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LEISURE - April 2004 Get in the Swing of Things
“I didn’t exercise much when I was younger,” Moody admits, “but I’ve found that if I exercise, I play better.” The exercises today – mainly stretching, work on his balance, and targeted exercises for his rotator cuff, shoulder and back – will help the golf pro strengthen the muscles in his legs and prevent fatigue. “People don’t always think about endurance with golf, but when it comes to holes 14-18, if fatigue starts to set in, the quality of the swing, and consequently the shots, tend to suffer,” says Drew Watts, a personal trainer at PROMATx, a Lexington health club. “Those four or five holes can really affect your score if you’re hitting poor shots half the time.” Watts has developed a golf conditioning program, the first such program in this area. The class includes strength training, cardiovascular workouts, and core/stability/flexibility training. Certified trainers lead the 12 sessions over four weeks. The program begins with an assessment of each participant’s overall flexibility, strength, and balance to give him or her a benchmark for improvement. Trainers then lead participants through exercises that address these fundamental skills, including, including work with weights, Bose balls and Swiss balls. The class is designed for all fitness levels, and there is enough staff support to help everyone, regardless of fitness level. The class progresses from a focus on basic strength movements to more advanced multi-joint exercises that improve neuro-muscular coordinates and efficient power production throughout the swing, according to Watts. Participants also work on rotator cuff muscles to improve shoulder range of motion and control of the club during the swing Moody, a member of the PGA Senior Tour, will make a guest appearance, offering pointers and tips about improving your golf game. In addition to training, the program also includes information about nutrition – an often misunderstood and overlooked part of fitness, according to Covington. Adequate hydration – drinking enough water – is a simple and yet vitally important part of playing your best golf. “Our bodies are 60 percent water, and need to be replenished,” Covington says. “You need more than you might think – some 10 to 12 glasses a day on average. All your organs function on water. When you don’t get enough, your body retains water, and it slows down other functions.” Adequate nutrition is also essential, according to Covington. “I am not talking about a diet,” she says. “I am talking about healthy eating – five or six smaller meals a day, with each meal containing carbohydrates for energy, proteins for muscle support and repair, and fats for energy and organ function.” Each participant in the golf conditioning class receives a nutrition guide that shows them the best sources for proteins, carbs, and fats as well as the amount they need. To find out more about the golf conditioning class, contact PROMATx at 859-299-8441. Debra Gibson is a staff writer for The Lane Report.
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is copyright 2004, Lane Communications Group The Lane Report is a trademark of Lane Communications Group. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. |
The gray carpet under Orville Moody’s feet today hardly resembles the lush, manicured grass he will be standing on in a few weeks, but Moody has learned that this is where he needs to be to prepare for a major golf tournament. In April, Moody will compete in the Legends Golf Tournament. Winner of the 1969 U.S. Open, Moody knows what it takes to be ready for a tournament, so now he heads to the gym as often as he heads to the green. 
“By improving your fitness, you improve your confidence, and your game gets better, which gives you even more confidence” says Carrie Covington, an owner of PROMATx. “You increase your flexibility, which enables you to rotate your trunk better. You enhance your stability, which gives you more balance. You increase your cardiovascular capacity, which helps you make more efficient use of oxygen and increases your endurance, and you improve your posture, which decreases your risk of injury.”