All rights reserved. No portion of this manual may be used, reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including fax, photocopy, recording or any information storage and retrieval system by anyone but the purchaser for their own personal use. This manual may not be reproduced in any form without the written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer who wishes to quote brief passages in connection with a review written for inclusion in a magazine or newspaper and has written approval prior to publishing. For information contact: Renegade Golf 1197 Chesapeake Avenue Columbus, OH 43212 E-mail: CoachStephen@GolfTrainingForJuniors.com Website: www.golftrainingforjuniors.com

Disclaimer This book is not intended for the treatment or prevention of disease, nor as a substitute for medical treatment. Programs mentioned herein should not be adopted by any purchaser without review and consent with your health professional. The authors are neither responsible, nor liable for any harm or injury resulting from these programs or the use of the exercises described herein.

Contents Introduction ................................................................................................................... 6

Part I: ................................................................................... 8 Exercises for Junior Golf

PATTERNS OF MOVEMENT .................................................................................... 10

GENERATING GREATER CLUBHEAD SPEED ....................................................... 19

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT .................................................................................. 22

CREATING A PEAK IN PERFORMANCE ................................................................. 25

GETTING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME. ..................................................................... 26

GOOD FORM SERVES AS THE FOUNDATION! ..................................................... 26

EQUIPMENT REVIEW FOR JUNIOR GOLFERS ...................................................... 27

CHECKS AND BALANCES FOR MUSCLES ............................................................. 29

SUMMARY OF CRITICAL RULES FOR .................................................................... 31

JUNIOR GOLF CONDITIONING ............................................................................... 31

AN AWARD WINNING WARM UP ............................................................................ 32

Part II: ................................................................................ 34 Stretches for Junior Golf

WHY FLEXIBILITY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE ...................................................... 35

BUT, JUNIOR GOLFERS DON’T NEED TO STRETCH. ........................................... 35

THEY ARE ALREADY TOO FLEXIBLE! .................................................................... 35

CAN A JUNIOR BE TOO FLEXIBLE? ....................................................................... 37

ARE YOU FLEXIBLE ENOUGH? .............................................................................. 37

DEVELOPMENTAL TRENDS IN YOUTH FLEXIBILITY ............................................ 39

BASIC STRETCHING RULES ................................................................................... 40

DIFFERENT STRETCHING METHODS .................................................................... 41

Home Daily Stretch Routine ....................................................................................... 42

Dynamic Stretch Routine for the Course .................................................................... 43

Part III: ................................................................... 44 Nutrition On and Off the Course

THE 6 PRINCIPLES OF GOLF NUTRITION ............................................................. 51

Part IV: ........................................................................................ 64 Injury Management

MOST COMMON INJURIES FOR JUNIOR GOLFERS ............................................. 64

MANAGING INJURIES FOR JUNIOR GOLFERS ..................................................... 65

Part V: ................................................... 75 Special Considerations for Junior Golfers

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PREPARE FOR EXTREME HEAT……………….……75

WARNING SIGNS FOR HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES ............................................ 77

HOW YOUTH ATHLETES RESPOND TO HEAT ...................................................... 80

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PREPARE FOR COLD WEATHER ............................ 82

GENERAL PREPARATION FOR THE COURSE ...................................................... 85

Part VI: ........................................................................................ 86 Mental Preparation

Part VII: .......................................................................... 104 Resources for Junior Golf

Special Bonus Chapter: ...................... 111 Training Tools and Programs for Juniors

ROUND ANALYSIS FORM ...................................................................................... 112

SAMPLE 3-DAY WORKOUT FOR ELITE ................................................................ 113

JUNIOR GOLFERS AGES 14 AND UP ................................................................... 113

................................................................................... 116 GOLF FITNESS WORKOUT

............................................................................................................. 116 AGES 14-18

Player Fitness Evaluation......................................................................................... 118

Summary Evaluation Sheet...................................................................................... 119

..................................................................................................... 120 About the Authors

................................................................................................................. 121 References

Introduction

It wasn’t long ago that golfers weren’t considered athletes. When I started working in the strength and conditioning field 20 years ago, there wasn’t a single coach in the US recommending that golfers actually train, eat and live like serious athletes. Boy, how times have changed! I must admit that I stumbled upon training golfers as athletes by accident in 1993… long before it was a mainstream concept. At the time I was training athletes from over 13 different sports - but not golf (it was hardly even considered a sport back then). As the fates would have it, I was approached by a couple of collegiate golfers in the off-season, who both suffered from “tennis elbow” (odd, but in fact “tennis elbow” is more common in golfers than “golfers elbow”). But I digress… These two aspiring golfers had been through traditional rehab several times with short term results, but the issue would always return. I was a bit stumped. This was long before I took all my classes and internships with the top sports rehabilitation specialists in the world. So I put these guys through the strength assessment that I was using for all my other athletes. The results? Both of these Division 1 scholarships athletes were pitifully weak. Now, I didn’t expect them to as strong as my hockey players (although many of my golfers these days are), but I was shocked to find out that they were weaker than my 47 year old mom! Not sure what else to do, I decided to train these guys for balanced strength (not big bulky muscles) throughout their torsos, shoulder and elbow flexors/extensors. After six weeks of conditioning, the symptoms disappeared and never returned for their remaining two years of collegiate golf. So I figured I was onto something, and that there must be more experienced strength and conditioning coaches out there who have studied the demands of golf and the best way to train golfers. I was sadly disappointed to find very little information on training specifically for golf. Many of the colleges were simply using the exact same program for their golfers as they did for the football team. I spent the next several years putting together what I named The Renegade Golf System (“Renegade” because nobody else was addressing the issue). Fortunately, over the past

decade, the recognition of golf as a sport and golfers as athletes has become mainstream (Thank you, Mr. Woods). This has led to some of the leading organizations in the world doing research and developmental programs for golf fitness. The top two organizations are The Titleist Performance Institute and The C.H.E.K Institute. I have been involved with the programs for many years and will continue to further my education and remain on the cutting-edge of golf specific fitness and conditioning. I know that finding credible information for junior golfers is difficult. I also know how important fitness is to juniors (and parents) as they seek answers to making sure they are getting the help they need to protect from injury while maximizing their performance and abilities at all ages of development. This book is dedicated to you. To all the junior golfers who want to play their best - to all the parents who support their children’s dreams and just want accurate information – and to anyone else who feels this information can be of benefit to training or working with junior golfers. Best regards, Stephen Ladd

Part I

Exercises for Junior Golf Strength training for young athletes is a very controversial subject across all types of sports. In golf, common questions include…when should my golfer begin with an exercise routine, what types of exercises should he/she be doing and how should a program be structured based on their age? According to the American Academy of Pediatrician’s Committee on Sports Medicine and Fitness, seven to eight year old children can safely perform strength training exercises within the 12 to 15 repetition range. Other nationally recognized organizations who support strength training for our youth include the American College of Sports Medicine (ACSM), The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). Each of these organizations encourages participation in appropriately designed training programs as long as they are ‘competently supervised.’ The main benefits outside of the obvious strength gains include introducing your junior golfer to a lifetime of health and fitness while improving early motor skills, self-esteem and overall physical and emotional well-being. In consideration of the growth and maturity variables that take place between the ages of 7 and 18, we will explore exercises and stretches in addition to general and specific conditioning principles that will help each golfer progress. Remember the goal is to support junior golfers with their current golf goals, their various phases of physical development as well as help them embrace fitness as a lifestyle approach for the remainder of their lives. The majority of competitive junior golfers already possess early signs of discipline, commitment and great potential for their future in golf. They continue to develop emotional maturity, mental skills and strategies in addition to the ongoing development of their golf swing. Now, it’s time to begin the process of physical development. Let’s start by learning the correct way to train for golf as they build a strong, healthy body and a solid base of support. These concepts will serve as their foundation for a lifetime of benefits in good health, protection from injury and better golf. Here are some of the guiding principles as you get started in junior golf conditioning. -Learn proper guidance on form. Make sure your child receives proper instruction on exercise form as they begin a strength training program for golf. Adults can provide instruction and supervision to enforce safety and good technique. You can also consider

hiring a trained professional to demonstrate proper form and safety measures. Most gyms have a junior program where they offer proper lifting techniques and protocols. Golf training programs for juniors should emphasize the principles of lifetime fitness and proper exercise form so they receive maximum benefits from exercise while minimizing any risks. Adults who design training programs for their children should provide an environment centered on enjoyment, positive reinforcement and the promotion of a healthy lifestyle. Just keep in mind that any qualified trainer in a gym can offer instruction on ‘form’. It is not important at this stage to find a ‘golf trainer’ per se as much as it is critical that your child learn good movement patterns. -Think about strength training as opposed to weight lifting. Your young players are not aspiring weightlifters or bodybuilders, but rather strength builders. Junior golfers should begin with body weight exercises that place an emphasis on many muscle groups and movement patterns which mimic real life movements such as pushups, pull- ups, and multi directional lunges. Weights can be used, but the focus should be light weights and higher repetitions. Simply choose 5 or 6 exercises and perform 15 to 20 reps while continuing your concentration on good form and technique. Never compromise on the quality of your movement in favor of increased repetitions. Begin with only a few repetitions until you master an exercise. Parents or instructors should provide clear instruction and close supervision. -Always include a warm up. Your child should begin each workout with a brief warm up of roughly 10 minutes. They can jog in place, perform jumping jacks, or do high knee ups. Once the body is warm, the muscles are now ready to do their part in strength training while minimizing the risk for injury. Your workout should end with a light stretching session to reap maximum benefits. -Give your body proper rest. Two or three sessions per week are plenty to benefit strength, endurance and their overall golf game. Junior golfers, just like adults, need to give their bodies adequate rest so they can undergo the repair, remodeling and regeneration process. Be sure to take a rest day or two between strength training workouts. -Record your progress. End each session by entering a few notes on a workout card or notebook dedicated to your exercise routine. Simply record which exercises, how many repetitions, and what weights or resistance your child uses during a workout. Monitoring your progress will give you a quick snapshot of what you’ve done and how best to progress from there. -Add variety, consistency and fun. Once something becomes a chore or loses its initial interest, boredom can set in. Don’t be afraid to try new exercises and vary your workouts. Think outside the boundaries of a gym and make the workout fun. Body weight exercises can be done outside as easily as indoors. Figure out which exercises your child enjoys best and repeat those. Bring in new exercises every few weeks and keep the workout fresh. The enjoyment factor will contribute to your child’s interest in consistency over time.

PATTERNS OF MOVEMENT In Paul Chek’s How to Eat, Move and Be Healthy, he defines 7 primal movement patterns that must be mastered in order to carry out your daily activities and stay injury free. These same movement patterns are the ones the fitness industry has adopted as ‘functional’ exercises. These movements are the key to efficient movement patterns that not only affect what you do every day, but affect the way you move your body in your golf swing. Chek defined these movement patterns as the squat, lunge, bend, a push, a pull, a twist, and gait (how you move when you walk or run). I have made some slight modifications to his original 7 patterns that are crucial to learn as a junior. Here are my top 6! Here are the movement patterns every junior golfer should master. 1. Squat 2. Lunge 3. Push 4. Pull 5. Rotate 6. Core engagement -Squat Purpose: Learning how to squat properly is the very foundation of the majority of lower body exercises that your junior golfer will use throughout their life. How to perform:

Begin with your feet shoulder width apart and your toes pointing straight ahead or slightly off center. Keep good spinal alignment as you lower your body until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Once you reach your bottom position, push through your heels to return to your starting point. You can place your hands behind your head or at your side (with or without dumbbells). Make sure you are sitting back and down so that your knees stay in alignment with your ankles. Your knees should never b so far forward that they extend over the top of your toes. This places undue stress on the knees with no additional benefit to the quadriceps muscles. -Lunge Purpose: The squat and the lunge are both traditional lower body exercises used as a foundation to build upon. Learning how to engage your core as you lower your body, how to distribute your weight and how to maintain posture are all critical to the success of these two great exercises. The lunge is considered one of the best all-around strength exercises for an athletic, powerful and balanced lower body. How to perform:

-To begin a lunge, stand upright with or without weights in your hands. Now take one step forward while never letting your knee go 'over' your toe. Once at the bottom of the lunge (not touching the floor), push off with the back foot and then approach the standing position. Repeat with the other leg. Make sure to breathe out on the way up and breathe in on the actual lunge. -Push Purpose: Golfers will use ‘push.’ movements with every chest exercise they do. They should learn how to push their body away from objects as in a push up. They should also learn to push weight away from their body as in a chest press. How to perform:

-Place your hands in the push up position on the ball with fingers pointed down. Contract your ab muscles and keep your spine in one line. Slowly lower your body until it comes close to touching the ball. Slowly push your body away from the ball until your arms are extended. Always avoid any sagging or arching of the spine. Keep your belly button drawn in towards your spine. Maintain control of the ball throughout the movement. -Pull Purpose: Golfers will use ‘pull’ movements in every back exercise they do in their future. When a golfer uses their pull muscles, they are engaging all the muscles in their back as well as their biceps. How to perform:

-Sit on the ground with a fitness band around the soles of your shoes. Sit up straight with good spinal alignment. As you pull the band back, try squeezing your back muscles without any changes in your sitting posture. Keep your abs contracted and chest high throughout the movement. Shoulders remain back and down. -Rotate Purpose: Learning how to rotate properly is an essential ingredient to exercise

movement as well as good movement in your golf swing. With rotational movements, it is important to stabilize the spine and have proper flexibility to maintain a healthy back. How to perform:

-Kneel on one leg with your hand on a cable handle. Stabilize your spine by pulling in your abs and making a flat back. Rotate your body to one side while still maintaining good posture and strong abs. You will feel a contraction in your obliques (side muscles) as you turn. -Core engagement Purpose: Understanding how to contract your abdominal muscles and stabilize your mid-section and spine is a fundamental part of good posture and basic athletic movement. It is essentially your starting point from which you begin the golf swing or any individual exercise. This is not about performing 50 sit ups or standing on a BOSU with one leg going one direction and your arms going another. It is a simple understanding of how to stabilize your core muscles before producing movement. How to perform:

-From a kneeling position, place your forearms on the ball with your palms facing each other. Maintain good spinal alignment as you roll forward. Take a deep breath and draw the navel toward your spine. Begin rolling forward, moving from the hip and shoulder joints equally. The movement should terminate at the instant you feel you are going to lose spinal alignment. Notice how the spinal alignment of this golfer hasn’t changed. How many of you can keep this same posture during this challenging exercise?

