Ask Golf Trainer Show #1
Thu, May 29, 2008
Three great golf questions for this segment of Ask Golf Trainer. First question relates to using the machines in a gym and not seeing improvement in driving distance or swing technique. The second one pertains to what is causing the golf swing fault of “coming out of your golf posture” at impact. The last question from a female golfer on upper back shoulder pain after the round for hours. Keep your questions coming by clicking the Ask Golf Trainer link at the very top of this page and I’ll do my best to answer it.
Also, please comment below by clicking the comment link. Now…I have a little game for you. I made a mistake in this video (actually many but they are all about being human and not a machine) see if you can find it and let us know by commenting below.
I mistakenly wore a shirt that has money depicted on it, but what you can’t see is it is a political shirt…oops! Sorry! I look forward to many more Ask Golf Trainer segments and video show.
Tags: Fitness, golf injury, golf swing faults
May 29th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Good stuff Mike, especially the tip about working out isolated muscles in the gym.
Also, loved the “Money” shirt!
May 29th, 2008 at 10:51 am
Hello Mike: This is a great blog!!! I speak from two different views: I’m very fit for my age (67) and enjoy picking up more fitness tips. #2: I’m currently teaching myself Internet Commerce, how to build sites, blogs, etc. What you are doing is right where I want to be. Good luck and keep up the great work. Paul O’Hara
May 29th, 2008 at 11:50 am
I am 69 and i have your golf stretching for a better swing I have a hard time do it should I stop and try something other than it?
May 30th, 2008 at 1:56 pm
Hi:
No don’t give up. I’m 62 and have been stretching and doing some weights and working with ribber bands, which are great. I have had training hits now of 350 yds +
I am hoping to get through to the World finals in Las Vegas. re/Max Longdrivers.
Keep doing the stretches but start them slowly and eat healthy. You will feel a lot better.
Good luck
gary
May 29th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
I best shots I take a small divot. Some shots I have no divot. What causes me to not stand down and rotate properly. These shots seem to be less piercing through the air. Not much spin.
4 hdcp.
May 29th, 2008 at 5:04 pm
I have 2 serious problems:
1-Unable to stay down and behind the ball on contact.
2-Unable to complete my back swing or follow through when ball is present.No problems when ball is not present.
September 16th, 2008 at 5:59 am
Your second problem sounds like tension. Start with a relaxed athletic set up stay. Take a few waggles to stay loose, and then pull the trigger. Remember, loose muscles move faster than tight ones. Try this, and you may find that it fixes your first problem too.
May 29th, 2008 at 12:38 pm
E-mail correction
May 29th, 2008 at 12:49 pm
Grip clubs in fingers, unfortunately age and actvity have caused fingers to be inflexible. Left ring finger is stiff and won’t close. Almost had to quit golf a few years ago due to pain in fingers. Have adjusted grip and grips and plan on playing as long as heart and legs hold out. Afraid fingers are having a set back, any exercises available to increase flexibility in 65+ year old fingers?
June 8th, 2008 at 7:20 pm
Waymon, had similar problems with arthritic fingers.
The following have help a lot
1. Omega 3 fish oil 1000mg - 6 capsules per day with meals
2. Scholl Gel Finger protector - cushions the impact on swollen
finger joints
3. Elmore Oil - rubbed into finger joints before playing
Like you at age 67 thought I would have to give up golf due to arthritic finger joints. That was 6 years ago and above have all but eliminated the problem. Looking forward now to playing a few more years, have just bought a new driver and am enjoying my golf.
June 8th, 2008 at 7:39 pm
Excellent advice Don! Thanks for sharing it with us:)
May 29th, 2008 at 12:51 pm
Thanks for all the info on your blog video. I am experiencing one of the worst golf season starts ever. It seems like I don’t get warmed up until the back nine. In my afternoon league, its easy as I do some treadmill, stretching and wgts, then visit our park district’s driving range.
For the morning leagues, the range doesn’t open until 7am and there isn’t enough time to hit some balls. I do the treadmill, stretching and wgts, along with a swing fan. A lot of this is nervousness and lost self-confidence after many disasterous rounds. I’ve lost a lot of distance from last year and am wondering if push-ups or increased wgts would help. I’ve lost wgt since last year(hoorah) and have been exercising over the winter. Any suggestions on the nerves and distance? Debbie from Peoria, IL
May 29th, 2008 at 1:50 pm
Your hair is parted on the reverse side from the picture above you. Either you started parting your hair on the opposite side or you reversed the video accidentally. Can’t really tell since you can’t see any books behind you.
