Thursday,Jul 9 2009, 04:03:35 PMRonald Bruce Romberg

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Over the years, I have been flooded with health and fitness questions from golfers of all ages and physical challenges. In this segment, I share with you a common concern of many golfers.

Here is a recent question from a reader:

"I am a 56-year-old man, with compromised flexibility. Other than my weekend golf game, my activity level has become sedentary. I spend hours sitting on my computer and have become very inflexible in my shoulders and upper back. My rounded shoulders are affecting my posture (making me look older than my age), causing discomfort and neck pain, and presenting numerous challenges in my golf swing. Any suggestions?"


- Stiff in Dallas

Because so many golfers experience pain in the lumbar spine, many fitness professionals have a tendency to focus only on this area. As a yoga teacher, I don't focus on just one area of a student's body. I take the entire structure into account. Often when one part of the body is compromised, the entire body is affected. Flexibility training for the upper back or thoracic region will affect flexibility of the lower back as well. The upper back is important for maintaining a correct spine angle and for supporting the head in the proper position.

The following exercises will create more turn in your swing, support better posture in your stance and give you a greater sense of strength in the upper body.
Cat/cow pose

While on all fours, place your hands directly under your shoulders, spreading your fingers as wide apart as possible. Inhale while drawing the navel toward your spine and pressing the spine to the ceiling, allowing your neck to completely relax. Exhale while pressing your spine toward the floor, rolling the shoulders away from your ears and lifting your head slightly. Press the thoracic spine toward the floor. Repeat 10 times.
Twisting tabletop

Begin on all fours, with your hands directly under your shoulders. Gently slide your left arm under your right, bringing your shoulder to the floor. Be gentle: You should not have any discomfort in your neck. Hold for five to 10 breaths. Switch sides.
Arms behind your back with strap stretch

Place a strap or towel in your right hand. Lift your arm with your palm facing you, then allow your forearm to fall behind your back. Place your left hand on your right elbow. Press down and hold for five breaths. Then reach around your back, grabbing onto the strap. Lift up while looking toward the ceiling. Repeat on the other side.
Chest opener - Optional forward fold

Place your feet 4 feet apart, bend your knees and draw your navel toward your spine. Reach behind you while either clasping hands together or using a towel to get the hands as close together as possible. Roll your shoulders open and hold for five to 10 breaths. For a deeper stretch, begin folding forward and allow your arms to fall over your head. Hold for five breaths.

Ronald Bruce Romberg Info

As we head into the colder months, and we leave thoughts of playing golf again till the spring, there is now a great opportunity for those of you who live in the colder climates, and those of you who get home from work too late to slip down to the course for a little practice, to work on that putting stroke, and improve it once and for all. Non of us want to make a change to our putting stroke during the season just in case it ruins rather that improves our score. However, we now have several months to perfect the stroke without worrying about score, only the correct stroke.


I have set up two 3x2x4" boards, standing them on the 2" side so that I have a high wall on either side. The width is determined by the width of you putter. Leave only a very small margin of error on each side. The cup is set up approx. 10 feet away (you do not want to practice longer putts, as this will effect your feel for long putts next spring).



I am making sure that my eyes are directly over the ball by holding the putter on the bridge of my nose and making sure the shaft falls directly over the ball.

Goals:

1. To get the putter head moving between the boards without touching

2. To finish the stroke with the putter face still at 90 degrees to your intended line.


and not with the toe out in front of the hell.


3. To set yourself a target of holing at least 50 in a row. This will build the self-confidence in your subconscious to make it believe that you cannot miss from that range.

Work on this and the chipping drill I will give next month, and your short game should be sharper than it has ever been come next spring. Good Luck!!

Ronald Bruce Romberg

Bruce Romberg Articles:
Bob Wilson is a member of the Manchester Golf Club in Bedford, N.H. He is a 12-handicap who has been golfing for 47 years, the last three decades of which, without the use of his legs from the knees down.

Wilson is a bilateral amputee as the result of an accident while serving in the U.S. Navy. He is also the executive director of the National Amputee Golf Association (NAGA), editor of Amputee Golfer magazine, and founder, lead instructor, and coordinator of the First Swing Program, which teaches golf to the physically challenged.


