Fit Over 50 And 60: Walking

Living in Scottsdale does not provide much opportunity for walking the course. Most courses require that you use a cart, primarily due to the pace of play.

There is nothing worse than slow play but frankly walking the course is a completely different animal than riding. Walking supports your rhythm, tempo, sense of connectedness to the earth, forces deep breathing, provides cardiovascular conditioning and brings a meditative quality to your game.
 
This summer I played most of my golf on the Sunshine Coast of BC, just outside of Vancouver and every round I walked as I did with my father. This was truly a joyous experience. Being a student of human motion, I noticed most of the golfers had trouble maintaining proper posture as they walked the course.
 
This week our  poses targeting your upper body, shoulders, hamstrings, hip flexors, quads, Achilles and feet.
 
Remember these tips:
•  Move from your core
•  Pay attention to your posture
•  Breathe deeply
•  Focus on the striking the entire foot from heel through toes
•  Stretch the feet, Achilles, hamstrings and hips before and during the round.
 
Quick Tip: How do you know if you are engaging your core? Try this test….slowly walk backwards, focus your attention on the core abdominals and on striking the foot from the toes through the heels.
 

Activate your core, press your hand into the wall and on the exhalation revolve your chest towards the front of the room. Hold for two deep breaths, relax and repeat this DYNAMIC movement five times.
 
On Course Tip: This pose can be modified for use on the course by utilizing the vertical stanchion of the golf cart as leverage instead of the wall.