Exploring Movement from the Core

Core Strength Core strength has become a popular term used by trainers and exercise enthusiasts for some time. For the golfer, core strength delivers much more than just a coveted physique. Stronger abdominal muscles convert to better balance and a more powerful swing. But, how do the abdominal muscles differ from the core? Think of the visual part of the stomach muscles you see as the outer layer of an apple. As you peel away the outside, you find a small piece inside called the core. Your body operates in a similar manner. The outside layer of your abs shows your ‘form’ while the inside layer handles all the ‘function’. Strength in these muscles are vital to a golfer’s stability and power. Stronger core muscles can also prevent injuries to the hips and back. Those golfers with a weak core are often frustrated with the distance off their clubs. They may even feel a “twinge” in their lower back muscles because they lack good support from the opposing muscles of the core. Strength may be reduced overall and inconsistency sets in. The golf swing relies upon core strength, endurance and proper engagement in order to see the true benefit of stabilization, control and coordination. Keep in mind, core conditioning is very important for a golfer because all movements in your entire body stem from the strength in this area. Wherever you find a weak core, you find a major source of energy leaks in the golf swing How strong is your core? Take the following test and let’s find out.

-Lie on your back with your knees bent. -Place one hand underneath your lower back, then extend your knees to 90 degrees. -Press the lower back firmly against your hand. -Slowly lower your feet towards the ground by keeping the same tension on your hand.

Which one of the following best describes what happened when you performed the exercises above: (A) Your lower back lifted and you could no longer feel any pressure on your hand. (B) Your lower back lifted and you could feel some pressure on your hand. (C) You were able to keep the same pressure on your hand throughout the movement. If you answered (C), congratulations! You are well on your way to developing the core strength you need for better golf. If you answered (A) or (B), start with some basic exercises as you learn how to properly engage and strengthen your core.

More for the Core When someone talks about their “core”, they're referring to the muscles that go deep within the abs and back attaching to the spine or pelvis. A few of these muscles are the tranversus abdominis (TVA), the muscles of the pelvic floor, the lats and the obliques. However, did you know there are various types of core exercises? Here’s a few more ways to explore the core. Core Stabilization Exercises Stability refers to your ability to control your body both statically and dynamically as in the golf swing. By maintaining the same level of firmness in your mid-section, you can effectively transfer power from your lower body to your upper body. One of the best exercises to increase core stability is “the plank”. Assume a push up position on the floor. Then, elevate your entire body up into one line from your ears to your toes. Your body will have contact to the floor at the elbows and the toes. Hold this position for as long as possible or up to 2 minutes.

Core Rotational Exercises While core stabilization exercises are simple isometric positions which mean you assume a position and hold it to build better strength, there are also core rotational exercises. Once you have built solid strength, it’s time to begin using golf swing style motions to take your strength to the next level. Examples of core rotational exercise include a lunge with a medicine ball rotation, sitting medicine ball rotations or standing torso rotations. Each of these exercises mimic the rotation used in the golf swing.

Core Strength Exercises While the two types of exercises above can both develop more core strength, there are many exercises which also help to develop core strength. Examples of core strength exercises include Swiss Ball ab crunches, Swiss Ball side crunches and Swiss Ball back extensions.

As you use exercise programs to help develop yourself as a player, be sure to incorporate the various styles of core strength to help improve the quality of your movements and get the most out of your swing.

Posture is King

As you reviewed the above list of movement patterns, did you notice anything that might be missing? I can think of a very big fitness component – posture! However, I believe good posture is taught as a basis for every exercise on the list above so it is redundant to list it again. Once a golfer learns the elements of good posture and proper core engagement, you will use these concepts with every exercise you do. We will review all of the components of good posture as we move forward in this book. Many golf instructors refer to golf posture as “spine angle.” If you’ve taken lessons or have spent much time learning proper technique to improve your game, you have most likely heard the phrase many times. Good posture for the golf swing can greatly influence your ability to produce power. Without stability of your posture, a powerful and effective golf swing is very difficult and can result in injury and strains. Good functional posture improves your swinging action and lets you transfer more force in your ball strike. Body structure and posture are unique traits, but an improper golf swing can cause certain muscle imbalances. These imbalances might not be obvious until they cause a disruptive physical problem. The body slowly adapts to poor posture, and some body parts, like the neck, shoulder, back, and hip, may be overused to balance for loss of motion in other areas of the body. By performing a few simple exercises regularly, however, you can improve and maintain good posture and thus improve your ability to swing more efficiently. The goal of exercise for posture is to improve, then re-enforce, good solid body positions, as well as static and dynamic balance during the swing. The postural muscles are located throughout the body. The primary role of these muscles is to hold the skeletal system and joint structures in proper alignment so the larger and stronger muscles can produce the desired body movements while keeping good balance. Some common problems that are affected by posture are:

• Difficulty keeping your eye on the ball during your swing. • Difficulty to transfer force from the lower body to the upper body. • Compromised swing patterns. • Poor club head speed and club control.

EVALUATING POSTURE

Passing Needs Improvement

Neck Chin In, Neck erect Neck slightly forward, chin out

Chest Chest elevated Chest slightly depressed

Shoulders Shoulders Centered Shoulders forward

Upper Back Normally rounded Slightly to markedly rounded

Lower Back Normally curved Too flat or too curved

Abdomen Abdomen Flat Abdomen protruding

Having correct posture means keeping each part of the body in alignment with the neighboring parts. Proper posture keeps all parts balanced and supported so the pull of gravity is evenly distributed. Good posture includes:

• A straight line from your ears, shoulders, hips, knees and ankles • Head is centered • Shoulders, hips and knees are of equal height

Some of the most common examples of poor posture include::

• forward head • rounded shoulders • arched lower back • excessive anterior pelvic tilt (protruding backside) • excessive posterior pelvic tilt (protruding abdomen/pelvis)

Stand facing a full length mirror and check to see if:

1. Your head is straight 2. Your shoulders are level 3. Your hips are level 4. Your kneecaps face the front 5. Your ankles are straight

GENERATING GREATER CLUBHEAD SPEED How many juniors would like to produce greater clubhead speed? Finally everyone is in agreement on at least one subject! Of all the things that I get asked about in golf training, this is the "big" one. Why? Because 99% of golfers want more power, more speed and in the end....MORE DISTANCE! This is especially true of juniors because as many of you have already experienced, there can be big discrepancies in growth rates between juniors in the same age groups. This is often frustrating especially when we know we are not likely to overcome some of the laws of Mother Nature. Here are some fun and interesting statistics to get you thinking about how to produce greater clubhead speed. Would you like to know how you compare to some of the pros and a few reigning world class juniors? World Long Drive Champion Clubhead Speed: 150 mph Approx. yard: 375+ Men's PGA Tour Ladies LPGA Tour Clubhead Speed: 120 mph Clubhead Speed: 100 mph Approx. yard: 300+ Approx. yard: 250 Typical Male Typical Female Clubhead Speed: 90 mph Clubhead Speed: 70 mph Approx. yard: 225 Approx. yard: 175 Tiger Woods Michelle Wie Ball Speed: 180 mph Ball speed: 160 mph Swing Speed: 128 mph Swing speed: 107 mph

Approx. distance: 280 yds Carl Wolter (Long Drive Champion throughout 2004) Ball Speed: 220 mph 2004 Re/Max Long Drive Championship results for Juniors: Girls 10 – 12 Boys 10 - 12 1st Daffodil Sanchez - 274 yards 1st Collin Blenker - 273 yards 2nd Kimber Lewis - 211 yards 2nd J.T. Baldwin - 248 yards Girls 13 – 15 Boys 13 - 15 1st Kaitlin Allan - 279 yards 1st Trent Travis - 365 yards 2nd Lisa Joyce - 261 yards 2nd Drew Garzillo - 349 yards Girls 16 -18 Boys 16 - 18 1st Ashley Patterson - 252 yards 1st Jamie Sadlowski - 400 yards 2nd Alli Hunt - 246 yards 2nd Tyler Abstein - 385 yards 18”

How to Create More Distance Distance is directly related to the swing speed and the ball velocity the golfer can generate off the face of the club. A golfer’s swing speed is determined by:

Athletic ability Quality of your swing movements Strength Equipment fitting. Proper specifications can be used to optimize swing speed, quality of contact and shot trajectory.

Quality of movement plays one of the largest roles in creating a more efficient and repeatable swing. This should be one of the main goals of every golfer. Golf stretches can be used to focus on "unlocking" tight shoulders, hips, and low back, so you can ultimately improve your swing efficiency. When you combine good quality body motion with high level swing instruction you have the absolute best opportunity to achieve your optimal swing and create the distance you desire. 5 Keys to Better Movement in Your Swing Junior golfers will all respond well to motor skills training! Motor skills training refer to the movement of your muscles throughout your body. They include all the major components that, coincidentally, can have great benefit to your swing like coordination, balance, rhythm, sequence of movement patterns, spatial orientation and speed of reaction. When juniors and parents alike ask what types of programs, exercises or drills are best to help each junior reach their true potential, the answer lies in the motor skills training below which teaches junior golfers how to move more efficiently and effectively in their swings. If you’re a junior golfer who aspires to perform at the highest levels in golf, then try a few of these. They may not be very easy, but they sure are a lot of fun. How many can you do correctly? -Improving balance - maintaining good balance in your swing while your body is in motion can be trained with different exercises. Here is a great drill to help improve your balance. Drill: Stand on one leg with the opposite leg extended. Make circles with the extended leg while simultaneously making circles with both arms extended above your head. For an extra challenge, try moving each arm in a different direction.

-Developing better rhythm - the golf swing requires that you transition smoothly from your backswing to your forward swing with a sense of feel. Understanding how to alter this rhythm and develop a better sense of feel, you can use the following drill. Drill: Set up 4 to 8 obstacles which are placed at varying distances. Run over each obstacle varying the number of steps in between each one. -Understanding spatial orientation - unior golfers often lack stability and overall coordination in the early years of their development. There are lots of drills you can do to help improve your senses and where your body is in different phases of the golf swing. Drill: Try throwing a medicine ball overhead and catch it from behind by reaching behind your back. For some variety and challenge, then throw it back up and over your head and try catching it in front. -Increasing speed of reaction - Increasing speed in the golf swing is a major contributing factor to increased distance. To improve your reaction speed, here is a great exercise. Drill: Grab a medicine ball and a partner. Have the partner throw the medicine ball at varying speeds and different positions at random. Alternate between high and low, left and right patterns and attempt to catch the ball before it hits the ground. -Improving synchronization of movements - What happens in the downswing between the hip rotation and shoulder turn is a perfect example of the Try working on a few of these drills and exercises as a way of improving your coordination and overall quality of movement patterns. You may be surprised at how quickly you see a transfer to your game in all those areas where you most seek improvement. Ref: Drabik, J. (1996). Children and Sports Training: How future champions should exercise to be healthy, fit and happy.

STAGES OF DEVELOPMENT General Strength When children begin a formalized strength training program, it is important to focus on more general athletic movement as opposed to anything ‘golf specific’ or one’s interpretation of these terms. At each phase of their development they will have an opportunity to build upon what they have learned which is why the foundation of movement is so important. Each child will begin golf and exercise with various strengths and weaknesses. Some will have better balance. Some will have better rhythm. Some will have better overall movement…better flexibility… better coordination. The goal in this stage is to help children develop those skills they are excelling in and learn those that will benefit them in later years. For ages 12 to 14, up to 80% of training should consist of more general strength training. Directed Strength Now that the golfer has built a foundation around general strength and movement preparation, they are now ready to begin focusing on the muscles used for golf. They will start by altering the loads they use to lift weight. They may be changing from body weight exercises to adding dumbbells and other external resistance. For ages 14 to 17, 50% of the physical preparation is still general while the remaining 50% can be more directed towards golf. Special Strength Special strength is classified as movements which more readily resemble the actual motions and speeds of golf. For ages 17 to 20, up to 35% of training should consist of general movement and overall conditioning while the majority of training (65%) takes on the characteristics of special strength for golf. By altering the speed of movement when performing various exercises, the golfer can train more specifically to reach his or her full potential for key tournaments and events. For example, they can train using different exercises at slower speeds, then pick up the pace and perform exercises with these greater speeds as they enter tournament season. Reference: International Youth Conditioning Association, Developing Essentials

Strength Training by Age

Age Methods Time

6 to 10 Body weight resistance, flexibility

15 min, 3 times per week

11 to 14 Resistance allowing more than 10 reps per set to develop strength endurance, flexibility exercises

30 min, 3 times per week

15 to 19 Resistance that limits the number of reps to less than 10 per set to improve strength and develop power, flexibility exercises

45 min, 3 times per week

Reference: Jozef Drabik, Children and Sports Training

Training “Windows of Opportunity”

A Training Window of Opportunity is a period in a child’s biological development that allows them to better develop a specific motor ability, fitness element, or skill optimally. If a junior misses any of these windows, those particular elements will never be fully realized. Of course, these elements can always be trained at later ages and improved, but will likely never reach their full capacity. The specific training elements that have crucial Training Windows of Opportunity are:

Stamina

Strength

Speed

Skills

Mobility/Flexibility

The age ranges listed below for each of the Training Windows of Opportunity are ideally based NOT on chronological age, but rather on biological (or developmental) age. To measure this factor, it is necessary to track height measurements and be aware of growth spurts. Use the data below as a guideline to help determine when your child has entered a Window, so you can be aware of current or future ‘training opportunities’. It is recommended to consult with a TPI Certified Junior Coach for detailed instructions on our junior and the proper timing of each training protocol.

BOYS Speed: 7-9 and 13-16 Stamina: aerobic capacity before growth spurt, aerobic power after growth spurt Strength: 12-18 months after growth spurt Skills: 9-12 Mobility: 6-10 GIRLS Speed: 6-8 and 11-13 Stamina: aerobic capacity before growth spurt, aerobic power after growth spurt Strength: immediately after growth spurt Skills: 8-11 Mobility: 6-10 Reference: Dr. Istvan Balyi’s LTAD Resourse Papers – Canada Balyi and Way 2005

CREATING A PEAK IN PERFORMANCE Many junior golfers are curious about creating a ‘peak’ in performance. The idea is to create a training program that provides a distinct advantage over other competitors for a specific time of year or a specific tournament. In theory, you would train yourself or ‘be trained’ to reach your peak potential in this given time frame. While this is a recognized form of training, there are ways in which it can be helpful and others which can be hurtful for junior golfers long term. So, which training principles work best and is it always a good idea to create this kind of peak as a junior? Some old school thoughts on training include the notion of specialized training. Specialized training includes selecting exercises and movement patterns that re-enforce the same movements used in the golf swing. In doing so, junior golfers could develop results faster and reach their goals quicker. While studies have continued to validate ‘specialized training’ as a viable means of fast performance development, there were also inherent risks especially with youth. By training too specific too early, children experienced a higher burn out, more inconsistencies in performance overall and experienced more injuries. In addition, this method led to a more narrowly focused concentration of muscle and organ development. Compare this approach to ‘multilateral training’ which focuses on fundamental skills and general athletic movements. Results of two similar studies (Harre 1982) and (Nagormi 1978), a multilateral approach had slower immediate performance improvements, but created more consistencies in performance, fewer injuries, a longer athletic life and best performance results at 18 and older. This happens to coincide with physiological and psychological maturation. Reference: Tudor O. Bompa, Ph.D, Total Training for Young Champions.

