Met a wonderful teaching pro in Tucson, Jim Kirwan, who tells me there is a secret to golf! Hmmm I wonder???
The 3 keys he tells me are…
- 1. proper placement of the hands,
- 2. proper stance and posture
- 3. a consistent, repeatable, and trustable routine with a good finish.
Sounds easy!! Now comes the dreaded PRACTICE part!!! but with a different spin! Only 15 – 20 minutes/day with your focus on the 3 keys above. When you commit to this routine you will be …
***Swinging with a ‘consistent pace of swing’ that creates effortless power.
Now, pick your target – a positive target – generally above the horizon, a cloud, a tall tree, a crane, aim at it, and swing away!
This could work for you! TRY IT!!
And if you are in Tucson, look up Jim for a lesson!
Are you getting enough sleep? Research suggests that 90% of us need more that 7+ hours of sleep!
Here are interesting facts about sleep….
- Sleepiness causes more accidents than drunk driving.
- Poor sleep can increase pain from arthritis, fibromyalgia and other conditions.
- Sleep problems emerged with the advent of the light bulb, when people no longer lived by daylight and nighttime patterns.
- Untreated sleep apnea makes a person 2 – 3 times more likely to have a heart attack.
Can’t sleep? Try…..
- Reserve your bedroom for sleep and intimacy
- Maintain a cool but not a cold temperature
- Create a quiet dark environment. Block out light.
- Turn off the TV, computer, cell phone and other distractions.
Good night, Good golf!
Still here at Canyon Ranch, recognized as the #1 fitness facility in the US – lucky me! A lecture I attended (thanks Dr Dedhia) revealed the following causes of weight gain in the 20th Century as follows…
- Trans Fats – rise of processed foods
- Soft Drinks – sugar consumption, rise of sweet index
- Refrigerators – greater availability of food
- Cars/Computers/TV’s – sedentary lifestyle
- Electric lights – reduced sleep time
- 24/7 Expectations – “normalcy” of stress
Did you know – the average American adult will gain ~ 22 lbs from age 25 til 55? – an increase in 1 lb in weight will equal 4 lbs on the knees? – the average American now comsumes 140 lbs of sugar/yr?
Is there a solution to rising obesity? Think!!! ….balance your food intake with your activity! …or, calories IN balanced with calories OUT/BURNED.
Will head to a lecture on Sleep tomorrow – will keep you posted!
Thanks to a dear friend I am spending a week at Canyon Ranch Fitness Resort in Tucson AZ! Among the mega list of programs offered here is a golf program. I was delighted to meet John Bell the PGA Teaching Pro who runs the program….he has been an avid fan of the pink book and had 6 books sitting on his desk when I dropped in.
In a golf session John asked me to do a pitch shot….then compared it to one by Annika Sorenstam!!! A true revelation for me – and great tips!
Between hiking, swimming, and tough fitness classes, I am off to a couple of lectures – will keep you posted!
The latest LPGA Major tournament was held in London, Ontario, Canada. At the conclusion of the tournament, the major sponsor, Canadian Pacific presented a cheque to the community hospital for $1,100.045. It is reported that golfers, via tournaments, contribute more than the “big boys” (NHL, NFL, NBA) combined.
Another interesting note was that the players were also challenged. For each birdie during the 4 day tournament, CP donated $5,000…and there were 68 birdies! Nice work!
A couple of things that I’d not mentioned in yesterday’s blog…
– Weather! all volunteers had to be alert and ready to respond to weather changes… ie a storm with lightning required that the course be evacuated. Often this was the responsibility of the Transportation Committee.
– Uniforms for volunteers (over 1000!) had to be issued. Usually a t-shirt and a hat/visor…occasionally tournaments require the volunteer to pay a nominal fee for these items.
– Vendors – often a large area/tent was set up for sellers of golf paraphernalia.
Lots to learn for a volunteer – a super way to spend a few days!
Tournament location is designated at least 2 years before the event. A steering committee will start planning at that time. Approx 12 Committees will be required
1000 – 1400 volunteers will be required to look after Players, Caddies, Sponsors, VIP’s, Volunteers, Spectators, Rules Officials, and Media.
I was lucky to CoChair a Hospitality Committee for a LPGA Major with the following responsibilities…
- Hospitality Desks – airport, host hotel, and golf course
- Locker room
- Transportation – donated vans driven continually between the golf course, airport and hotel
- Billets – for those not choosing to stay at the hotel
- Day care – personnel were responsibility of the sponsor, but securing a location with specific criteria was ours
- Hairdresser – needed a hairdresser and a proper chair
Other areas requiring volunteers
- Golf course…marshalls, walking scorers, scoreboard(s), spotters, crowd control
- Food & Beverage had to cater to the players, caddies, VIP’s, volunteers, media rules officials and the media.
- Special Events organized the opening and closing ceremonies.
AND MANY OTHERS…tickets, parking lots, restrooms, bleachers, first aid, security, corporate tents,…..
IF YOU HAVE AN OPPORTUNITY TO VOLUNTEER – GO FOR IT!
“G -day mates”……the most common greeting down here!
Yesterday was our last golf day in Adelaide – a beautiful, well laid-out city of 1.2 million. Again, fortunate to play on the Royal Adelaide Golf Course.
Golfers in Australia use the Stableford scoring system – this is a popular formula used around the world but seldom in North America. Using one’s handicap, the scoring is …3 points for a Birdie, 2 for a Par, 1 for a Bogey…ideally(!!!) if you are playing to your handicap you would score 36 points. If you cannot score any points on a hole – that is if you have hit the little ball toooooo many times, you will pick up….therefore the game can move quickly.
Off on the Great Ocean Road – an 800 km trip along the south Australian coast – playing golf a couple of times en route and ending in Melbourne – a city of 4.07 million!
“Have a good one”
Thanks for coming to this website – it is different than before and is in the midst of another change!
Since I am playing golf in South Australia…thought I’d share some thoughts…
– Common to pull carts across the tee boxes and the greens….however please don’t drop the flag on the green!
– I have found the game to be different here due to the grass. the fairways are a short, hard, compact grass (think berber carpet), and therefore you can count on lots of roll…but it is a bump and run as you approach the green – no beautiful high shots – very difficult to stop the ball on the green before it rolls to the sand at the back!
– A new scoring system is in place here – the scorecard is 3″x 12″ and after being marked is put into a computer….the little man in the computer does the rest of the work!
– Two courses I have been privileged to play = Royal Adelaide and Kooyoonga – both considered world class.
Off to pet the koalas (no, they are not bears!) and feed the kangaroos….will keep you posted!