Excited For Ontario Golf Courses To Open? Boost Your Golf Game Now With At-Home Exercises

January has finally come to a close, but winter isn’t going anywhere quite yet. Unfortunately, the cold is here to stay for another month or two.

This means your dreams of visiting local Ontario Golf courses is still quite a ways off!

But just because you're stuck inside doesn’t mean you can’t start preparing for the golf season ahead. With summertime activities around the corner, you only have a few months to get back into mid-season shape.

In fact, when you look at it that way, time is running out!

If you were planning on improving your golf game before getting back on the greens, today is the day! And our Picton golfing experts are here to help!

It’s time to get your head (and physique) back in the game. Keep reading for fitness tips and healthy habits to help get you back into mid-season form.

 

Strength Training For A More Powerful Golf Swing

Staying in shape during the winter months is a common suggestion for all athletes. In fact, strength and flexibility training is as important for golfers, as it is for any other sport! This is especially important here in Eastern Ontario with the long winter break from the game. As a golfer, staying in shape all winter long can hugely impact that first-day-back performance. 

Strength training can improve your swing like no other exercise, giving you a more powerful stroke, improving your balance and enhancing your form. It can also help you to avoid pain, ward off over-exertion and prevent the risk of injury.

When you, as a golfer, focus on training specific muscle groups, the performance results are unmatched (just like you’ll be on your first day back!).

DID YOU KNOW that as you swing your golf club, you're actually engaging more than your arm muscles? Some of the main muscles you’re utilizing include your shoulders, back, quads and abdominal muscles.

That’s why we recommend focusing on strengthening your upper body, lower body and core as a whole. If you don't, you could lose power in your swing, your balance and your stabilization. Giving you an unhealthy form, leading to potential muscle strain and causing poor performance.

Below are some practical exercises to help strengthen these muscle groups:

Upper Body Exercises

Strengthening your upper body is vital when preparing for a strong, balanced swing. This will allow you to have greater control over the club and increase the power behind your stroke.

Looking for arm and shoulder exercises you can incorporate within your home workout? Try push-ups and pull-ups!

Or, if you have access to weights and/or barbells at home, deadlifts are also a great option! They can help you target and strengthen your lower back muscles.

DID YOU KNOW: It is common for your lower back to experience strain and injury during a swing. That's why it is crucial that you focus on strengthening it during the off-season. Not only will you help prevent potential injury, but you will also put more power behind your drive.

Lower Body Exercises

Strengthening your lower body muscles is also important especially your quadriceps!  These muscles support the balance and stability of your backswing and downswing.

Lower body exercises you can add to your home workout routine include squats and lunges. 

• Squats target the quadriceps, buttocks, hamstrings, groin, hip flexors and calves. 
• Lunges target the abdominals, back muscles, buttocks, quadriceps, hamstrings and calves.

Core Exercises

Your core is also a key muscle group to strengthen during the off-season. As you strengthen your core, you are developing rotational strength. This, if done correctly, can give you more impactful torque in your backswing.

Some of the at-home core exercises you can practice include:

a) Russian twists,

b) Planks and

c) Sit-ups.

NOTE: While strengthening your core is important, focusing on the flexibility of your core is also crucial. Especially in developing an effective swing. 

This leads us into our next fitness tip - flexibility training!

 

Flexibility Training For A Wider Range Of Motion

Strength is practically useless without flexibility. That’s why strength training and flexibility training go hand-in-hand. 

With improved mobility, you’ll have a wider range of motion. Allowing you to fully use the strength you’ve gained!

Improving your flexibility can also help you:

a) Warm-up before a round,

b) Reduce pain during a swing and

c) Prevent the risk of injury.

Here are a few at-home stretches that can help improve your flexibility and golfing performance:

1. Kneeling Hip Stretches

A kneeling hip stretch can help increase the flexibility within the front of your hips. Making it easier to complete your swing.

2. Calf Stretches

Calf stretches can help increase the range of motion in your ankle. This can then improve your balance and prevent strain/injury.

3. Standing Quad Stretches

We’ve already mentioned how important it is to strengthen your quad muscles. But it’s equally as important to regularly stretch them as well. This can help increase your balance and stability as you swing.

4. Wrist Stretches

Wrist stretches can help increase the range of motion in your wrists, giving you a smoother and steadier swing. After all, isn't it “all in the wrist”? 

5. Shoulder Stretches

Shoulder stretches are great for increasing the range of motion in your shoulder joints. This prevents too much restriction in your swing.

6. Torso Twist (Against Wall)

Torso twists also help increase your torso’s range of motion. This allows for increased mobility in both the wind-up and completion of your swing.

 

Healthy Habits To Get You Back Into Mid-Season Form

Nutrition

Fueling your body with the proper nutrients is always a good idea! Golf is a sport that involves focus, strength and energy, all things that can improve with a healthy diet.

Eating the proper nutrients will help you stay energized and focused. It can also promote muscle growth and prevent low blood sugar.

Sleep

Having consistent and adequate sleep is extremely important for everyone. Whether you are an athlete or not! This rest is essential in helping our bodies regulate their day-to-day functions. Keeping our bodies healthy, alert and energized.

Without sleep, we can become inattentive, irritable and anxious. Our performance declines and our energy levels plummet!

Are you getting enough sleep?

According to the Public Health Agency of Canada, as an 18 to 65-year-old, you should be getting between 7-9 hours of sleep. And if you are 65+, you should be getting 7-8 hours.

Hydration

Hydration is also a key aspect of keeping your body alert, energized and functioning at its best.

Benefits Of Properly Hydrating Yourself:

• Improved Brain Function

• Regulated Body Temperature

• Healthier Skin and Joints

 

Get Your 2022 Picton Golf Membership Today!

It’s time to do more than just dream about the upcoming golf season. You can start by focusing on your health and incorporating targeted fitness habits into your at-home workouts. You'll enter the 2022 golf season in no time, with confidence and finesse!

As you’re preparing for the season ahead, don’t forget to pick up your 2022 Picton Golf Membership!

New to the sport and looking for fun things to do this summer in Picton? At Picton Golf & Country Club, we offer Men’s, Women’s and Mixed leagues!

Our club is one of the most beautiful attractions in the Picton region. A fact we see every day in the rolling hills, beautiful landscape and luscious greens. We are so proud to offer local, summertime activities that the whole family can enjoy right here!

Whether you’re new to the game or have been a member at Picton Golf for years, we’re excited to welcome you back to the course very soon. It’s shaping up to be a great season!

 

Picton Golf & Country Club: Member Highlight

Congratulations Cameron Pero!

We would like to remember the warmer days of summer and once again extend congratulations to one of our own Picton Golf & Country Club members, Cameron Pero! 

Cameron is the 2021 champion of the NextGen Fall Series East Championship, Boys Division. Back on Sunday, September 19th, 2021 in Timmins, Ontario, Cameron finished the 3-day tournament at +1 posting rounds of 70, 72 and 72 to win by 3 strokes. 

Cameron said “My irons left me a lot of easy putts which really helped… the course was super tough.”. 

This win qualified Cameron for entry into the 2022 Canadian Junior Boys Championship at Rivershore Golf Links in Kamloops, Ont., from Aug. 8-11. We look forward to practising with you at Picton Golf & Country Club and then cheering you on as your exciting career develops.

Your friends at Picton Golf & Country Club could not be happier for you! We are so proud of both your dedication to this sport and your incredible three-stroke victory. Can’t wait to see you on the course again this spring, Cameron!