For golfers who think the sport is plenty hard enough, even with four working limbs, Wilson’s story sounds remarkable. As it turns out, however, there is a sizable subsection of golfers today who have overcome mobility issues in order to play the game they love.
Inspirational stories

No reliable statistics exist as to the number of people with disabilities who play golf, but according to Wilson, a PGA survey indicated that 24 percent of golfers are not playing due to “injury.” And according to John Hikel, owner of Total Access Golf, a distributor for SoloRider single-rider golf cars especially (but not solely) designed for players with mobility limitations, 22 percent of paralyzed veterans express an interest in playing the game.

Hikel can provide innumerable stories of inspiration and awe from his years of working and playing with disabled golfers. “I watched a golf tournament for amputees several years ago,” he recalls, “and was absolutely amazed at the ability of people with some severe amputations to play the game. I saw a man with one arm and only three fingers, and prosthetics for both legs, hit a 200-yard drive down the middle of the fairway, and hit his second shot on the green. Many golfers with no disability cannot do that!”

Martin Ebel, a Massachusetts attorney, was injured in 1983 and lost both of his legs above the knee. Like Bob Wilson, Ebel values golf as more than just a pastime. “For me, golf is the one thing that I still enjoy as I did before my accident, and playing makes me feel like I am not disabled,” he says. “I know this is true of many amputees – we simply do not feel disabled on the course when we are making golf shots and enjoying the camaraderie of the game.”

Unfortunately, disabled (and senior golfers who have lost mobility) find course access to be a major barrier to their participation in the sport. “On the course we face lots of resistance from the golf industry,” says Ebel. “Generally, golf facilities are not particularly accessible to people with disabilities and unfortunately there are people that take advantage of the accommodations that some golf courses do offer, even though they do not need the accommodations.”
Complying with the law

The Americans With Disabilites Act (ADA) covers public and semi-private golf courses, ensuring that such facilities be accessible to the disabled. Nevertheless, adherence to the law has come only grudgingly.

As reported on the SoloRider website, a landmark 2002 settlement in Indianapolis unambiguously established the rights of disabled golfers. In the settlement the city of Indianapolis agreed with the U.S. Department of Justice “to make necessary changes at all twelve of their municipal golf courses to comply with the requirements of Title II of the American Disability Act (ADA).”

John Hikel, who as a distributor of SoloRider golf cars has an obvious stake in the issue, points out “Most golf courses are either not accessible or do not have a single rider golf car that meets the needs of many disabled people.” He stresses that the ADA “specifically defines golf courses as places of public accommodation.”

Hikel advises golfers with disabilities to be persistent, and to know their rights. “Some people may encounter a golf course that is not accessible and does not welcome a person with a disability,” he explains. “We suggest that the disabled person try to talk with the owner…and encourage them to make accommodation. If refused after sincere and reasonable effort, contact the USGA, National Golf Course Owners Association, SoloRider, and/or local government organizations concerned with discrimination. Hopefully, without civil action, the golf industry will become fully accessible sooner rather than later.”

In addition to the courts, the ruling bodies of golf have also recently moved to embrace disabled golfers. In 1984, Bob Wilson worked to change the decision of golf (14-3/15) regarding artificial devices. According to Wilson, “My lengthy dissertations with (then USGA Executive Director) P. J. Boatwright focused on retention of amputees in the game. Maybe that was the underlying reason for the recent publication of the ‘Modification of the Rules of Golf’ by the USGA and the R&A, which encompasses all forms of disabilities.”
Advances, accessibility, and acceptance

Making a course accessible means more than installing wheelchair ramps into the clubhouse. It also means allowing single-rider carts, such as the SoloRider, onto courses. According to Hikel and SoloRider users such as Martin Ebel and Bob Wilson, course owners and greenkeepers have to overcome a number of prejudices and fears before they embrace these carts.

First and foremost among these concerns are cost and damage to the course. With respect to cost, Hikel points out that “Compliance with the law is far less expensive than a lawsuit, and besides, it's the right thing to do."