GETTING IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME.

GOOD FORM SERVES AS THE FOUNDATION! We have already explored basic principles of strength training and how to approach your workout programs. I want to add just a few more principles that I hope will help you understand the bigger picture as it relates to golf and improved performance. -Posture is everything. Anything done in the gym with poor posture will create a problem for you later in your swing. If you add weights to an exercise you are doing incorrectly it will have even more dire consequences. -Body position should always be evaluated. Similar to posture, you should be thinking about how or if your abs are engaged and where your feet are placed in exercises so you continue to teach your body how to transfer loads, just like the golf swing. -The focus is always on the movement patterns as opposed to the muscles. Yes, you should be thinking about which muscles you are activating while working out, but keep your mind on the movement pattern itself and how this may help you for golf. When a golfer uses this approach to training, the focus changes to the whole body and which exercises can fire more muscles and in specific sequences. The better your movement patterns, the better your efficiency in the gym and on the course. -Stretch what is tight and strengthen what is weak. Most golfers have some awareness of what body parts are not as strong as others. They also tend to be aware of areas where they are prone to get tight. Of course, an evaluation by a golf fitness trainer or physical therapist can help you identify specific target areas. However, in lieu of this, always have a plan and a purpose with your training. Keep the focus on the weaker links and you or physical therapist can help you identify specific target areas. However, in lieu of this, always have a plan and a purpose with your training. Keep the focus on the weaker links and you’ll always be building a stronger body.

EQUIPMENT REVIEW FOR JUNIOR GOLFERS When most people think of working out, they only think of gym equipment or a pair of dumbbells. In reality, there are many ways to get a good workout without ever having to leave the home. For kids who are younger and not yet permitted in the gym, there are still ways to get started on a fitness program to benefit your golf game. Here are a handful of ways to add extra resistance to your workouts. Medicine Ball Training Medicine balls are a great way to add extra resistance to a workout and still keep things simple. Just as we’ve made the transition away from traditional gym and Nautilus style equipment, medicine balls allow the body to move through multiple planes of motion using resistance. Medicine balls are relatively easy to travel with and can easily be stored at home for those that want to keep their workouts simple, but effective. Fitness Band Training Fitness bands are among the easiest to place in a home gym because they are light, easy to travel with and can offer a wide variety of strength training options. Fitness bands allow the body to move through a full range of motion with extra resistance. For juniors, they provide a great place to start with resistance. If you are traveling to competitive tournaments away from home, they provide an easy solution to continue your fitness on the road. They can be ordered in different ‘tensions’ so you can always increase or decrease the tension or work load by using different bands. Fitness Ball Training The fitness ball provides an environment which allows athletes to achieve two important objectives – increase their range of motion when performing an exercise and use their stabilizer muscles more frequently. Based on a number of studies, ab exercises performed on a fitness ball have consistently delivered better results compared to the same exercises performed on the ground. For example, ab crunches on a ball vs. on the floor. The simple reason has to do with one’s ability to increase their range of motion throughout the exercise. In addition, the unstable quality of the ball provides an environment which taxes the stabilizer muscles and requires more work of the body in a synergistic fashion For example, a push up position where a player’s hands are on the ball and feet are on the ground while performing push ups. This forces the body to stabilize the spine and shoulder complex while still relying on strength to perform the movement.

Free Weights Most golfers are comfortable working with dumbbells. In fact most home gyms are equipped with a set or two and they take up little to no room. There is a very large variety of exercises that can be done with dumbbells because just like the medicine ball exercises, it allows a golfer to move freely through a full range of motion with some resistance. Body weight Training for Juniors Body weight exercises are among the first every golfer should master prior to moving on to more complex exercises. It is very common in our business to see golfers attempting to lift relatively heavy loads without properly stabilizing their bodies and potentially exposing themselves to injury. We see some of the strongest athletes coming from gymnastics and various martial arts where the body is taught great levels of control and mastery. As a junior, one of the greatest gifts you can offer yourself are the skills to master your own body’s movement. This begins with body weight training. Traditional Weight Training Machines Golf is all about movement, balance, coordination and stabilization, in addition to strength. When you train using a machine, you are relying on an isolated muscle to do all the work. But, this doesn’t reflect real life or the demands of golf. For this reason, most sports trainers do not use machines as part of their recommended training programs. The best way to learn how to produce force is to teach it from the ground up. Allow players to experience the difference when their feet are firmly planted on the ground, they are stabilizing some body parts while producing force in others.

CHECKS AND BALANCES FOR MUSCLES One of the most important things to consider as you begin weight training is establishing a framework for balance of strength among opposing muscle groups. For decades, people have been obsessed with what they see in the mirror. Unfortunately, the muscles you see in the front are, literally, only half of the equation. Many gym enthusiasts place all their emphasis on the chest, shoulders and legs without enough attention to the muscles they don’t see – the postural muscles which control spinal alignment and serve as one of the key components of the golf swing. While these numbers are not exacting, they give you a reference point so you can monitor the front and back muscles equally so you are sure to maintain balance in your strength across your body. Remember that imbalances in strength and flexibility lead to injury and ineffective movement. When you find an imbalance, don’t be afraid to devote more attention to weaker muscle groups. For example, the chart below recommends maintaining a quad to hamstring ratio of should be 3:2. This means if you are lifting 60 lbs. on a quad extension, you should be able to lift 40 lbs. on the hamstring curl.

SUMMARY OF CRITICAL RULES FOR

JUNIOR GOLF CONDITIONING

-Mechanics always come first. Technique and form are never compromised. Your performance will suffer if you choose an exercise load which cannot be managed properly. Part of weight lifting is learning how to load and unload your body. Proper distribution in the kinetic chain is what helps deliver raw power. -Always build in a rest and recovery phase-each week-each month-and throughout each year. The body needs to go through rest, recovery and regeneration in order to grow and develop properly. -You must gradually and progressively ‘overload’ the body through increased work load. (volume, intensity, etc) -You must work out consistently in order to see life long results. - All physical training should begin with a detailed assessment of your movement patterns. Developing an understanding of how your body is built, physical strengths and weaknesses and postural considerations are key to developing a solid golf program. - Body weight exercises should be mastered prior to using additional weight. - Training is a process. Young golfers and those who train them should place emphasis on all stages of development including biological and psychological. Golfers are all developing at individual rates and should accept and enjoy the process without forcing a specific weight lifting agenda. - Focus on the larger trunk muscles as a priority for postural development. Build a strong base of support and you'll see great results for a lifetime. .- Alternate exercises for different parts of the body. Change exercises frequently to avoid accumulated fatigue on any specific area. You can alternate a lunge (lower body) with a push (upper body) with a balance exercise (whole body). There are huge temptations in the junior golf market to begin lifting heavy weights to secure immediate placement at the top of the leader board. Try and resist the urge to “jump” into a program that gives you an immediate boost in performance, but jeopardizes your long term progress and increases your injury rate. Follow the steps above and you’ll see the positive impact on your game and your overall health and fitness.

AN AWARD WINNING WARM UP A warm up is a series of movements designed to prepare the body both mentally and physically prior to a workout session. The idea behind it is that as your body temperature increases, it prepares your muscles, connective tissues and joint structures so that you are protected from injury and have the capacity of performing more efficient movement. It is not supposed to be challenging or physically demanding, just a way of getting ready for the work ahead. Ironically, with some deconditioned individuals, the warm up can often feel like more a workout. There are several ways to perform a warm up. The most popular examples are a dynamic stretch or movement routine, a cardio warm up and/or a foam roll routine which allows golfers to apply pressure to tight and bound areas of their bodies. A typical time frame for a warm up can last anywhere from 5 to 15 minutes depending on the goal of the session, time of the season, and experience of the person. Sample Dynamic/Active Warm Up Movement 1

Movement 2

Movement 3

Movement 4

Part II

Stretches for Junior Golf Flexibility has been singled out as one of the most important components of the golf swing. Have you ever asked yourself why? Why do so many golf swing instructors, fitness experts and physicians all talk about it? Aren’t juniors already too flexible? Let’s first examine one really important concept you may have likely learned about in elementary school – kinetic and potential energy. In school, most kids get the opportunity to play with a rubber band as they try to understand different forms of energy. ‘Kinetic’ energy refers to the work that is being done while ‘potential’ energy is defined as the work that is waiting to be done. In the case of the rubber band, as you pull the band back it is storing potential energy. As it is released, it becomes kinetic. Most of us learned through experimentation that if we pull the band back further, we release more energy and the band travels further. But, what if we move the band over to the side of our finger? Does this help the energy or hurt it? Now, let’s go back to all of the questions golfers normally ask regarding their games. -How can I hit it further? -How can I prevent injuries? -How can I have a more consistent golf swing? The answer to all of these questions lies in this same concept – how are you releasing energy in your golf swing and in which ways does your body attempt to stop you or interrupt the process? A more flexible body leads to a swing with increased power, increased consistency, and more efficiency. On the other hand, a golf swing performed with decreased mobility leads to many swing faults and increased risk of injury. When you place your body in a series of shortened moves because of muscle tightness, it reacts in a protective mode and places the stress on other muscles. The results are some muscles become short and tight and some muscles become weak. Together, they are all doing everything they can to create inefficiencies in your swing. So, flexibility is important because it allows complete freedom of movement so none of these things can occur in your swing. When your body can express this freedom of movement, it logically and naturally gets in the positions you want and performs at a higher level of efficiency. We already determined that efficiency leads to increased drive distance, protection from injury and overall better playing performance.

WHY FLEXIBILITY CAN MAKE A DIFFERENCE

• Increases range of motion allowing you to stretch and reach further

• Improves distance, power, and accuracy

• Reduces the incidence and severity of low back pain

• Improves your power in explosive activities

• Increases improves circulation and blood flow

• Relieves muscle soreness after intense physical activity

• Improves posture and muscle balance

• Increases muscle coordination

• Promotes a synchronized golf swing

• Increases neuromuscular coordination

• Prepares your body and your mind for the work ahead

• Increases the core body temperature

BUT, JUNIOR GOLFERS DON’T NEED TO STRETCH.

THEY ARE ALREADY TOO FLEXIBLE! I continue to see this blanket statement pronounced on the Internet and I couldn’t disagree more. I have to wonder if these experts have ever worked with juniors. It is a common misconception to ignore flexibility training as a junior. While many juniors appear to have great flexibility in their spine and shoulders, you may not have noticed the loss of flexibility in their lower bodies including their hips and hamstrings. This is a common occurrence with junior golfers as they experience growth spurts in their teenage years, especially with teenage boys. Their upper bodies become more dominant in their swing while their mid-section and lower bodies become inactive due to loss of range of motion. Remember that any time we have tight muscles, your body responds in restricted movement and this always shows up in the golf swing. Have you ever seen a teenage male golfer with an all upper body swing? Hip rotation tightness is quite prevalent in this group. A junior golfer’s focus should always be on restoring normal range of motion to all the joints that affect their golf swing – the spine, shoulders, hips, and even the ankles! Let’s think of flexibility for juniors in three ways. There are those junior golfers who cannot achieve full range of motion in one or more of these key areas and are often

referred to as ‘tight’. There are those that go to the opposite end of the spectrum and appear ‘hypermobile’ which means they can extend way beyond a normal range of motion. Then, there is the last category of junior golfers who are able to move their body through a full range of motion without noticing any areas of tightness or any areas of hypermobility. These golfers simply move through a ‘normal’ range of motion. An important point to note is that no golfer is perfect. What is more typical is that you will see a junior golfer with hypermobility in their shoulders, but tightness in their hip rotators. So, the focus becomes on those areas that need or require the most attention. Don’t be fooled when you see a junior golfer wrap his shoulders around his head and appear that he could do it three or four times with the length of his limbs. Yes, you are seeing extreme flexibility in the shoulders, but what about the rest of the body? In my several years at the junior golf academy performing assessments, I saw hundreds of juniors perform the exact same tests. They were both young men and women between the ages of 12 and 18, although it was predominantly young men. One of the tests was a simple hamstring ‘sit and reach’. In this test juniors sat on the ground with their backs against a wall and their feet extended straight out into a V. The object of the test was to bend at the waist and reach as far forward as possible. There was always one person in the class that could practically lay their chest on the floor. We would all stare in amazement! Somewhere else in the room, and at the same time, another young man about his age would be in excruciating pain because he could not sit completely upright with his legs extended. It was just too painful! Of course, the majority of golfers could reach in between these two extremes. In junior golf, we do not attempt to settle for tightness or restrictions nor do we strive for hypermobility. The goal is just to have ‘normal’ range of motion. Here is an example of flexibility in the shoulders of a collegiate golfer. One photo shows slightly tight shoulders and the other shows slightly better than normal flexibility. Can you reach behind your back and touch your hands together?

Slightly tight shoulders Slightly better than normal flexibility

CAN A JUNIOR BE TOO FLEXIBLE?

Remember that with juniors (and the rest of us too!), we are seeking muscle balance. It is when the body has areas of tightness next to areas of extreme flexibility that problems are created. It is relatively common to see some juniors who are very flexible in certain areas. The most common example is of young men between the ages of 13 and 17 whose upper bodies are growing rapidly relative to their lower bodies. As I mentioned in the example above, you might see hypermobility in the shoulders at the same time their lower body is tight. When the upper body is this flexible, the young golfer may have trouble holding their position in the backswing and the instructor may say ‘they lack stability’. The best way to create stability is to strength train with special attention to these areas so young golfers can better hold key golf swing positions. With junior golfers in this small percentage group, it is advisable to avoid stretching in the areas where they are hypermobile and use strength training to create better stability at least until there is better balance between their strength and flexibility.

ARE YOU FLEXIBLE ENOUGH?

How do you know if you are not flexible enough, just right or overly flexible? Here are three tests you can use as a mini assessment of common tight areas. 1. Hamstring Test Lay on your back with the top of your hip joint in the middle of the door frame. Lift the leg nearest the door frame up as high as possible. How high does your leg lift? Is it slightly below the door frame (not so flexible)? Is your ankle bone in line with door frame (normal flexibility)? Or perhaps your foot moves past the door frame (excellent flexibility)?

2. Shoulder Test Can you reach behind your back with both hands and touch them together? If not, is it your top hand (external rotation) or bottom hand (internal rotation) that is preventing you from touching? If you can touch both hands together then you have normal or good flexibility. If you can grasp your hands together or overlap them from behind, you have excellent flexibility. Just be sure you have enough strength in your shoulders and upper body to balance out this great level of flexibility.

