Golf might well be fun, a good social activity and a great test of your skills, but it is also a good way to get fit. You can walk anywhere between three and six miles during a round of golf, which makes it a great form of exercise.
As a round of golf typically sees you making your way around many acres being in good shape will improve your game. Even if you take a buggy on the journey, golf still puts certain pressure on the body, and you’ll undoubtedly be better if you’re in good shape. Also, losing weight from your midriff can improve technique, and the fitter you are, the better you feel yourself.
However, it might not be as straightforward as going on a fad diet and hitting the gym, not where golf is concerned. Undoubtedly, getting in shape can improve your golf, and there are a few ways to go about it. There are also a few things to be aware of if you intend to shed a few pounds to get your handicap down.
Here are a handful of tips to help you get in shape to improve your golf.
Table of Contents
Diet
Whilst keeping fit is all about balancing exercise, your golf will improve if you keep an eye on what you do in the kitchen. Firstly, do not take a one-size-fits-all approach to your diet; just because something has worked for your golf buddies doesn’t mean it will work for you. The best weight loss programs promote a holistic, personal approach to food, and golf requires you to do the same. For instance, Phil Mickelson used almond milk in his coffee as a method of weight loss, but Tiger Woods munched on peanut butter and banana sandwiches to keep his strength up during games.
Try to tailor your diet to your tastes; you don’t need to cut out the things you like, and no food is ‘bad’. You should seek to include nutritional foods in your daily meal plan but focused on things you like rather than a single type of food a fad diet tells you is good. You can even snack on the course; make sure it’s good foods, like fruit, which give you the right types of energy and sugars.
Water
One constant you can enjoy is water. It doesn’t matter if you’re guzzling coffee like Phil or slapping peanut butter on bread like Tiger; water is essential. Water speeds up your metabolism and helps your body to function better. Drinking whilst playing can certainly help you improve your golf, but making sure you consume around four liters per day will help you maintain weight loss and thus improve your golf.
Keep Walking
Okay, this might be an excuse to play more golf, but you’ll lose weight if you burn calories, and you can do so by just walking every day. 10,000 steps should be your daily aim, something you can easily do on the golf course. Who knew that getting fit for golf could involve actually playing? The advice here is if you take a buggy, ditch it. Maximize your time on the course by walking everywhere and help shift those pounds.
Strength Training
You must ensure you include strength training in your get-fit routine – this might be weights down the gym or similar. Why? Because your journey could negatively impact your swing speed and drive power. With both, you leverage body mass in your swing; if you lose mass, you can lose speed. However, you can ensure you don’t lose power by conditioning your arms and getting into shape.
Before you wonder why you bother going on the journey if there’s an adverse effect, your swing will improve by losing weight from your middle. You’ll be more flexible and able to improve technique as a thinner person, but you have to take a more complete approach to getting in shape rather than thinking, ‘I can just lose weight’.
Conclusion
Golf is exciting and relaxing, it is social and competitive, and those who play want to be the best. You can achieve this by following our simple guide and losing a few pounds, and hopefully, when you do, you’ll find that handicap falling at the same time as your waistline.
