| Resident Pro | News from the Clubhouse | Your News |
| Junior Bag | Junior Cards |

John McKenna, PGA Professional at Tynemouth Golf Club in the North East has some excellent advice for junior golfers on keeping themselves fit.
John has noticed that an increasing number of junior golfers are developing bad backs and he feels that this problem is often caused by an incorrect grip.
John says many junior golfers use a stronger grip on their clubs. in an effort to hit the ball greater distances. This closes the club face and produces a right to left spin, which gives a bit more length. Gripping the club with a stronger grip also gives juniors the feeling that they've got more control and will hit the ball further, so John says it's understandable that juniors want to grip like this.

HOWEVER, this does create a problem because the spin takes the ball to the left of the target. This in turn leads to a compensation in your swing to start the ball further to the right. This commonly results in having to arch the back through the shot and puts a strain on the spine, which can result in back problems.

JOHN'S ADVICE: When you start make sure you get the correct grip. This will help develop a better swing. Although in the short term you may suffer a slight lack of distance, the distance will come as your body develops and you become stronger.

Feeling Under Par?
Want to improve your golf performance by up to 10%? Of course you do and there’s a way that everyone can do this – just READ ON. If you’re still not convinced when you’ve finished reading, then tee off to NEWS FROM THE PRO CIRCUIT and read the story about Lee Westwood.

• Food and Drink
• Warming Up
• A Routine for Everyone
• Advanced Routines

Food & Drink

What food and drink do
you carry with you when you are playing?

Do you buy chocolate and a canned drink from the pro shop and have them when you feel hungry or thirsty during your round. Taking the wrong foods with you will have little effect, taking them once you are already hungry
even less effect.

Changing this habit can actually improve your game and help your scores drop.

If you feel thirsty, then you are already dehydrated, and if you lose just 2% of your body/fluid weight then you will lose up to 10% in performance, and your ability to hit the ball. Just think how many extra shots 10% will add to your round? What an advantage taking the correct foods at the correct time will give you over your opponents. Eating and drinking throughout your round will help you to maintain your performance through to the last hole, provided you take the right things.

One of the first things to remember when deciding what to take is the weight. There is no point in giving yourself extra energy if you use it up carry the extra weight. Take enough to snack every few holes – don’t drink too much as you don’t want to running off into the woods every few holes.

Food – jaffa cakes, malt bread, cereal bars, bananas and fig biscuits are all light to carry and will give you lots of energy during your round.
The night before a big round try to eat foods such as potatoes,bread,rice and pasta which are slow-burning fuels, providing a release of energy over a longer period of time. Marathon runners hold pasta parties the night before a race to load up on carbohydrates for the race.
For breakfast on the morning of your round try eating toast and cereals.

Drink – Avoid over sugary drinks, water is okay but does not give you any carbohydrates for energy. Isotonic sports drinks are the best things to drink as they contain 6-7% of carbohydrates, but they are very expensive. It is easy to make your own isotonic drink, in any flavour you want.

ISOTONIC DRINK RECIPE

FEELING UNDER PAR? GOLF FITNESS

Warming Up

How often do you get to the course late for your round or practice session and rush without bothering to warm up?

Many juniors feel that warming up is for older people who aren’t as fit as them or have bad backs.

Stop and think why they have bad backs.

Juniors often feel that they are super fit – so flexible that they will not get injured. Recent reports have found that over 10% of junior golfers had golf-related back problems so serious that they needed medical attention. Over 40% reported that they felt slight pains after playing or practicing.

Getting yourself into the habit of a warm up routine will not only help to prevent any injury but will improve your game. The more relaxed your body is the better you will swing the club.

Arrive early for all practices or matches and warm up. A warm up routine will help to prevent injury and stretch the muscles that you need to make a good swing. It will also allow you to forget any non-golf worries and concentrate only on your game.

An ideal warm up will include 3 main sections; stretching all your major muscle groups, continuous practice swings without a ball and then using a ball progress from partial swings through to a full swing.

Spending just 10 minutes on this routine will help your game and it will soon become second nature.

FEELING UNDER PAR? GOLF FITNESS

As well as carrying out a warm up routine there are a number of simple, common sense routines that will help prevent injuries

Be careful how you bend down.

When playing golf you will do a lot of bending; putting your ball on the tee, picking up your tee, picking up your ball and picking your ball out of the hole. Be careful how you do this. Bend your knees and squat rather than bending from the waist with your legs straight.

Be careful when lifting.

Your golf bag can be very heavy. Remember when you are lifting your bag in or out of the car to keep your back straight and bend your knees. When picking up your bag after playing a shot remember to bend your knees even if you use a stand bag.

More and more golf bags are now sold with double straps to spread the weight of the bag over both shoulders rather than one. You may have seen the professional caddies use them as they are carrying very heavy bags nearly every day.

It is not essential to have a double strap as long as you remember these back routines but you can ask your golf shop if they sell these straps.

FEELING UNDER PAR? GOLF FITNESS

Advanced routines

We have shown how the common sense routines such as on-course eating and drinking and warm ups can help you. These should be carried out regardless of the level of golf you are playing.

As you become more serious about golf and compete at higher levels an advanced fitness and diet routine can give you an advantage over other competitors.

If two golfers are equally matched something as simple as a regular fitness routine can be the difference between who wins and who loses.

Nutrition

A good diet can help to prevent tiredness and help to prevent deterioration in your physical and mental performance when playing.

Ensure you are taking in the correct type and amount of energy in your diet. Carbohydrate is the most important fuel supply for the body and it is recommended that 60% of every meal should be carbohydrates. Carbohydrate rich foods will help to prevent fatigue during the end of your round.

Drink plenty of fluids remember how to make your own isotonic drinks. Exercise produces heat and causes sweating, always replace this fluid even during cold weather.

Try to maintain the body weight that suits you best. Don’t try to go on crash diets as this will cause tiredness and effect your performance. If you do feel that you have to lose weight then only lose 1-2 lbs per week.

Strength and Fitness

As a junior golfer one of the biggest problems you will encounter are growth spurts. Most people experience spurts of bone and muscle growth between the ages of 10-13 and 16-17. Your body will use its energy on these growth spurts and you may suffer a lack of co-ordination. Following a balanced diet will help as will keeping fit by following an exercise programme.

The first thing to remember is always consult your doctor before starting any exercise programme. Seek advice from an expert on an exercise routine specially suited to you and to golf.

Your exercise programme should cover posture, mobility and strength. Simply going into a gym and lifting weights will not help your golf game. You will become stronger but you will not be building and strengthening the correct muscle groups for golf.

THE 4 STEP GUIDE TO GOLF FITNESS

1. Improve your fitness. A round can take between 3 and 5 hours. If you are not fit you WILL get tired.

2. Load up with carbohydrates the night before a round.

3. Remember to carry the correct food and drink during your round.

4. Get into the habit of drinking - before you feel thirsty.

| Resident Pro | News from the Clubhouse | Your News |
| Junior Bag | Junior Cards |