3. Hip Test

Place your butt muscles against the wall. Begin by rotating out your heel only as far as it will go. Do not lift your toes or tilt your foot to the side. Just ‘slide’ your heel out and see how far it can move away from your body while still keeping contact with your butt muscles against the wall. If your hips are tight, you will see very little movement. You should be able to rotate them fully away from your body without lifting the foot, the toes and maintaining contact with the wall.

DEVELOPMENTAL TRENDS IN YOUTH FLEXIBILITY There are many factors which can predetermine one’s flexibility. Genetics does play a role as it relates to the elasticity and length of your muscles and ligaments and normal structure of your joints. While some people will be predisposed to always having greater flexibility than others, there is still opportunities for each person to maximize their own abilities. According to Jim and Phil Wharton in the Wharton’s Stretch Book, muscles have the capacity to increase up to 1.6 times their length. This allows all golfers of all levels, opportunities for improvement. Juniors from ages 6 to 10:

Keep in mind that not all bones grow at the same rate and bones grow at a much faster rate than muscle throughout the developmental process. In this age group, common flexibility issues are constraints in shoulder and hip mobility. In order to accommodate these restrictions, it is best for golfers in this age group to perform dynamic stretches and movement patterns that strive to increase their range of motion in these areas including arm circles and leg raises in all directions. Spine flexibility reaches its natural maximum at age 8 or 9 (Jozef Drabik, Children and SportsTraining), but can be increased beyond this up until 15 years of age. One of the significant issues though is attempting to increase this natural range of motion as well as repetitive bending and twisting is a known cause of stress fractures and other significant life-long back injuries. Static stretching is not recommended for this age group. Stick to dynamic stretches and movement patterns. Juniors from ages 10 to 13: This age group can benefit from increasing flexibility just prior to typical growth spurts which occur between 13 and 15. With stretches and exercises, juniors should always concentrate on using the full range of motion available to them. Juniors from ages 13 to 15:

Height can increase one inch in a month during growth spurts. In this period, bones are growing faster than muscles and tendons and creating weaknesses throughout the body. Design flexibility training around tight muscles and exercises that re-enforce good posture. Juniors from ages 15 to 19:

Golfers in this age group who have been through their primary growth spurt can now be trained as young adults. Flexibility training can include both static and dynamic stretches and juniors should continue to work towards total muscle balance.

BASIC STRETCHING RULES Here are five simple rules to follow when looking to increase your flexibility for golf. 1. Stretch within your comfort zone and available limits. Mild muscle tension can be a natural part of the stretching process, but pain and discomfort have no part in a sensible stretching program. 2. Make sure and relax. It is very difficult to stretch effectively when you are tense. Find a time when you tend to be more relaxed throughout the day to use as your stretching time. An uptight attitude can create an uptight body and subject it to increased risk of injury. Don’t stretch when you’re uptight, frustrated, angry and in a similar mood. 3. Try exercising first. Exercise increases your body temperature and prepares it for a natural unwinding process through stretches. Use a brief cardio warm up or exercise session prior to your stretch routine. 4. Consistency is vital. Take your time and enjoy the opportunity to relax while focusing on making progress. If you tend to be a tight individual and you haven’t stretched in a while, it will take some time to restore normal range of motion. Be patient and stretch consistently for best results. 5. Don’t be afraid to spend more time on one side of your body or in an area where you are tighter. Most people are tighter on one side or in the lower body vs. the upper body. Go ahead and spend a few extra minutes with these ‘hot spots’ or tight areas.

DIFFERENT STRETCHING METHODS There are numerous styles of stretching, all of which produce varying levels of results dependent on when and how they are being used. However, there are instances where one method is preferred over others, especially when it comes to junior golfers. Here are the two most common types of stretching methods used in the world today. Static Stretching Static stretching is when you place a muscle in a stretch to its furthest point and simply hold the stretch for 10 to 20 seconds. A common example is when you see someone lying on their back and lifting their leg as high as possible in an effort to stretch their hamstrings. It is not a bouncing or ballistic movement, but rather a slow methodical stretch until your muscle feels a gentle ‘pull’ or you have a feeling of slight discomfort. While this is a respected form of flexibility training, it is not advisable for children until after they have finished their growth spurt or around 15 years of age and up, according to Jozef Drabik in Children and Sports Training. After 15, static stretching can be performed after a brief warm up, throughout a strength training routine or at the end of the day. With static stretches, each stretch is typically repeated 3 to 5 times with the suggested hold times mentioned above. By placing the muscles under tension for this period of time, it allows the muscles and tendons to lengthen in response. In addition, static stretches are typically not recommended as part of a warm up before a round of golf. According to a study by Evetovich and Young 2003, static stretching may reduce force production and create a loss of strength and muscular power for up to one hour following an intense session. Dynamic Stretching Dynamic stretching is the preferred method for young juniors. The actual stretches can be similar or the same to those stretches used for static stretches, but the method is very different. Dynamic stretches are a way of increasing muscle length by constantly moving the body through a desired range of motion. Throughout the stretch period, golfers can slowly increase the range of motion and the speed of movement. Examples of these types of movements include arm swings, leg swings, body weight squats or walking lunges. Typically, a golfer should perform roughly 10 to 12 repetitions and maintain only a 1 to 2 second hold for each stretch. This style of flexibility training is the preferred method of increasing a person’s flexibility prior to a round of golf and for all juniors of all ages. Now, here are two stretch programs you can use – one for at home stretches and the other program can be used as an on course or warm up routine prior to play or practice.

Home Daily Stretch Routine

Exercise Instructions Example

Hip Flexor Stretch Kneel down so that your front knee and foot are in alignment. Place your weight forward with your hands on your hips and your posture in good alignment moving forward.

Glute Stretch Take your right bent leg and

point your foot towards the opposite shoulder blade. Your left leg is extended. Begin the stretch by bringing your heel closer to your opposite shoulder blade.

Mid Back Stretch Begin by placing one hand on the back of your head and the other on your thigh. Lift your bent elbow back and up so that you get a good stretch across your mid back. Keep your posture in good alignment throughout.

Neck and Shoulder Stretch Place one arm around your

back at the level of your belt line. Turn your head away from stretch in the direction of the bent arm. This will give you a stretch for your neck and shoulders

Upper Back, Shoulder and Hamstring Stretch

Once you have the set up position with one knee bent and the other extended, just reach further down your back with each stretch. Lean slightly forward to increase the stretch in your hamstrings.

Upper Back Stretch Lay on the ground with your arms straight up and palms facing one another. Extend your arms straight back towards the ground while keeping your back flat on the ground.

Dynamic Stretch Routine for the Course

Exercise Instructions Example

Rotator Warm Up Grab a golf club with one hand and place the club behind your back. Reach behind with your opposite hand and take hold of the club. Pull the club up with the top hand, then slide the club down with your lower hand.

Golfers Prep Stretch Place your hands on each end of the club. Move into a full backswing and complete the motion into a full follow through.

Shoulder Warm Up Place your club underneath

one arm and grab with your hand. Place your opposite hand on the shaft. Slowly lift the club up from the shaft and you will feel a rotation at your shoulder joint.

Hamstring Warm Up Grab a golf club and place on your shoulders. Bend from the waist until you are parallel with the ground. Keep good posture throughout.

Quad, Hip Flexor and Rotation Stretch

Grab a golf club and place around your head and shoulders. Step into a lunge position, then rotate into the forward leg.

Shoulder and Mid-Back Warm Up

Place both hands on your club at shoulder distance apart. Turn one arm over the other. Turn into your back swing.

Part III

Nutrition On and Off the Course

There are a variety of ways to use nutrition to your advantage. Specific nutritional choices can help with body fat reduction, lean muscle gain as well as a means of maximizing your performance during competitive play. It can provide a healthier body, a more fit physique and produce more powerful contact with the ball. Solid nutrition can help improve mental focus, sustain energy levels and improve body image and confidence while playing. Players who build a ‘game plan’ based on these nutritional choices will reap the short term and long term benefits through their years of competitive play. Golf performance nutrition strategies may be the one opportunity to gain a distinct advantage over your competitors when other factors appear to be an even match. Building a Game Plan for Nutrition Throughout a round of 18 holes, golfers combine endurance mixed with bouts of power, so it is important for them to plan their nutritional intake based on three energy demands – Immediate, Mid-Distance and Endurance. • Immediate – This is the type of energy you need for quick explosive strength – or short, maximum exertion. • Mid Distance – Repeated near-maximum exertion describes the level of activity of mid-distance. In mid-distance, the body turns to glycogen as its energy source. • Endurance – Endurance athletes gain their energy from the oxidization of fatty acids, protein and glucose – all that generate energy. Oxygen is needed to break these down and provide a lasting energy source for the endurance athlete.

Energy Demands For Golf (as a %)

Intermediate Mid-Distance Endurance

18 Holes 40 50 10

36 Holes 50 40 10

Since the golfer has a combination of immediate, mid-distance and endurance energy requirements, a balanced diet is important to ensure all of those needs are met. If any one of your energy sources are low or you have depleted them through long-term activity, your body experiences muscle fatigue. As a golfer, muscle fatigue results in lost shots by allowing muscle memory to slide, and strength to be lost. You may leave your shot 10 yards short, or you may not be able to generate the spin you want, because there is not enough force exerted on the ball. A Balanced Approach is Best for Golf It goes without saying that proper nutrition is important for all of us. But, if you are serious about shaving valuable strokes off your scorecard, you need to make some tough decisions on seeing your diet through. If you travel for golf, or are on tour, it is important not to fall into the trap of ‘settling.’ For fast food or a quick bag of chips or chocolate bar. You need to be committed to your healthful eating plan each and every step of the way to make sure you are getting the nutrients you need. Where do Carbs Fit into a Healthy Gold Diet? Carbohydrates are the fuel your body needs to compete. They are broken down into the sugars your body needs to maintain energy levels that allow you to continue your activity. There are two types of carbohydrates your body breaks down as energy: simple and complex. Simple carbs have a very simple chemical structure, while complex carbs are, exactly as the name implies, more complex! Since they're both made of the same elements, the big difference is in how they're digested. Simple carbs are digested more quickly, and complex carbs take longer because of their more complex structure. The simplest form of carbohydrate is glucose, or blood sugar. Simple sugars that are found in foods include sucrose (table sugar), fructose (fruit sugar), and lactose (milk sugar). So foods that contain primarily these simpler forms of carbohydrate are known as simple carbs: white sugar, brown sugar, confectioner's sugar, corn syrup, honey, maple syrup, high-fructose corn syrup, molasses. You should also include fruit juice, milk, yogurt, candy, cookies and pastries in the simple carb listing, because they're made primarily from sugar. Complex carbs typically contain more fiber, and have a more complex chemical structure that takes longer to digest. "Starch" is the common term for complex carbs. Examples

• 50-55% from

carbohydrates

• 25-35% from fats

• 20-30% from proteins

• Make sure you are

drinking lots of water!

are breads, cereals, crackers, rice, pasta, potatoes, corn, peas, lima beans and legumes like chickpeas, garbanzo beans, kidney beans and lentils. Complex carbohydrates are the type of carbohydrates that an athlete needs to maintain physical activity over an extended period of time. Simple carbs are broken down quickly and absorbed into the bloodstream much faster giving you that quick energy boost over a short period of time. As a golfer, especially if you are of a championship caliber, it is essential to have a wide variety of complex carbohydrates to maintain your energy through an 18-hole match or a 72-hole tournament. Complex carbs replenish the glycogen stores in your liver and your muscles, and the glycogen stores in your liver are what your brain uses as its primary energy source. While golf is a physically demanding anaerobic activity, you will always hear people talk about the game being as equally taxing on the mental side. Mentally your brain needs to stay conditioned to tell your body what to do, not to mention calculating distances, swing strength and maintaining focus. This is another reason why eating complex carbohydrates is important for your golf game.

Average Daily Calorie Intake for Children

Why is Protein Important for Golfers? Our bodies are made up of chains of 20 different amino acids. Some of which our bodies manufacture naturally and some which we cannot manufacture. Protein serves its main function as part of the growth and repair of body tissues as well as repairing the muscle damage that occurs during training. We also need protein to make red blood cells, produce hormones, boost our immune system, and maintain the health of our hair, fingernails, and skin. How much protein we need is at the heart of many debates. However, we can offer some simple guidelines based on your activity level. As you can imagine, protein needs vary depending on whether the golfer is growing, rapidly building new muscle, performing endurance exercise, or dieting.

Age Male Female 11-14 2500 2200 15-18 3000 2200

Specific caloric numbers should be adjusted based on the a mount of exercise, growth spurts, ages and individual differences Reference: Fuel for Young Athletes, Ann Lift, MS, RD, Human Kinetics

Table 1. Recommended Grams of Protein Per Pound of Body Weight Per Day*

RDA for Sedentary Adult 0.4

Adult Recreational Exerciser .05-0.75

Adult Competitive Athlete 0.6-0.9

Adult Building Muscle Mass 0.7-0.9

Dieting Athlete 0.7-1.0

Growing Teenage Athlete 0.9-1.0

7 to 10 Years Old 1.1-1.2

11-14 Years Old 0.8-1.0

What about Healthy Fats in a Golfer’s Diet? One of the most common misconceptions regarding a healthy diet is that fat is not needed. In fact, one of the major functions of dietary fat is to provide a source of energy. Fat is necessary to absorb vitamins A, D, E and K. Fat also helps us to insulate our bodies and provide a cushion to our vital organs. However, there are a number of ways to get healthy fat in our diet for energy purposes and maintenance of health without choosing poor fat choices. There are three main types: saturated, polyunsaturated and monounsaturated. Our bodies only need 15-20% of our daily calories to come from fat in the form of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats. These fats include safflower, soy, sunflower, canola and corn oils, in addition to avocados, nuts, and olives. Saturated fats which include whole milk, butter, cheese, and coconut, and solid shortenings shouldn’t comprise more than 10 % of your total allowed for fat intake. Trans fat is formed when polyunsaturated or monounsaturated fats change from a liquid to a

Calculate Your Daily Protein Needs

Growing teenage athletes need 0.9-1.0 grams of protein per pound of body weight per day.

To estimate your daily protein needs, take your scale weight and multiply by 0.9. Let’s say Jeremy is a 16-year-old golfer who weighs 160 lbs.

160 x 0.9 = 144

This means Jeremy needs approximately 144 grams of protein per day.

solid form. This type of fat should be avoided entirely and can be found in cookies, crackers, potato chips, French fries and some margarine, all of which are commonly referred to as hydrogenated fats.