With respect to potential damage to the course, new, well-designed auxiliary aids such as the SoloRider feature wide tires and weight distribution schemes that leave imprints on the greens no more sever than those left by golf shoes. As such, the carts are safer for both the course and the golfers than traditional options.

Martin Ebel relates how the new cart technology has helped him enjoy the game: “When I first started playing golf after my accident, I used a wheelchair. The narrow tires were hard on the greens, so I did not putt to avoid damaging them. There were also difficulties in getting from shot to shot in a wheelchair. Eventually, I, like many disabled golfers, began using a three-wheeled scooter to play golf.

"While better than a wheelchair for hitting the ball and not damaging the course, the scooter was not particularly stable. I would regularly fall out of the scooter or tip it over.” Ebel was eager to try the adaptive single-rider cars like the SoloRider when they hit the market. He credits the SoloRider for providing him access to courses, as well as adding ten yards to his shots.

Finally, disabled golfers also have to overcome the preconceptions of able-bodied golfers. Ebel stresses that “Most of us (at least members of the NAGA) also cannot stand slow play. We much prefer four hour rounds to six hour rounds and are painfully aware that we are seen (usually inaccurately) as the cause of slow play.”

Pat McDonald, a parapalegic from the mid-chest down who carries a 1.7 handicap index and teaches golf to other disabled golfers, describes the reactions of able-bodied golfers who watch him swing for the first time as usually “all good.” Nevertheless he says, “They’re shocked when I’m on the green in two and they’re still pitching up.” McDonald adds, “There have been a handful of times when I joined up with a threesome, and by the 13th or 14th hole, one disappears. I ask where he’s gone, and they say he’s quit. Why? Because a guy in a wheelchair is kicking his butt.”

Bob Wilson offers the best way to think about golfers with disabilities: ”We are all golfers who play against the golf course, not each other. If playing the game simply means ‘hitting the ball,’ then there is no difference between us.”

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Welcome to "the beach" is a term all golfers have come to know at some point in their golfing careers. Escaping a sand trap or bunker is often one of the most intimidating shots to execute, and can often leave a golfer discouraged.

I believe that this game is 60 percent mental and 40 percent physical; therefore what we see and believe we will do with a golf club is most of the time what does happen. Often I hear my students say how they dread the sand and can't get out.

I bet if you think back to when you had difficulties in the sand, you had made a negative comment to yourself before executing the plan. The lesson today will help you picture your ball rising out of the sand and enable you to have confidence in the execution as well. There are only two reasons why at times we can't get the ball out of the sand: Once you make contact with the sand you don't follow through, or perhaps you took too much sand that resulted from hitting too far behind the ball.


The general rule is to aim two inches behind the ball so you are in a sense "lifting" the ball with the sand. To start, make sure you take a practice swing outside the hazard area-you may not ground your club in a hazard until you are making the forward motion of your intended swing.

Next, enter the "beach" and plant your feet firmly in the sand. We want to set the clubface open so the toe is pointing slightly right of the target while your hands are square with your target.

Then, considering I am in a bunker within 30 yards of the green, I am going to make what we call a "V" swing. This swing has a direct angle to it-like you are picking your club up and then coming through to finish.

When we are close to the green we must create this angle which will get the ball out of the sand and has a higher trajectory to then sit on the green. As I take my club back, my hands hinge to make them strong and then I continue up until my hands are even with my hips. At this point, I pull the end of the club down and I aim generally two inches behind the ball accelerating through the sand and making a full finish.

Aiming two inches behind the ball can often end up to be five or more inches or no sand at all! I recommend practicing by drawing a line in the sand and practice making contact with that line over and over again. If you find you are hitting in front of the line, you are probably using too much wrist action-scooping the ball instead of letting your arms pull through the sand. On the other hand, if you are hitting the sand after the line you are pulling your shoulders over the ball instead of under it-perhaps timid of making contact with the sand.

Imagine your ball sits on a pillow. In order for you to lift the ball, you must lift the pillow-that's why we aim two inches behind the ball!

