Corey Smith
PEA 142-04
9/4/15
Golf and Yoga
Golf is no longer just a hobby. It is a sport that requires a properly functioning body along with a clear and peaceful mind. It was not that long ago that golfers came in all shapes and sizes and working out was in the back of their mind. Nowadays, each day a golfer does not spend in the gym or in the yoga studio, they are losing ground on their competitors. Amateurs are even finding that to have a more balanced and powerful swing, they must build the muscles that allow them to do so. Lifting heavy weights is not going to add distance and consistency however. A flexible and properly functioning body is built by adding yoga to a golfer's workout plan. Yoga builds the core muscles along with adding muscle endurance and a range of flexibility, which in turn leads to more consistent and powerful golf swings. Yoga also teaches you how to breathe and relax your body and mind, which on the golf course is an absolute must.
According to Michael Brantl (2014), a TPI Level 3 Fitness Instructor, "yoga creates natural improvements in functional flexibility." Brantl goes on to explain to explain how yoga improves various parameters of fitness, and how this in turn, helps your golf game. Yoga improves and increases muscular strength, muscular endurance, functional flexibility/mobility, balance, stability, cardiovascular endurance, and body composition. All of these must be working at their best to create a powerful and balanced golf swing. Golfers tend to have bad backs, hips, shoulders, etc, and yoga can help decrease pain and prevent further injury. The second article I found deals less with the physical side of yoga, and more on the mental approach. Yoga for
Golfers, by Baron Baptiste Kathleen Finn Mendola, talks about how "yoga practice can help you free the subconscious by focusing on your breath and observing