What Does a Solid Golf Nutrition Plan Look Like When You Put it Together? Here are some sample menus to give you an idea of some daily eating plans. The goal is to space meals every couple of hours apart, combine carbs, proteins and fats at each sitting and provide a variety with foods which focus on healthful choices. These menus just serve as examples so feel free to substitute your favorite foods for some of our pre select choices. Sample Menu 1 Breakfast 2-3 eggs scrambled with vegetables and cheese

1 slice sprouted grain toast with butter ½ cup berries

Snack: apple and 1-2 tbsp nut butter (natural) Lunch: 2-4 turkey and cheese roll ups with mustard or mayo

1 cup of vegetable and bean soup Post-Workout Snack 8-12 ounces low fat chocolate milk 1 banana Dinner 4-6 ounces grilled skinless, boneless chicken breast or thigh

1/2 cup of wild rice 1 cup of steamed green beans w/butter

Calculate Your Daily Fat Needs Determine your calorie needs and then multiply by 25 %. To estimate your daily caloric needs, take your scale weight and multiply by 10. If you weigh 160 lbs., then an estimate is 1600 calories to maintain your current weight. Add an extra 20 to 40% if you are sedentary, 40 to 60% if you are moderately active, and 60 to 80% if you are very active. Take 1600 x .20 = 320 calories per day in carbohydrates or 35.56 grams per day (9 calories per gram of fat)

Sample Menu 2 Breakfast 1 cup cooked old-fashioned or steel cut oats w/whole milk (you can make these in advance for a quick breakfast)

1-2 sausage links 1 small pear

Snack 6 oz. organic whole milk yogurt Celery or other raw vegetable Lunch 1-2 whole-wheat tortilla with 4-6 oz. chicken, chopped

lettuce, tomato, avocado and cheese Baby carrots and hummus Post Workout Snack smoothie with water, whey protein powder, ½ banana, ½ cup

frozen strawberries and blueberries Dinner 4-6 ounce hamburger with cheese and ketchup Spinach salad with cucumber, carrot, tomato, ½ avocado,

cheese and organic dressing of choice ½ cup baked beans

Dietary Guidelines for Healthy Children

• The American Heart Association recommends this eating pattern for families:

• Energy (calories) should be adequate to support growth and development and to reach or maintain desirable body weight.

• Eat foods low in saturated fat, trans fat, cholesterol, salt (sodium), and added

sugars.

• Avoid partially hydrogenated oils and high fructose corn syrup on food labels.

• Keep total fat intake between 25 to 35 percent of calories for children and adolescents 4 to 18 years of age, with most fats coming from sources of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fatty acids, such as fish, nuts and vegetable oils.

• Choose a variety of foods to get enough carbohydrates, protein and other

nutrients.

• Eat only enough calories to maintain a healthy weight for your height and build.

• Be physically active for at least 60 minutes a day.

• Serve whole-grain or sprouted grain breads rather than refined grain products. Look for “whole grain” as the first ingredient on the food label.

• Serve a variety of fruits and vegetables daily, while limiting juice intake. Each

meal should contain at least 1 fruit or vegetable. Children’s recommended fruit intake ranges from 1 cup/day, between ages 1 and 3, to 2 cups for a 14–18-year-old boy. Recommended vegetable intake ranges from ¾ cup a day at age one to 3 cups for a 14–18-year-old boy.

• Introduce and regularly serve fish as an entrée. Avoid commercially fried fish.

Ideally, choose wild caught fish.

• If possible, choose organic animal proteins. Look for grass fed beef and free-range chicken/eggs. If these are not available, try to find hormone and antibiotic free options.

• Don’t overfeed. Estimated calories needed by children range from 900/day for

a1-year-old to 1,800 for a 14–18-year-old girl and 2,200 for a 14–18-year-old boy.

Dietary Guidelines for Fiber in Children's Diets AHA Recommendation: Children older than 2 years should gradually adopt the American Heart Association Eating Plan. That means saturated fat intake should be 8–10 percent of total calories and dietary cholesterol should be limited to no more than 300 mg daily. Children should also get the majority of calories from complex carbohydrates high in fiber. A fiber guideline of "age plus 5" has been proposed to set dietary fiber amounts for young children. This means, for example, a 5-year-old should consume 5+5=10 grams of fiber per day. Once a child's caloric intake approaches that of an adult (1500 calories or more), 25 total grams should be well tolerated. This eating pattern supports a child's normal growth and development. It provides enough total energy and meets or exceeds the recommended daily allowances for all nutrients for children and adolescents, including iron and calcium. Healthful Eating Daily Snacks Eating healthy is a learned process that takes time and effort on the front end, until it becomes a way of life. Invest in this process by introducing new foods and choices at home that focus on simplicity and balance. Make sure you provide a snack for your child daily that they can eat just prior to their afternoon lesson or practice session.

Most healthy snacks do not require cooking and can be prepared with a minimal investment of time in the kitchen. Involve your children so they can learn to make choices for a lifetime of healthy eating. Now, here are a few suggestions for quick and easy snacks.

• Whole-wheat crackers with cheese and an apple

• Cooked, diced chicken and blueberries

• Whole-wheat tortilla wrap with Natural Peanut Butter and Sliced Bananas

• Orange slices with a handful of dry-roasted nuts

• String Cheese and baby carrots

• Turkey and cheese roll ups

• Frozen Grapes with Sliced Cheese

• Cut raw vegetables and hummus or natural nut butter

• Organic Whole Milk Yogurt with Raisins and Almonds

Golf Performance Nutrition for Junior Golfers Competitive junior golfers should always be eating with aspects of health and performance on their mind as these two factors work hand in hand. Here are some ways to make performance nutrition work in the competitive golf arena.

THE 6 PRINCIPLES OF GOLF NUTRITION

1. Eat five or six small meals a day. Whether you refer to it as a meal or a snack, nutrient timing is important and you need to offer your body good balanced nutrition at regular intervals throughout the day. You may even find that eating more often has the added benefit of accelerating your metabolism as well as acts to maintain steady energy levels throughout the day. 2. Combine carbohydrates and protein at every meal. Our bodies tend to operate better with a balance of carbohydrates and protein. It is the combination of these nutrients that helps to stabilize blood sugar levels and provide a steady release of energy throughout the day. 3. Don’t forget to use the right portion size. It only takes a handful more calories daily to add an extra 10 or 15 lbs. of body fat each year. Portion size has everything to do with long term weight management. Use the size of your clenched hand to determine appropriate servings of carbohydrates and proteins for your next meal. Use this same approach for each meal and this should put you in an effective calorie range.

4. Plan meals ahead of time. One of the most difficult things we face in eating according to a plan is making sure our pantry is well organized and our meals are properly planned. Experiment with different seasonings and meal plans to see what works for you. Then, take the time to prepare those meals or snacks in advance so it becomes a natural and easy process for you. 5. Drink 8 to10 glasses of water every day. Staying well hydrated can serve you well in the heat of a long tournament, through training, or simple recreational rounds when you could just use a little more energy. Remember it only takes a small amount of dehydration to have a dramatic effect on your golf performance. Avoid sodas, coffee, tea and “energy” drinks, as they are diuretics and will hurt your hydration efforts. If you do drink them on occasion, you’ll need to drink even more water to compensate for the diuretic effect these have on your body. 6. Focus on consistency, not perfection. Have you ever heard the term “paralysis by analysis?” Try not to over think the nutrition process. Just keep things simple with your meal plans and goals. Consistency is far more important than laboring over moments in time when you have trouble sticking with it. Don’t beat yourself up. Everyone has a bad day now and then. Keep your fitness and eating goals in front of you and you’ll feel the difference. The Glycemic Index and Food Timing So, which foods produce champions and which foods can hinder play? Let me introduce you to a familiar concept in advanced golf nutrition called “the glycemic index”. The glycemic index refers to the relative degree to which your blood sugar increases after the consumption of food. The majority of carbohydrates are categorized by the rate at which they release sugar into your blood stream. The foods are then measured and categorized as a high (quick) release, mid release (medium) or low (slow) release. As you take a careful look at the charts below, remember an old ‘tried and true’ statement… what goes up…must come down. Notice the difference in the body’s response to high, medium and low glycemic food choices.

Inconsistent energy levels can produce inconsistent play. At the elite level of golf, nothing is left to chance. Here’s a look at some slow and quick release foods that can have an impact on how you play. Low (Slow) Release Oatmeal with nuts Apples, Oranges, Pears Sprouted, Multi-grain bread Cashew nuts Baked beans Yogurt Raw carrots High (Quick) Release Cream of Wheat Watermelon, Pineapple Bagel, white Raisins Cranberry juice cocktail Grapenuts cereal Fruit Bars Potatoes Corn Flakes

Children vs. Adults: Lessons in Nutrition

• To accommodate growth and development, the daily protein requirements per unit of body weight are higher for children than for adults, but it is unclear whether child athletes need more protein than their inactive counterparts for normal growth and development and for optimal performance.

• Children require more energy than do adolescents or adults during sports

activities that include walking or running, and possibly in other activities.

• Compared with adults, children and adolescents use more fat and less carbohydrates during prolonged exercise. (Reference: Nutrition for child and adolescent athletes, SSE#77, volume 13 (2000), number 2, Oded Bar-Or, M.D., Children's Exercise & Nutrition Centre, McMaster University, Hamilton, Ontario. Canada)

• For adults, adequate protein intake is defined as the minimal amount needed to

maintain nitrogen balance. In contrast, children and adolescents must maintain a positive nitrogen balance (i.e., a higher intake than utilization) for the purpose of growth and development of body organs and tissues.

• While in adults the recommended intake is 0.8-1.0 g protein/kg body weight per

day, protein requirements are higher during childhood and adolescence (National Research Council, 1989). For example, children aged 7-10 years must consume 1.1-1.2 g/kg per day, and children aged 11-14 need 1 g/kg per day (Ziegler et al., 1998).

• Energy requirements of child athletes are different from those of adults. The

energy cost of walking or running at any given speed, when calculated per kg body mass, is considerably higher in children than in adolescents and adults, and the younger the child, the higher the relative cost (Åstrand, 1952; Daniels et al., 1978; MacDougall et al.,

• 1983). A 7-year-old child, for example, would require as much as 25-30% more energy per kg body mass than would a young adult when they both walk or run at the same speed (Åstrand, 1952).

• As a rule of thumb, for children 8-10 years old, one can add 20-25% to the adult

values for energy expenditure; add 10-15% for children who are 11-14 years old.

• Energy requirements in children are greater due to the lack of adequate coordination between their agonist and antagonist muscle groups. During walking and running, the antagonist muscles of children, particularly in their first decade of life, do not seem to relax sufficiently when the agonist muscles contract. This pattern, termed "co- contraction," requires extra metabolic energy, which makes children metabolically less economical than adolescents and adults (Frost et al., 1997).

• Another possible reason for a high metabolic cost is a greater biomechanical energy cost due to a faster stride frequency (Unnithan & Eston, 1990).

• Like adults, children underestimate their fluid needs during exercise lasting more

than • 30 min. Because children respond to dehydration with an excessive increase in

their core body temperatures, every effort should be made to prevent exercise-induced dehydration in child athletes.

• Cooling a drink to refrigerator temperature and, in particular, adding flavor to the

drink will increase its palatability. Children will voluntarily drink more when the drink is tasty.

The Competitive Golfer’s Guide to Eating on the Road Eating healthy while traveling on the road is one of the bigger challenges in competitive golf. It has been a long standing issue not just for juniors, but for competitive players at every level including those on the professional tours. Here are some guidelines that will help guide you through the wide range of choices you may face while traveling and still making healthy eating choices. No matter what the protein or carbohydrate choice on the menu, the secret is in the preparation of the dish. Look at the descriptions first as the most important steps in choosing a healthy meal. Always Choose… Roasted Tomato Sauce Steamed Poached Barbequed Grilled Cooked in its own juice Marinara Sauce Say NO to: Fried Au Gratin Sautéed Alfredo Sauce Breaded Scampi Creamed Batter Dipped (or tempura) Cooked with butter or cream

Hydration, Rehydration and Dehydration-What to Drink and When Proper nutrition is fundamental to fitness and performance. Although many athletes carefully regulate their diet, they may pay little attention to their body's fluid needs. They often misunderstand and, as a result, underplay the importance of water to good nutrition. Through normal perspiration, respiration, and urination, the body can lose up to half a gallon of water a day. Actively training athletes can lose even more! In addition, because young athletes are not as efficient at body temperature regulation as adults are, they risk overheating and the consequent onset of heat-related illnesses. Athletes can lose between 2 and 4 quarts of sweat (6 to 8 pounds of body weight) in just one hour during prolonged or intense exercise! To replenish fluids properly, the body's digestive system can only absorb about 1 quart of fluid per hour, so it is imperative to drink fluids at regular intervals before, during, and after exercise and golf rounds or practice. (Reference: Sports Nutrition For Young Adults: HE-749, New May 1997. Robert E. Keith, Professor, and Leslie Wade, Graduate Student, Nutrition and Food Science, Auburn University) Since water is considered the single most important nutrient needed by young athletes, maintaining proper hydration is absolutely essential– especially for junior golfers. Golf is typically played in the heat of summer, so making sure you have you have plenty of water on the course will help you eliminate several potential problems associated with dehydration.

• Dehydration can result in memory lapse, lightheadedness, difficulty breathing and headaches.

• Golfers need to rely on water to ensure that their mental capacity is at an optimal

level. A lack of water short-circuits the brain.

• Excess water loss through perspiration if not replenished will speed up physical fatigue.

• Water with added electrolytes can also a good choice. Be wary of sports

drinks with sugar and artificial sweeteners added, as they will give you a quick boost of energy (simple carb) but cause you to “crash” within an hour.

• Water is essential in maintaining strong and healthy muscles. Our muscles are

over 60 per cent water; so proper fluid replenishing is vital.

• Allows golfers to maintain constant body temperatures by providing perspiration for cooling and blood circulation for warming.

• Water helps to lubricate and cushion the joints and tissues of the body.

Too many golfers wait until they are thirsty to take a quick drink from the water bottle. This is too late. Besides quenching our thirst, water transports the valuable nutrients that encourage our muscles to keep working and to continue the combustion of glycogen in our bodies. A golfer should have a large glass of water prior to starting their round, and constantly replenish the stores every two to three holes. If you don’t make sure your water consumption is maintained, concentration and overall mental function is compromised. At 1% dehydration, a golfer’s body temperature is increased. At 3%, performance is impaired. Follow these suggestions for optimal performance:

• Drink about eight, eight ounce glasses per day for the two weeks leading up to an event.

• About two hours before play, drink 16 to 20 ounces of water.

• 15 to 30 minutes before play, drink 6 to16 ounces of water.

