Fitness – Part 2…The New Routine
Well, I have made it through the most difficult aspect of any fitness routine…the first couple of weeks. As I mentioned in a post a little while back, I have challenged myself to improve my physical conditioning. I am doing this for two reasons, first to improve my overall health and secondly to see what changes to my golf game will be made by being in better shape.
For the past couple of weeks I have been working at a cardiovascular routine. As a result, I can’t say that I am hitting more fairways, but the biggest change that I see in my golf game is my energy level. In the past couple of years, I have noticed that towards the end of an 18 hole round that my energy level has declined making it difficult to hit good shots. My body would feel like it just didn’t want to make the swing.
This was most evident at a tournament I played a couple of months ago. I was playing very well through the first 14 or 15 holes, but could feel myself getting tired. I tried to complete the round well, but my lack of stamina resulted in poor shots, that were hit off-line and resulted in a bogey, bogey, bogey finish. It was a very quick way to turn a good round into something that could have been. If I had been able to keep my energy level higher, continue making good swings, I conceivably should have finished at least three shots better. This would have taken me from a finish around 40th into placing in the top 20.
As I continue with my new fitness routine, I have plans to start incorporating new stretching and strength training routines into my program. That is when I anticipate noticing the improvement in my golf stats. As with any swing change you make, it takes time to see the positive effects on your game. The same holds true for fitness. I have only been at this for about two weeks, so stay tuned to see how my own golf game will benefit from this routine. Who knows, maybe this will inspire you to get your body better conditioned as well.