May 29th, 2008 at 8:20 pm
Interesting comment
May 29th, 2008 at 1:55 pm
Thanks for stopping by Jon!!
May 29th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Lloyd,
“I am 69 and i have your golf stretching for a better swing I have a hard time do it should I stop and try something other than it?”
You can modify the program as much as you like. Don’t go as far on each stretch for starters. Also, don’t hold each stretch for more than say 5 -10 seconds maximum.
Let me know how that goes!
Mike
May 29th, 2008 at 1:57 pm
Thanks for the nice comment Paul! I’ll have to check out your blog!
Mike
May 29th, 2008 at 7:56 pm
Great first video blog…informative and helpful, but for my ’senior ears’ that don’t pick up the enunciations as well as in years past, could you speak a bit slower next time?
May 29th, 2008 at 8:10 pm
I’ll try to do better. Thank you for the feedback.
Mike
May 30th, 2008 at 6:32 am
Not bad Mike. I like the info. about the shoulders and exercises in the gym. I workout regularly, so this info. helps a lot. I am a beginner golfer and have not experienced any pain really. My hands feel funny however in the morning. Maybe because I am exercising them differently with learning to play golf.
Looking forward to the next one.
Rick
June 1st, 2008 at 8:41 pm
Rick,
You’re experiencing how physical the golf swing can be. It’s easy to get soreness and even aches and pains from golf, so why would any golfer not think it’s a physical sport that can do damage to your body UNLESS…you get in better shape to avoid injury and of course play better golf?
Stay tuned,
Mike
May 30th, 2008 at 7:17 am
Hello Mike..Your info is always right on. Enjoyed the blog video this morning BUT slow down a bit. Us old guys miss a word now and then. I don’t do the exercises often enough and my back gets tired after nine holes. If I buckle down and exercise more,wil it help? I have your ebook on exercise.
June 1st, 2008 at 8:49 pm
Harold,
I am always surprised (but maybe I shouldn’t be) by golfers who buy my products but don’t use them. I don’t know if it’s a motivation issue or what? You heard it hear first…
“A Broken Body Will NEVER Play Good Golf!”
…also…
“Prepare Your Body To Perform!”
These are MY PHRASES so if you EVER hear them anywhere else, someone yet again copied me
Yes…put my ebook to good use and watch your golf game soar!
Best,
Mike
May 30th, 2008 at 7:22 am
Great idea, well done, I look forward to much more. I have your exercise and stretching programs and am experiencing some very positive results. Thanks again. Dennis Jasinsky
June 1st, 2008 at 8:50 pm
Right on Dennis! Now “spread the word” about this awesome blog! I want a million golfers coming to this site and improving their games.
Hit’em LONG and Straight,
Mike
May 30th, 2008 at 7:31 am
I have the same problem with my back that you discussed on May 30th. For years my neck and shoulder ached after every round.
I talked to my Dr. and he scheduled an MRI of my neck, turns out I have a herniadated disc. My doc has given me a prescription for a lidocaine patch that I put on a couple of hours prior to my round and leave it on throughout. My Drs. physical therapist gave me excercises specifically for my shoulders to support my neck and this has helped immensly
Good Luck
June 1st, 2008 at 8:54 pm
See…you are doing exercises and feeling BETTER! Golfers take notice! Exercise for golf WORKS! Don’t picture how hard it is, picture LONGER drives, lower scores and a near PERFECT golf swing. That’s what you should be focusing on!!
Mike
May 30th, 2008 at 9:26 am
with a good fitness program do you still need a cardio plan, too or can you build endurance with fitness alone?
(i currently do treadmill 4-5 times a week.)
loved the first blog…keep ‘em coming.
bill
June 1st, 2008 at 8:57 pm
Absolutely! But more important is prioritizing your personal needs. If you need to lose weight, put more into cardio and eating better. If you need to improve flexibility stretch more. You get the idea.
Mike
May 30th, 2008 at 2:04 pm
Great site Mike.
Looking forward to the World’s in Las Vegas. Will keep you posted as to my developments and results.
regards,
gary
June 1st, 2008 at 7:53 pm
Very interesting first. Will ponder some comments.
June 3rd, 2008 at 8:57 am
What are the causes for the following :
At the range hitting a pitching wedge the impact feels “like a rock”. I don’t feel that I am compressing the ball. Distance is at least 1 club short.
I know range balls are “hard” but this is not what I am feeling.