How Your Body Reacts When You Lose Fluids During Exercise % Weight Loss Effects on Body

1 to 2 Increase in core body temperature

3 Significant increase in body temperature with aerobic exercise

5* • Significant increase in body temperature with a definite decrease in aerobic ability and muscular endurance

• Possible 20 to 30 percent decrease in strength and anaerobic power

• Susceptibility to heat exhaustion 6 Muscle spasms, cramping

10 or more • Excessively high core body temperature • Susceptibility to heat stroke • Heat injury and circulatory collapse with aerobic performance

With a 5% body weight loss, an athlete will need at least 5 hours to rehydrate

Factors that contribute to dehydration

• Too much clothing for the environment and weather conditions • Not taking in enough fluids, primarily water • Playing in tournaments where your body is not accustomed to the climate • Intense sunshine/heat/humidity • Increased intensity and/or duration of your exercise program

Athletes must consider these factors that increase the rate of fluid loss and use extreme caution when training on sunny, hot, and humid days. These combined factors present the most dangerous environmental conditions for athletes. They encourage the rapid onset of dehydration and quickly raise internal body temperature. Signs of Dehydration Here are some early warning signs of dehydration. • Thirst • Headache • Dry or "cotton" mouth • Fatigue or weakness • Urine appears darker in color (should be pale yellow) • Increased heartbeat • Muscle cramps • Skin appears flush • Slightly sunken eyes What To Eat Before A Round Of Golf The goal of the Pre Round meal is to provide a slow and sufficient energy release that lasts for the next couple of hours as well as to provide great mental concentration.

• Eat lightly in the two hours leading up to tee time. Food in your digestive system diverts blood away from your brain and muscles, affecting concentration and physical performance. A meal approximately 1 ½ to 2 hours prior to play is ideal.

• Eat complex carbohydrates, keep protein and fat intakes low since these slow down digestion.

• Eat slowly and chew well.

• Drink water to be adequately hydrated. Try one to two glasses prior to tee time.

• Never drastically alter your normal eating patterns prior to competition. Favorite foods may often give you a psychological edge.

What To Eat During A Round Of Golf The goal of the golf round meal is to maintain blood sugar levels and avoid dehydration.

• Take with you a mix of dried fruit and nuts (known as trail mix). Eat just small amounts throughout the round to keep energy and concentration levels regulated.

• Sip water regularly, especially on hot days where you perspire readily.

• Nutrition bars readily available from health food stores are a convenient snack

that can help keep blood sugar levels steady. Avoid the high glycemic varieties and those with a list of ingredients you can’t pronounce. Try small mouthfuls at regular intervals, before you get hungry.

What To Eat After A Round Of Golf The goal of the Post Round Meal is to replenish any lost nutrients as well as to continue sustaining energy levels and continual hydration.

• Consume a combination of protein and carbohydrate-rich foods and drinks as soon as possible after your round. They will replenish glycogen stores quickly and get the golfer back into performance shape.

• Replace fluids that have been lost. For every pound that is lost, drink 2 cups of

fluids.

• Replace any potassium or sodium that has been lost during competition or training by using foods. Fruits and vegetables are excellent sources of potassium. Replace sodium by eating salty foods.

• Return to your normal diet at your next meal.

Sustained energy snacks

• Apples, grapes, plums, pears, cherries

• Nuts

• Granola

• Dark flour bread or muffins

• Yogurt

• Multi grain crackers and natural peanut butter (make “sandwiches” ahead of time)

Quick energy snacks

• Raisins, bananas, pineapple, watermelon

• Rice or rice cakes

• Carrots

Great Golf Snacks to Take with You on the Course

• Natural Peanut Butter Wrap with Sliced Bananas

• Apple Slices with Natural Peanut Butter

• Orange slices with a handful of dry-roasted nuts

• String Cheese with a handful of Whole-Wheat Crackers

• String Cheese with a Handful of Almonds

• Lean Roast Beef Wrap with Small Amount of Organic Ranch Dressing

• Lean Turkey Slices in Wrap with Organic Ranch Dressing and Veggies

• Veggie Wrap with Almonds

• Veggie Wrap with Sliced Avocado

• Small Cup of Natural Applesauce (prepackaged) with Almonds

• Organic Yogurt

• Protein Bar from Approved List

• Handful of Trail Mix

• Whole wheat or sprouted grain wrap with Lean Roast Beef Slices

• Frozen Grapes with Laughing Cow Cheese

• Pita Bread with Cottage Cheese

• Banana with Natural Peanut Butter

• Whole Wheat Tortilla Wrap with Black Beans and Salsa

The Truth about Sports Drinks and Bars – It’s Not Pretty I’m going to keep this section short and to the point (I will be going into more detail on my blog). You’ve been sold a bill of goods when it comes to 99% of the “Sports Drinks” and “Energy Bars” on the market today. Truth be told, most of them have about the same nutrient values (and detrimental health side effects) as sodas and candy bars. This shouldn’t be a big surprise, as many of these “sports products” are produced by the exact same companies that sell the sugary bars and syrup and chemical-laden beverages. Let’s take a look at the labels of two of the most popular sports drinks, Gatorade and Powerade:

So there are just a few items of concern on these labels: High Fructose Corn Syrup Brominated Vegetable Oil Yellow 5 Red 40 Blue 1

Personally, I wouldn’t feed these to my worst enemy (unless my plan was to poison them for a long slow death). ☺ These types of ingredients are unhealthy for people of any age, and even more so for juniors during their developmental stages. But there is a healthy and simple alternative: www.NUUN.com Nuun tablets can be dropped into your juniors water bottle and will provide all of the electrolytes they need, without the nasty ingredients listed above, or the high amount of sugar. Be sure to check out both the junior and the golf sections of their website. High level golfers on the professional tours have started to realize the importance of consuming high quality food and water on and off the course. The Energy Bars on the market today don’t fare much better, as most contain the same kinds of artificial ingredients and high glycemic sugars as the drinks.

What qualities should you look for when purchasing a healthy sports bar?

100% Natural, Organic Ingredients: In our opinion, the quality of the nutrients is the most important aspect of nutrition. That means to avoid the synthetic and artificial fillers and sweeters that most companies use (and they use them because they are CHEAP, not because they are healthy). High quality protein: Not all protein sources are as efficiently utilized by the body. There are several measurements that seek to describe protein quality. Our personal favorite is organic rice protein, as it is gluten free, and has a relative hypoallergenic profile. We have found that most juniors notice an increase in ability to focus (on the course and in the classroom) when gluten and other common allergens are reduced in their diet. High quality fat from sources such as nuts and seeds. High quality fat is important for at least two reasons:

• Fat helps stabilize blood sugar: Nuts, when consumed with a meal or snack, significantly reduce the rate at which glucose from carbs enters the bloodstream. This means better blood sugar balance and control. Nuts are comprised predominantly of monounsaturated fats and are a rich source of phytosterols, magnesium and folic acid.

• Fat helps with satiety: A meal or snack with a balanced amount of fat (with respect

to carbs and protein) will help increase feelings of fullness and satiety.

Quality Sugars: We discourage our juniors from bars that utilize alcohol sugars, and instead prefer the use of low glycemic sweeteners, such as Agave nectar. Is there actually a company that makes bars that fit all of these criteria? Yep! www.OrganicFoodBar.com Where does Rest and Recovery Fit In? By now most golfers understand that quality is always more important than quantity. This concept applies to golf practice, time in the gym or at home with exercise, eating plan, and all other things in life. Recovery is a very important part of this process. Your body needs this time to rest, recover and regenerate. Here are some guidelines so junior golfers know how much sleep is needed to maintain performance standards.

Age Sleep Hours Needed

7 to 9 9.5 to 10.75 10 to 13 9 to 10.5 14 to 18 8.5 to 9.75

*Data from The Children’s Hospital Guide to Your Child’s Health and Development, 2001. (Boulder, CO: Perseus Publication)

Part IV

Injury Management If you ask any high level trainer who works with athletes of any sport what they consider to be their number one goal or priority, they would respond as follows… to prepare their athletes through nutrition and exercise to compete at their highest level while minimizing, if not eliminating, any potential for injury. As trainers, we all understand the importance of protecting our clients’ future by guarding them against injury. In fact, some trainers might even respond that if they can keep their clients completely injury free while playing and competing on a year round basis, then their job has been well done. Small annoying injuries can turn to significant nagging and potentially sport threatening injuries over time. We now understand that golf is an athletic endeavor and the body must be properly conditioned to prepare itself for competitive play. Since the emergence of Tiger Woods and Michelle Wie, we now have a different understanding of the importance of fostering and nurturing talented young golfers from early ages. However, there is a significant difference between ‘fostering’ and ‘pushing’ or ‘pulling’ youth golfers through the process of player development. On one hand, we have stories of 10 year old ‘scratch’ golfers and 7 year olds breaking long drive distance records, at the same time we are learning of 14 year old golfers with herniated disks and shoulder impingement. Make sure that your child begins this process with safety, fun and long term health and fitness as their most important goals and objectives. When their bodies and minds are protected from injuries and unhealthy thinking, it is much easier to maximize their genetic potential and allow the enjoyment to last a lifetime.

MOST COMMON INJURIES FOR JUNIOR GOLFERS Typical injuries for youth athletes range from stress fractures, growth plate disorders, cracked kneecaps and frayed heel tendons to a back condition brought on by excessive flexing that causes one vertebra to slip forward over another vertebra, according to the (be sure to reference site). Most are injuries once seen only in adults.

Dr. Lyle Micheli, a pioneer in the field of treating youth sports injuries and director of the sports medicine division of Boston Children's Hospital, said that 25 years ago, only 10 percent of the patients he treated came to him for injuries caused by overuse. Back then, most childhood injuries were fractures and sprains. Dr. Micheli said overuse injuries now represented 70 percent of the cases he sees. In interviews with more than two dozen sports-medicine doctors and researchers, one factor was repeatedly cited as the prime cause for the outbreak in overuse injuries among young athletes: specialization in one sport at an early age and the year-round, almost manic, training for it that often follows. In junior golf, the two most significant injuries for males and females are to the lower back and wrists. (R. Emerson et al, McCarroll et al 1990) Wrist injuries were 23% for male golfers and 28% for female golfers. Low back injuries were 33% of youth male golfers and 34% of youth female golfers. It is the conclusion of many researchers in the area of golf injuries that they can be better managed through better swing mechanics and proper physical conditioning. Other contributing factors include ill fitted clubs and overuse. A study by Jobe & Yocum (1988) indicated the fitness level of the individual dictates the risk of low back pain indicating the need for increased strength of the trunk muscles.

MANAGING INJURIES FOR JUNIOR GOLFERS Are you feeling pain, discomfort or just recognize the symptoms when your body isn’t feeling quite right or has some limits in performance? Regardless of your particular situation, we know that physical dysfunction will dramatically affect your golf game. Typically, pain and inflammation leads to a decrease in strength and limits your mobility. Tightness, pain or discomfort can actually inhibit a muscle’s ability to function properly. These are the exact reasons why some player’s never reach their performance potential or are subject to repeated injuries. Understanding where your body has limits and how to either play within these limits or improve your current range of motion is the key to unlocking your potential and maximize your swing mechanics. Junior Golfers are playing golf nearly every day of the week from the time they are old enough to properly hold a club. Given the repetitive nature of the swing, it is not surprising to see the number of overuse injuries. Here are some tips on injury prevention and management.

Injury Prevention Injury prevention is possible if you are prepared for your activity, both physically and mentally. Don't succumb to the weekend warrior syndrome by doing more than your training allows. However, you also need to balance training with rest to avoid overuse injuries. The following tips can help you avoid sports injuries:

• Wear and use proper equipment for golf, including shoes, sunglasses, gloves and layered clothing where appropriate.

• Warm up slowly before activity.

• Always use proper body mechanics in golf which involves repetitive stress to

many muscle groups throughout your body. Make sure and get technical skills training from a golf instructor who can help you lay the foundation for good body motion.

• Listen to your body. Pain is a warning sign of injury. You should not work through

pain, but stop or slow your activity until the pain subsides.

• Use specific skills training to prepare for golf.

• Cross train for overall conditioning and to allow specific muscles to rest. Cross training will also alleviate boredom and staleness.

Treating an Acute Injury If you suffer an acute injury, such as a strain or pull, immediately stop activity and use the RICE method of treatment. RICE stands for Rest, Ice, Compression, and Elevation.

• Rest will prevent further injury and will allow healing.

• Ice will stop swelling as it constricts injured blood vessels and limits the bleeding in the injured area.

• Compression further limits swelling and supports the injured joint.

• Elevation uses gravity to reduce swelling in the injured area by reducing blood

flow. It is important to begin RICE as soon after injury as possible. Use a sheet or towel to protect the skin and apply ice immediately. Next wrap an elastic bandage around the ice and injured area. Don't wrap this so tightly that you cut off the blood supply, but it should

be snug. Leave ice on for about 15 minutes every three hours or so during the day. Once the swelling decreases, you can begin gentle range of motion exercises for the affected joint. When to See A Doctor Most acute injuries can be attended to using RICE, but some injuries need to be seen and treated by a physician. You should call your doctor if you experience any of the following:

• you have severe pain, or if pain persists for more than two weeks in a joint or

bone.

• pain radiates to another area of the body.

• you have 'point tenderness.' That is, you can cause pain by pressing on a

• specific area, but pain is not produced at the same point on the other side of the

body.

• you have any injury to a joint that produces significant swelling. If left untreated,

joint injuries can become permanent.

• you cannot move the injured part.

• there is persistent numbness, tingling or weakness in the injured area.

• your injury doesn't heal in three weeks.

• you have an infection with pus, red streaks, a fever, or swollen lymph nodes.

Healing from Injuries Healing from sports injuries can take some time. After swelling is reduced, healing is dependent upon blood supply. A good blood supply will help move nutrients, oxygen, and infection fighting cells to the damaged area to work on repair. Athletes tend to have a better blood supply, and heal faster than those with chronic illness, smokers, or those with sedentary lifestyles. Ultimately, healing time varies from person to person, and you cannot force yourself to heal, you can only allow yourself to heal.

Average Healing Times For someone in reasonable shape, the following are the average length of time to heal for various injuries:

• Fractured finger or toe: 3 to 5 weeks.

• Fractured clavicle: 6 to 10 weeks.

• Sprained ankle: minor - 5 days; severe - 3 to 6 weeks.

• Mild contusion: 5 days.

• Muscle pulls: a few days to several weeks. This is very dependent upon the

severity and location of the injury.

• Mild shoulder separation: 7 to 14 days.