Now you can look forward to entering the sand and successfully executing your shot! Think positively and finish you swing!
Golf Tip of the Month: Uphill and Downhill Lies

Whether in a hazard or on a fairway, we've all encountered uncomfortable situations as far as where our ball lies. Here are a few helpful hints: UPHILL LIE: Slant your shoulders up the slope, and play the ball off your left foot. Make sure your weight favors your left side for balance, aim slightly right of the target, and swing arms up the slope. DOWNHILL LIE: Slant your shoulders down the slope, and play the ball off your right foot.


Bruce Romberg
Bruce Romberg:
How can you develop more power in your golf swing? That's probably a question that almost all of us want an answer to.

Most of us go to great lengths to do whatever it takes to get that power into our drives off the tee. I think we probably all have some ideas of where 300-yard drives come from, but I want to give you the answers without any fluff.

Golf swing power is the result of three specific factors. Two out of the three are much more important, but the third does have a bearing on the outcome of how far you hit that ball.


The first and probably most evident of the three is your swing mechanics. You're probably not surprised by this one.

No. 2 is what we term "golf strength." This is defined as how well your body is conditioned (i.e. fitness) to swing a golf club with maximum power. It's probably the least understood of the three and maybe the most needed by golfers in general. We'll talk more about this later.

No. 3 is your equipment. Yes, equipment does make a difference in how far you drive the ball. The equipment manufacturers have let this fact be known and I'll bet we have all gone to the golf shop - probably more than twice - to pick up a new driver that claims to give us another 20 yards on every drive.

That extra 20 yards might not be down the middle of the fairway, but it will give you an extra 20 yards -- it could be left, could be right or it could be in the center of the fairway. That all depends on points No. 1 and No. 2 of this article.

Equipment and technological advances have definitely lengthened the distance of our drives. But without better swing mechanics and your body in better golf shape, new technology won't help your game. A bad swing will produce a bad result, regardless of what type of new driver you may have just purchased.
Swing mechanics

I think all of us are aware of how important the mechanics of a swing are when it comes to driving the ball down the fairway. It's essential, if you are over the top with your swing or come inside too much, you'll see that dreaded slice or snap hook. The drives will be short, too low, too high, left, right, or a combination of these if you're putting bad swings on the ball.

It's essential for a golfer to work on the mechanics of their swing, week in and week out, to improve their game. If it weren't important why would all these tour players have swing coaches that work with them on a consistent basis? The golf swing is such a finite, mechanically complex movement, that requires constant work to keep it highly efficient and in check.

One of the most common mistakes I see amateurs make is probably a lack of instruction. I see amateurs over and over at the driving ranges, week in and week out, pounding balls without any improvement. This, I feel, is a result of one of two things: A lack of instruction and/or low levels of golf strength.

A lack of instruction leads to the development and ingraining of improper swing mechanics. This only results in slices, hooks, topping the ball and hitting it fat on the course. And we all know that those types of swings lead to frustration and bad rounds of golf.

I would suggest to most anyone to find a good instructor and take lessons on a consistent basis. This can only help your game in the long run.
Golf strength, fitness

Golf strength is a term we use to describe the golf fitness level of an individual pertaining to swinging a club. This is much different than how much you can bench press or squat, which I like to refer to as "weight room strength."

Understand that these two terms, golf strength and weight room strength, are very different. If you don't quite understand the difference, ask yourself one question: How many bodybuilders do you see teeing it up on tour? The answer to that question is quite obvious, none!

It comes down to this idea: the mechanics of a golf swing require specific levels of flexibility, balance, stability, strength, endurance and power to perform it efficiently. If your body does not have the required capacities of the aforementioned list, then the result will be a less than optimal and less efficient swing than possible.

Essentially, your body supports your swing much like a foundation supports the house you build upon it. I'm sure that all of you would choose to build a house on a stone foundation rather than a sand foundation, wouldn't you? I will say that many of you make a different choice when it comes to your golf swing. I quite often see amateurs developing their swing on a foundation of sand - not a good thing to do in my book.

Regardless of how much time you work on your swing mechanics, if your body doesn't have the golf strength to support your swing, you are limiting your potential. I have seen it numerous times: People practicing at the range who struggle, not because of trying to get better, but because their bodies are limiting what they can do with their swing.