I have been playing golf for many years. I’m not a beginner.
SAM
June 3rd, 2008 at 10:44 am
If it feels like a rock you are not getting solid ball to clubface contact. You are hitting it off-center. When you hit a ball “flush”, it rockets off the clubface and feels effortless. Try to slow your swing down til you can hit it solid. Hitting a ball solid is MUCH more important than swinging hard.
Mike
June 9th, 2008 at 4:15 pm
Mike I was especially interested in your comment about the weak shoulder muscles and the suggestion of doing rotator cuff exercies. My problem is mine is torn and in a unoperable state can I do thase also, I have your exercise video’s to draw from, which exercises could help me………..Thanks Joseph
June 9th, 2008 at 7:21 pm
can the incorrect shaft flex give this kind of result ?
December 9th, 2008 at 12:22 pm
Two questions for you Mike. What do you think of a product called the stretching pole. Would it make sense to do the same exercises with the stretching pole in addition to the swiss ball?
December 10th, 2008 at 2:13 pm
I find it difficult to make the downswing from the inside even if I know that I must do it that way. It really hurts my game (over the top, outside to in, slices and pulls)
December 13th, 2008 at 9:09 am
Mike:
I work out on a “total gym” daily. There is one “golf” exercise in the whole program, but others that I think help. My problem is not really a lack of fitness (I think), but rather a problem of pushing my irons to the right (sometimes a slice). I feel like my left arm passes the club head (ergo open face) and cannot seem to correct that. Doesn’t happen with my short irons, only my longer irons (3-6). Any suggestions???
March 1st, 2009 at 10:22 pm
Mike,
I’m a right-handed golfer and started getting occasional pain in my right inner elbow. I was given a Medicus driver and Medicus 5 iron for Christmas. Because I had them, I did a lot more practicing. My inner elbow pain continued and got a bit worse. A friend told me it was “golf elbow,” sort of related to tennis elbow and baseball pitcher’s tendinitis and was caused by bad swing habits. What can you tell me about this, I never even heard of golf elbow before.
Bob VanDeHey
April 12th, 2009 at 6:04 am
Mike,
I tried the shoulder stretch exercise to improve rotational posture and it does indeed feel great. Question: The picture shows stretching one shoulder at a time. I’ve found that I can stand slightly behind a doorway and use gravity (my body weight) and get the same feeling stretching both simultaneously by letting my body “fall” forward.Do you see a problem with this?
June 12th, 2009 at 8:02 am
Hi i tried to listen to you carefully, the only bit I thought wasn’t spot on was the bit about the feet staying in the same position throughout, like they’re static or something? I do belive legs move during the swing, the right one doesn’t as that’s the holding leg but left surely does!
Good stuff all of it, and that bit about weak rotator cuff muscles was a big eye opener!
June 24th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
I have been exercising daily since I subscribed to ‘Hitting Longer Drives’. I don’t know if I have increased my distance (I’ve only been at it a week) but I am hitting the ball better. I have to mentally think the shoulder turn in my golf swings now as in the past I was pretty much arm swinging. You had mentioned exercises to strenghten the wrists. Where can I find them or how do I subscribe to this feature. Also, I have had trouble becoming a part of your blog. Please add me to your site. Dean Maurer
July 9th, 2009 at 1:22 pm
hi mike just a few obserations on the comments about your excise programs.. nabbed you while browsing thru the uTube site and have been using your suggestions re: warm up exs and have found them to be brill and have followed them for the last 3 wks …great..also re the guy using the gym have been in that position myself worked out with my gym instr and she set me a program for all leg core and upper body special ref to the upper and lower back and I did’nt seem to get much from it even though I was getting more fexable and turning thru the swing 50% more than I had been when I mentioned this to her //she is not a golfer// she said I had to incorporate this with my practice and dont look for improvements too quickley she used an old Irish saying @@ Hasten slowly @@ by the way I’m 56 years old and have been fit all my life Rugy/Army etc., and still I found you ex program very good as I have always had tight hamstrings and so back pain also your use of the media to get your msg across great well done lad I recommend you to others hope they use it … Paul F Ireland
March 10th, 2010 at 6:42 am
Enjoyed the “Meet Morrie” video,but my question is how many reps and how sets per excercises?
September 13th, 2010 at 4:09 pm
great advise Mike. thank you for sharing your knowledge with us.
November 16th, 2010 at 6:58 am
Thanks for the tips, should help my game
November 16th, 2010 at 7:14 am
You’re welcome Jack!