Returning to Golf or Other Sports Activities Healing time for any injury can be longer if you return to activity too soon. You should never exercise the injured part if you have pain during rest. When the injured part no longer hurts at rest, start exercising it slowly with simple range of motion exercises. If you feel pain, stop and rest. Over time you can return to activity at a very low intensity, and build up to your previous level. Increase intensity of exercise only when you can do so without pain. You may find that the injured part is now more susceptible to re-injury and you should pay close attention to any warning signs of over doing it. Soreness, aches and tension must be acknowledged or you may end up with an even more serious injury in the future. And finally, return to the above and practice injury prevention strategies from now on. Source: Elizabeth Quinn, sportsmedicine.about.com

Young athletes are different The growing athlete is not merely a smaller version of the adult. There are marked differences in coordination, strength and stamina between a youth and an adult. In young athletes, bone-tendon-muscle units, growth areas within bones, and ligaments experience uneven growth patterns, leaving them susceptible to injury. Grade school students are less likely to suffer from severe injury because they are smaller and slower than older athletes; when they collide or fall, the forces on their musculoskeletal system are usually not high enough to cause injury. On the other hand, high school athletes are bigger, faster, stronger and capable of delivering tremendous

forces in contact sports. Coaches bear a prime responsibility in developing their young athletes and watching for early signs of physical problems (such as pain or limp). They often recognize severe injuries because their athletes show signs of pain and can't continue playing. Coaches may have more difficulty spotting less severe injuries, however, because the pain is low grade and the athlete often ignores it. Repeat injuries may turn into overuse conditions which can put the athlete on the sidelines for the rest of the season. Many sports injuries in young athletes, particularly elbow and knee injuries, are caused by excessive, repetitive stress on immature muscle-bone units. Such repetitive overuse can cause fractures, muscle tears or bone deformity Fortunately, such injuries are uncommon, and usually prolonged pain is an early warning sign. Coaches, parents and players should provide protection for the young athlete through proper conditioning, prompt treatment of injuries and rehabilitation programs. Conditioning programs usually strive to make the young athlete "physically fit" by improving muscle strength, endurance, flexibility, and cardiorespiratory fitness. The coaches and parents also are responsible for creating a psychological atmosphere that fosters self-reliance, confidence, cooperation, trust and a positive self-image. Young athletes must learn to deal with success and defeat in order to place events in a proper perspective. Some coaches and parents go too far in analyzing player performance. The promotion of the "win at all costs" ethic has both short-term and long-term detrimental effects on impressionable young people. Soft tissue injuries Fortunately major sports-related injuries are rare in young people. About 95% of sports injuries are due to minor trauma involving soft tissues-bruises, muscle pulls, sprains (ligaments), strains (muscles and tendons), and cuts or abrasions. Little sports time is lost from these injuries. Moreover, sports injuries occur more frequently in physical education classes and free-play sports than in organized team sports. Minimal safety precautions and supervision can prevent many injuries. Sprains Almost one-third of all sports injuries are classified as sprains. A sprain is a partial or complete tear of a ligament, which is a tough band of fibrous connective tissue that connects the ends of bones and stabilizes the joint. Symptoms include the feeling that a joint is "loose" or unstable; an inability to bear weight because of pain; loss of motion; the sound or feeling of a "pop" or "snap" when the injury occurred, and swelling. Not all sprains produce pain, however.

Strains A strain is a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon. Muscle tissue is made up of cells that contract and make the body move. A tendon consists of tough connective tissue that attaches muscles to bones. Contusions The most common sports injury contusions (bruises) rarely cause a student athlete to be sidelined. Bruises result when a blunt injury causes underlying bleeding in a muscle or other soft tissues. Prompt treatment for soft tissue injuries usually consists of rest, applying ice, wrapping with elastic bandages (compression), and elevating the injured arm, hand, leg or foot. This usually limits discomfort and reduces healing time. Proper first aid will minimize swelling and help the physician establish an accurate diagnosis. Spinal cord injuries Although spinal cord injuries in sports are rare, ten percent of all spinal injuries occur during sports, primarily diving, surfing and football. They can range from a sprain to paralysis in the arms and legs (quadriplegia) to death. Participants in contact sports can minimize the risk of minor neck spinal injuries-sprains and pinched nerves-by doing exercises to strengthen their neck muscles. Skeletal injuries A sudden, violent collision with another player, an accident with sports equipment or a severe fall can cause skeletal injuries in the growing athlete, including fractures. Fractures constitute a low five to six percent of all sports injuries. Most of these breaks occur in the arms and legs. Rarely are the spine and skull fractured. More common, however, are stress fractures and ligament-bone disruptions that occur because of continuing overuse of a joint. The main symptom of a stress fracture is pain. Frequently, initial x-rays do not show any signs of a stress fracture so the athlete is permitted to return to the same activity. Unfortunately the pain often returns or continues, but the athlete keeps playing. The most frequent places stress fractures occur are the tibia (the larger leg bone below the knee), fibula (the outer and thinner leg bone below the knee), and foot. "Little League elbow" can result when a pitcher's repetitive throwing puts too much pressure on the elbow bone's growth centers. This painful condition results from over

usage of muscles and tendons or from an injury to the cartilage surfaces in the elbow. In the growing athlete's musculoskeletal system, pain from repetitive motion may appear somewhere besides the actual site of the injury. For instance, a knee ache in a child or adolescent may actually be pain caused by an injury to the hip. Diagnosis and treatment Diagnosis of any sports-related orthopedic injury should be made promptly by orthopedic surgeons, physicians who specialize in the care of the musculoskeletal system. The physician usually will ask the young athlete how the injury occurred, then follow with questions about the type of pain-whether it is a stabbing pain, a dull ache or throbbing-the location of the pain, and the sport in which the athlete was involved. During the physical examination, the orthopedist will ask the athlete to move the affected area to determine whether the child's motion has been affected. The orthopedist will gently touch the area to observe for obvious skeletal abnormalities. X-rays or other radiographic tests may be ordered, depending on the athlete's condition and the doctor's need for additional information. Orthopedic surgeons have been in the forefront of treating musculoskeletal system injuries and have a long tradition of caring for young athletes. In the last two decades, they have analyzed and clarified young athletes' psychological needs, conditioning, training, and susceptibility to physical injury. They provide early and comprehensive care of orthopedic injuries. This can help young athletes heal and return to competition with less chance of repeated injury. Treatment varies according to the patient's condition, but it may include bed rest, elevation, compression bandages, crutches, cast immobilization or physical therapy.

Female athletes Female involvement in sports has increased tremendously at the high school level-by 700% over the last 15 years. Although early studies indicated that female athletes needed to train at lower levels of intensity than male athletes, it appears that this was more a social than a physiological problem. Today's female athlete is able to train and frequently compete at levels that rival many of the best male athletes. Although there are differences in performance that are sex-related, athletic injuries are related more to the player's sport than sex. . Reference: AAOS, February 2002

Getting to the root of the problem It is only natural to go directly to the source of the pain for treatment in any particular area. However, injuries can be tricky and the injury may not necessarily point to the source of the weakness or cause of the problem. In fact, the real source of the problem could be a completely different muscle group or body part. According to Marilyn Pink, PhD, MBA, PT, a scientist with Health Care Research and Management in Westlake, CA, she found that the swing movement proceeds rapidly through the body, starting with the legs and transferring up through the back and abdomen into the upper extremities. This detailed information on specific muscle activation sequences helps sports medicine specialists design preventive exercise programs, performance-based programs and optimal rehabilitation programs. “In a case where muscles in the back are injured and are not optimally firing, the golfer is going to substitute with extra effort from the arms, which could lead to an arm injury,” Pink explains. “An arm injury could occur because further down the movement chain, the back muscles really were not working properly. Medical professionals know that with an arm injury the core muscles – the abdominal and back muscles – need to be evaluated.” “If a medical professional treats a shoulder injury without looking at the whole picture, including other muscle groups, then only the symptom is being treated, not the cause,” concludes Pink. Sports Activities Every day, millions of youths in the United States and Canada participate in sports activities, from soccer fields and snow-covered slopes to baseball diamonds and ice rinks. Sports activities can also result in injuries - some minor, some serious, and still others resulting in lifelong medical problems. Each year, more than 3.5 million sports-related injuries in children under age 15 are treated in hospitals, doctors' offices, clinics, ambulatory surgery centers and hospital emergency rooms in the United States, according to the National Electronic Injury Surveillance System of the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission. The number of sports-related injuries involving children ages 5 through 14 years includes:

Football 448,200 Basketball 574,000 Baseball 252,665 Soccer 227,100

Hockey 80,700 Gymnastics 75,000 Volleyball 50,100

Reasons for Concern Young athletes are not merely small adults. Their bones, muscles, tendons, and ligaments are still growing, which makes them more susceptible to injury. Growth plates - the areas of developing cartilage where bone growth occurs in youngsters - are weaker than the nearby ligaments and tendons. What is often a bruise or sprain in an adult can be a potentially serious growth plate injury in a young athlete. Young athletes of the same age can differ greatly in size and physical maturity. Some youngsters may be physically less mature than their peers and try to perform at levels for which they are not ready. Parents and athletic coaches should try to group youngsters according to skill level and size, not chronological age, particularly during contact sports. If this is not practical, they should modify the sport to accommodate the needs of children with varying skill levels. Types of Injuries Injuries among young athletes fall into two basic categories: overuse injuries and acute injuries. Both types include injuries to the soft tissues (muscles and ligaments) and bones. Acute injuries are caused by a sudden trauma. Common acute injuries among young athletes include contusions (bruises), sprains (a partial or complete tear of a ligament), strains (a partial or complete tear of a muscle or tendon) and fractures. But not all injuries are caused by a single, sudden twist, fall, or collision. A series of small injuries to immature bodies can cause minor fractures, minimal muscle tears, or progressive bone deformities, known as overuse injuries. As an example, "Little League Elbow" is the term used to describe a group of common overuse injuries in young throwers involved in many sports, not just baseball. Other common overuse injuries occur in the heels and knees with tears in the tissue where tendons attach to the leg bone or the heel bone. Contact sports have inherent dangers that put young athletes at special risk for severe injuries. Even with rigorous training and proper safety equipment, youngsters are at risk for severe injuries to the neck, spinal cord, and growth plates. However, following the rules of the game and using proper equipment can decrease these risks.

Diagnosis and Treatment Children and teens often experience some discomfort with athletic activity. Their bones and muscles are growing, and their level of physical activity may increase with a sudden, intense interest in sports, so some aches and pains can be expected. Still, their complaints always deserve careful attention. Some injuries, if left untreated, can cause permanent damage and interfere with proper physical growth. Whether an injury is acute or due to overuse, a child who develops a symptom that persists or that affects his or her athletic performance should be examined by an orthopedic surgeon. A child should never be allowed or expected to "work through the pain."

Part V

Special Considerations for

Junior Golfers Proper preparation is one of the key elements to a successful round of golf and a successful career. There will always be things we encounter on and off the course that create unforeseen circumstances. Instead of focusing on those things outside of our sphere of control, let’s focus on those things we can control or at least manage to the best of our abilities. Weather is an element we simply can’t control. We can encounter perfect temperatures one day for a seemingly perfect round. The next day, it can be completely different…wind gusts, extreme heat, intense cold. Learning how to dress properly and make sure we are prepared for the tournament rounds can be an effective strategy in course management.

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PREPARE

FOR EXTREME HEAT

First, let’s look at the ‘heat index’ and the affect that extreme heat has on our body during play. The National Weather Service devised the "heat index." The heat index (HI) is an accurate measure of how hot it really feels when the effects of humidity are added to high temperature. As you are likely aware, the body has a normal operating temperature of 98.6 degrees F. When temperatures rise above normal levels of comfort, the body tries to regulate its internal temperature by varying the rate and depth of blood circulation. In order for the body to rid itself of excess heat, it resorts to losing water through the skin and sweat glands. But, what happens when your body continues to be stressed through heat? This is where golfers may begin seeing the effects of sunstroke, heat cramps, heat exhaustion and dehydration.

Please use the following chart to more accurately gauge the weather conditions that you may be more likely to encounter given the estimated heat and humidity. To follow along with this chart, assume an air temperature of 95 degrees with 60% humidity. The ‘heat index’ tells us that we feel the effects of 114 degrees on our body. I’m sure you would agree this can greatly alter the preparation plan we may use in this scenario.

Source: Mid Atlantic Weather Station Here are some things you can do to manage temperatures in the difficult and dangerous areas:

• Wear lightweight, white or ‘wicking’ clothing to keep the moisture away from your body.

• Look for new lightweight fabrics like Solumbra or Solarweave that protect sensitive skin from ultraviolet radiation.

• Drink lots of water whether you are thirsty or not.

• Bring along an electrolyte solution in a water bottle.

• Always wear Chap Stick and sunblock (waterproof sunscreen of at least SPF 15,

preferably 30, to protect your skin from the sun's UVA and UVB rays.)

• A sun visor or breathable, vented hat. Do your best to protect your face and eyes.

• During your first hot weather workouts, cut back on your exercise duration or intensity.

• Start low and go slow!

• Know the symptoms of heat stress: nausea, dizziness, headache, chilling, muscle cramps, extreme breathlessness and a reduction in sweat rate. Stop exercise, get cool and rehydrate.

• Avoid exercising at the hottest times of the day. Try early morning or evening.

• Monitor your heart rate and slow down if your pulse is higher than your target

zone or if you don't feel good.

WARNING SIGNS FOR HEAT RELATED ILLNESSES Heat Exhaustion Heat exhaustion is the body's response to an excessive loss of water and salt contained in sweat. The body’s cooling system has become overwhelmed when the following symptoms appear. Symptoms of Heat Exhaustion

• heavy sweating • paleness • muscle cramps • tiredness • weakness • dizziness • headache • nausea or vomiting • fainting • the skin may be cool and moist • the victim's pulse rate will be fast and weak • breathing will be fast and shallow.

If heat exhaustion is untreated, it may progress to heat stroke. Seek medical attention immediately if:

• Symptoms are severe, or • The victim has heart problems or high blood pressure. • Otherwise, help the victim to cool off, and seek medical attention if symptoms

worsen or last longer than 1 hour.

What You Can Do

• Here are some things you can do to help provide appropriate care: • Move the person to a cool or air-conditioned environment • Apply cool, wet towels to the skin • Drink small amounts of cool water to drink • Rest • Cool shower, bath, or sponge bath • Wear or change to lightweight clothing

Heat Stroke Heat stroke occurs when the body becomes unable to control its temperature: the body's temperature rises rapidly, the sweating mechanism fails, and the body is unable to cool down. Body temperature may rise to 106°F or higher within 10-15 minutes. Heat stroke can cause death or permanent disability if emergency treatment is not given. Symptoms of Heat Stroke

• an extremely high body temperature (above 103°F, orally) • red, hot, and dry skin (no sweating) • rapid, strong pulse • throbbing headache • dizziness • nausea • confusion and agitation • nausea or vomiting • fainting

What You Can Do If you see any of these signs, you may be dealing with a life threatening emergency. Have someone call for immediate medical assistance while you begin cooling the victim. Cool the victim rapidly using whatever methods you can For example, immerse the victim in a tub of cool water; place in a cool shower; spray with cool water from a garden hose; sponge with cool water; or if the humidity is low, wrap the victim in a cool, wet sheet and fan him or her vigorously. Monitor body temperature, and continue cooling efforts until the body temperature drops to 101-102°F. Get medical assistance as soon as possible.