Quite often I see people with limited flexibility, poor balance capabilities and low levels of strength and power. The bottom line is that your mechanics won't get better until you fix the body that swings the club.

A review of the topics tells us that they are optimal swing mechanics and the proper levels of golf strength in the body. One without the other is going to leave you short when it comes to your potential in the game.

Again, I probably see point No. 2 (golf strength), being addressed less often than swing mechanics when you get right down to it. The pros are all aware of the importance of golf strength, so you should be, too.
Equipment

We've come to the final point and that deals with equipment. I think the majority of golfers are aware of the technological advances that have occurred in golf equipment over the last 20 years.

Think about the '80s when we were still playing with woods that actually had wood club heads. Now we're using drivers with space age faces that shoot the ball off of them at warp speed.

In addition, we have to mention the advances in terms of golf balls. How manufacturers design golf balls today makes a huge difference in how far they travel.

What a lot of people don't realize is that the USGA has set standards on how "hot" driver faces can be and how fast balls can come off the face of drivers. Most clubs are reaching this limit and anything past these USGA rules becomes illegal to play.

So what does improving your power really come down to? It comes down to three simple ideas:

No. 1 is improving your golf swing mechanics. Improved mechanics will improve your driving distance.
No. 2 is improving your golf strength. By improving your body as it pertains to the golf swing you will improve your distance off the tee.
No. 3, equipment does make a difference - if you hit the ball correctly.


Ronald Bruce Romberg Bio

Ever since Tiger Woods stormed onto the scene blasting the ball down the fairways, there has been a strong push for golfers to integrate strength training into their "bag" of fitness and conditioning regimens. From my perspective as a performance-enhancement specialist, it is wonderful to see athletes improving their performance through strength-training programs. However, strength training for golfers is only effective if it produces the desired results on the course. There are several key areas of the body in which increasing strength will help improve performance on the golf course. One of these areas is a set of muscles known as the posterior chain. In this article, I will describe how to strengthen this group of muscles.

The posterior chain consists of the following muscles:


Hamstrings -- Muscles on the back of the upper leg

Gluteals -- "Butt" muscles

Erector Spinae -- Muscles of the lower back

Latissimus Dorsi -- Muscles on the outside of the upper back

High levels of strength and flexibility in the posterior chain will greatly enhance your stability as well as your ability to:

perform a consistent address posture

perform powerful rotations of the trunk during the back swing and follow-through

perform a powerful rotation and extension of hips during follow-through maintain a consistent swing throughout the round, thus reducing fatigue distribute forces properly in order to reduce the potential for injury

Here are four exercises that will increase strength and flexibility in the posterior chain:

Glute-Bridge with pullover

Horse stance

Waiters bow

Overhead squat

Exercise Protocol: Two or three sets of 10 to15 repetitions each of any two of the exercises two to three times per week. Increase your resistance only after you have perfected each movement.

Tips for making the exercises more effective:

Always stand with good posture.

Always slightly retract and depress your shoulders (press them down and back.) Maintain this position throughout the movement.

Practice the "Drawing-In Maneuver." This is a function of the inner musculature of the torso, the inner unit muscles. One of the inner unit's main functions is to stiffen the torso in preparation for work, e.g., lifting weights. The easiest way to learn to perform the "Drawing-in Maneuver" is to lie flat on your back, relax and perform diaphragmatic breathing. When done properly, your stomach should rise when you inhale and fall when you exhale. When your stomach falls, you want to hold that contraction. This is the most basic form of the "Drawing-in Maneuver."

Always to try to maintain a neutral spinal curvature, which means that you are neither overarching nor rounding your back.

Always try to keep your knees in line with the center of your feet. Don't let your knees cave in or bow out.

Start with no weight and perfect the movement, then choose a light weight.

So there you have it. Four posterior chain exercises for golf-specific strength and stability that will have you well on your way to shooting lower scores! Enjoy.

NOTE: Before beginning any exercise or dietary program, consult with your physician to ensure that you are in proper health and that any exercise or dietary program you undertake will not put you at risk.







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