IF YOU WANT TO take your physical fitness to the next level,
skip the cart and walk your next round, says Chrissy Griffiths,
golf professional at Ford’s Colony Country Club (Williamsburg)
and fitness director at Fredericksburg Country Club.
“Walking improves blood flow to all parts of your body,” said
Griffiths, a Level 3 TPI Certified Golf Fitness Professional. “This is
essential for proper oxygen and nutrient delivery, as well as carbon
dioxide removal from muscles and all body tissues. Walking basically
helps your whole body function better.”
In addition, bypassing the cart corral and heading straight to the
course can offer several significant symptomatic benefits that you’ll
begin to feel right away—even during your round.
• Less stiffness in joints and muscles
• Improved range of motion
• Improved brain function
• Reduction in anxiety/depression
And let’s not forget the fat-burning effects of prolonged moderate-intensity
exercise. Griffiths said walking the course at least
once a week is a great way to get cardiovascular exercise and tap
into your body’s fat storage.
“Sitting in a golf cart is not good for our bodies,” she said. “Our
bodies were made for walking, squatting, jumping, pushing, pulling
and most importantly for getting up off that chair—not for sitting
in a cart.”
PEAK PERFORMANCE
Griffiths, whose passion for the game includes both golf swing analysis
and physical fitness, said sitting for too long can actually cause
a golfer’s hip flexors and back muscles to tighten up, limiting their
ability to make a full “turn” in their swing. Sitting also contributes
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V IRGINIA G OLFER | S EPTEMBER/O CTOBER 2020
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