Heat Cramps Heat cramps can occur with golfers who sweat a lot during strenuous activity. Excessive sweating can deplete the body's salt and moisture and cause painful muscle spasms in the legs and abdomen. The low salt level in the muscles causes painful cramps. Symptoms of Heat Cramps Heat cramps typically show up in the form of muscle pains or spasms in the abdomen, arms, or legs. If you have heart problems or are on a low sodium diet, get medical attention for heat cramps. What You Can Do If medical attention is not necessary, take these steps:

• Stop all activity, and sit quietly in a cool place. • Drink clear juice or a sports beverage. • Do not return to strenuous activity for a few hours after the cramps subside

because further exertion may lead to heat exhaustion or heat stroke. • Seek medical attention for heat cramps if they do not subside in 1 hour.

Heat Rash Heat rash is a skin irritation caused by excessive sweating during hot, humid weather. It can occur at any age but is most common in young children. Symptoms of Heat Rash Heat rash looks like a red cluster of pimples or small blisters. It is more likely to occur on the neck and upper chest, in the groin, under the breasts, and in elbow creases. What You Can Do If you suspect a hear rash, opt for a cooler, less humid environment. Keep the affected area dry. Dusting powder may be used to increase comfort, but avoid using ointments or creams because they keep the skin warm and moist and may make the condition worse. Reference: Sportsmedicine.about.com

HOW YOUTH ATHLETES RESPOND TO HEAT

• During exercise in hot climates, evaporation of sweat is the main avenue for heat dissipation. It is the only means for cooling the body when ambient temperature exceeds skin temperature. Children have a lower sweating rate per sweat gland than do adults (Bar-Or, 1980; Falk et al., 1992a).

• Because of their larger ratio of surface area to body mass, children are more

prone than adults to heat loss in cold climates.

• Children's physiologic responses to exercise are generally similar to those of adults, but there are several age and maturation-related differences in their responses.

• Compared with adolescents and adults, children produce more heat relative to

body mass during activities such as walking and running, they have a low sweating capacity, and their body core temperature rises at a higher rate during dehydration.

• The smaller the child, the greater is the excess in heat production. For example,

there may be as much as a 25-30% excess heat production in an 8 year-old child.

• Children have a lower sweating rate per sweat gland than do adults (Bar-Or, 1980; Falk et al., 1992a). Even though the number of heat-activated sweat glands per unit skin area is much higher in children.

• They are of particular relevance to children with certain conditions and diseases

that put them at a high risk for heat-related illness.

• Children's surface area-to-mass ratio is greater than in adults and, as a result, they are exposed to a faster influx of heat when environmental temperature exceeds skin temperature.

• Also, under certain conditions the sweating threshold (i.e., the core temperature at

which sweating starts) is considerably higher in children than in adults (Araki et al., 1979). The transition from a childhood sweating pattern to that of adulthood occurs during the early stages of puberty (Falk et al., 1992a; 1992c).

• Upon transition from a cool to a warm or hot climate, it usually takes several

exposures to the new climate until acclimatization takes place. When 8-10 year old boys were exposed in a climatic chamber to a hot-dry environment (80min exposures to 430C, 21% relative humidity, 3 times weekly) they managed to acclimate. However, the rate of acclimation was considerably slower in the children than in young adults (Bar-Or, 1980; Inbar,1978): the adults needed one

week to achieve a reasonable acclimation; the children required two weeks.

• Likewise, boys aged 11-14 years acclimated less effectively to 47.7-490C, 17% relative humidity than did adolescents and young adults (Wagner et al., 1972). The practical implication is that when young sports participants are confronted with warmer climatic conditions, their training dosage should first be reduced and then increased at a more gradual rate than for the more mature competitor.

• There are, though, certain groups of children and adolescents who are at a

particularly high risk of heat illness.

• Children's core temperatures rise faster than those of adults (Bar-Or et al., 1980). Children should be encouraged to drink above and beyond thirst at frequent intervals, e.g., every 20 minutes (Bar-Or et al., 1980; 1992). A rule of thumb based on our experience is that a child 10 years-old or younger should drink until he or she does not feel thirsty and should then drink an additional half a glass (100-125ml). Older children and adolescents should drink a full glass extra.

• Increased physical fitness will generally allow your body to be able to handle the

heat better.

• Sleep loss, infectious disease, excess body fat, poor cardiovascular fitness, depleted muscle glycogen, high humidity and a sudden increase in training will all reduce your ability to tolerate heat.

• Being well-hydrated will go a long way towards helping you exercise safely in the

heat. To promote heat acclimatization, the best strategy is simply to exercise in hot weather or an artificially hot climate. Complete acclimatization takes about 10-14 consecutive days in a totally un-acclimatized athlete.

• During your first few days of heat exposure, exercise at about 60-70% of your

normal training intensity.

• Gradually increase both your training intensity and volume. Watch for signs of heat stress. Give yourself frequent rest and drink breaks.

• Adaptations that occur during heat acclimatization include the earlier onset of

sweating, higher sweat rates, increased blood volume, lower body core temperature, lower heart rate response to submaximal workloads and overall improved ability to tolerate heat.

• Mild heat cramps can be treated by drinking 1 liter (about 1 quart) of water with ¼

to 1/2 teaspoon sea salt dissolved in it.

• Athletes who are "heavy sweaters" and have problems with heat cramps should ingest sports drinks containing sodium during and between bouts of exercise.

• They might also consider adding salt, soy sauce, ketchup or obviously salty foods to the diet (pizza, pretzels, tomato juice, pickles, etc).

• Salt tablets should definitely be avoided because they are a gastric irritant. Heat

acclimatization appears to reduce the incidence of heat cramps. Heat cramps can be prevented by following the above suggestions for fluid intake, having adequate sodium in your diet and gradually progressing your training.

UNDERSTANDING HOW TO PREPARE

FOR COLD WEATHER Now, it’s time to explore what happens when the weather is just the opposite! How does the body handle cold temperatures and how can you be more prepared for play in these circumstances? The ‘Wind Chill Chart’ is a great reference to determine the level of ‘coldness’ when factoring in wind and temperature. This was developed back in 1940 for those scientists working in the Antarctic so they could more accurately heed the signs of warning from extreme weather conditions. Knowing the reported temperature you are playing in by reading the local weather forecast is only one part of the equation. Here is how the other weather related elements can significantly alter your body’s response. To use the chart, find the approximate temperature on the top of the chart. Read down until you are opposite the appropriate wind speed. The number which appears at the intersection of the temperature and wind speed is the wind chill index. In using the table above, values of wind chill below -10° F are considered bitterly cold. Values of wind chill below -20° F are extremely cold -- human flesh will begin to freeze within one minute!

Source: The Nebraska Weather and Climate Home Page Source: Mid Atlantic Weather Station

• In dressing for cold weather an important factor to remember is that entrapped insulating air warmed by body heat is the best protection against the cold.

• Consequently, wear loose-fitting, lightweight, warm clothing in several layers.

• Outer garments should be tightly-woven, water-repellant and hooded.

• Mittens snug at the wrist are better protection than fingered gloves.

• Don't wear cotton next to the skin. As you start sweating, cotton captures moisture

and traps it next to your body.

• Your body loses heat much quicker when exposed to water.

• Avoid the tendency to under-dress so you don’t sweat. Simply remove layers as your body gets warm to keep your body comfortable and dry.

• Always wear a hat to keep heat in through your head and neck. Keep fingers and

ears protected from frostbite.

• For protective garments, choose microfiber and Gore Tex fabrics.

• You'll also need to warm up longer or more vigorously to heat up your body.

• During a training run, you should change your course so you run out against the wind and return with the wind at your back.

• During competition, continue your warm-up until right before the start of the event.

• Remember that when you stop exercising you generate less heat, but the frigid air

is still pulling warmth away from your body so try and exercise during the middle of the day when it is likely the warmest.

Who is at Risk?

• Greater protection is awarded to those with a significant amount of lean body mass. Muscle generates heat and provides insulation.

• Body size can affect your tolerance in the cold. Smaller bodies have a large

surface area to body ratio which can absorb cold more quickly.

• No significant differences between young men or women. However, smaller, more out of shape bodies are more susceptible to the cold.

Signs of Hypothermia Early signs of hypothermia include weakness, shivering, fatigue, slurred speech, dizziness and confusion. Move immediately to a warm area for first aid. What to Expect

• As muscles become cool, they become weaker and are capable of producing less power and strength. How your bodies muscle fibers recruits in cold temperature is different than in heat.

• Focus on maintaining normal body temperature so your performance will not be

affected.

• Spend more time warming up your body for play during the winter months.

GENERAL PREPARATION FOR THE COURSE Checklist for golf bag (weather dependent) ___Extra balls

___Tees

___Ball marker/coin

___Extra gloves

___Permanent marker (for ball identification)

___Pencil

___Divot repair tool

___Towel

___Bandages/tape

___Sunscreen

___Insect Repellant

___Food

___Beverage

___Yardage Guide

___Hole location sheet/pin sheet

___Hat

___Foul weather gear

___Umbrella

___Hand warmers

___Small notebook for notes

___Extra socks

Part VI

Mental Preparation

By Jeff Troesch

Jeff Troesch is an internationally recognized expert in the field of mental skills training and performance enhancement and has been involved in training athletes and other elite performers for nearly 18 years. Jeff served as Director of Mental Training for David Leadbetter.’s Golf Academies, where he was instrumental in assisting in the development of the training programs and methodology that continues to produce golf champions around the world. He works with several touring professionals and amateur players - assisting them in the creation of optimal training plans and developmental strategies. _________________________________________________________________ What exactly do you do? Most people outside of sport have never heard of sport psychology, and many people in sport have little knowledge about the nature of the job itself. In a nutshell, golf psychology- or mental training for golf- is consultation and education that exposes a player to the requisite mental skills necessary to create an internal environment to enjoy the sport more and achieve excellence in performance. These skills are in conjunction with, but not contrary to, the mechanical and physical instruction that might be given by a swing coach or fitness trainer. Here’s what it’s all about: Among other things, mental training for golf is to help:

• Understand how to deal with lapses in concentration

• Deal with situations of accumulating frustration

• Develop coping strategies to deal with increasing anxiety

• Improve decreasing motivation

• Examine and reinforce slipping confidence

• Create strategies to reduce breakdowns under pressure

• Craft procedures to increase consistency of preparation and play

Generally the process first involves some type of assessment. Next, there is a period of education and skill development, followed by on-going follow-up and adjustments. The specifics of the actual mental training will vary from player to player, with the vast majority of interaction and consultation done via telephone, on the golf course, at the range, or on the putting green. The added benefit for junior golfers is that the training typically also has positive life effects. Understanding the power of one’s thinking, learning how to differentiate those things over which we have control from those over which we do not have control, deepening an understanding of how to take responsibility for our actions and our reactions to events are among the many, many golf/life issues explored and addressed. Ultimately, the more the junior player knows him or herself, the more they understand the nuances of the game, and the more they have specific strategies to apply, the more they will be successful in golf and in life! As I travel on tour with various junior golfers, I inevitably get many questions from parents and juniors who are interested in learning more about sport psychology and how to develop as better players. Please follow this section to find the answers to the most common questions.

DOES YOUR JUNIOR GOLFER NEED A SPORT PSYCHOLOGIST? “My son gets so angry on the golf course that he cannot perform in competitions”. “My daughter gets so nervous when other people are watching her play that her game completely falls apart”. “My kid hits it so well on the range, and then hits it all over the map in a tournament”. These are the kinds of comments that I often hear from parents of junior golfers. Do these kids need a golf psychologist? No. Nobody needs training on the mental part of the game. I take the word need very seriously. I believe we need air and water and sleep and food. I certainly wouldn’t suggest that anyone needs mental training, anymore than I would suggest that anyone needs golf lessons or physical training. What I would say, however, is that I have yet to encounter any player who couldn’t benefit from proper mental, technical, or physical instruction. Thus, I believe any junior golfer could benefit from mental instruction. Most people simply don’t understand what this training is or how it works. When I ask parents what percentage of their kid’s golf game is mental, I rarely get a number less than 75%. Conversely, when I ask those same people what percentage of their child’s training time is devoted to working on the mental game the answer is rarely greater than zero. And while parents see the “problem” with their child’s mental game,

the young player doesn’t know how to work on the mental game and the parents don’t know where to look for answers to their questions. The added benefit for junior golfers is that the training typically also has positive life effects. Understanding the power of one’s thinking, learning how to differentiate those things over which we have control from those over which we do not have control, deepening an understanding of how to take responsibility for our actions and our reactions to events are among the many, many golf/life issues explored and addressed. Ultimately, the more the junior player knows him or herself, the more they understand the nuances of the game, and the more they have specific strategies to apply, the more they will be successful in golf and in life!

WHEN IS A YOUNG PERSON READY FOR COMPETITIVE GOLF? The answer, as with so many other questions regarding human behavior and sport science, is that it depends on the player. A big challenge for me as a mental coach is to determine whether or not a young player is playing golf for healthy reasons, and whether they are involved in competition for healthy reasons. Does the player have passion for the game? Is the child ready to commit to the sacrifices that are necessary to be highly competitive? What is the social structure in which this child lives- in and out of the golf arena? Are the young person’s developmental needs being met along with their golf needs? What is the purpose of and emphasis on in the events in which the child is entered? There are competitions that are simply set up to introduce the young player to the elements of the game that are a part of competitive golf. This is “competition” that is staged largely as an opportunity for young people to learn the game and create an educational environment in which they will grow. This type of event is likely healthy and helpful for even the youngest of players- as long as the emphasis remains on the learning and not on the outcome. Once the outcome elements of score, rankings, trophies, etc. are introduced, the emphasis naturally is deflected away from the educational elements and is placed instead on the competitive elements. This is a necessary transition for any and all players who intend to compete at the high school, elite junior, college, or professional levels. The problem comes into play when, the vast majority of the time if an error has been made, it is because a young player is introduced to the intensity of competition too early rather than too late. The golf world is littered with the shells of the “next Tiger” or the “next Annika” who flashed early in their competitive careers only to burn out, lose the love of the game, or simply stop performing well.

I think it is essential that every parent that supports their child’s competitive golf dreams make sure that they are doing so because it is purely the child’s dream and not their own dream, and to make sure that they are choosing competitive levels that are consistent with where their child is developmentally. The truth is that a Tiger or Annika or Michelle comes along only once a decade or so. Let’s make sure that we don’t err on the side of damaging the many other players in the pursuit of being the best in the world.

AS A PARENT, HOW CAN I HELP MY CHILD ACHIEVE HIS OR HER GOALS?

Allow your child to have the right to choose whether or not to participate Nothing will motivate a child more than the sense of investment that comes in choosing his/her own activities. On the other hand, little will reduce a youngster’s motivation more than having their parent dictate their participation. My suggestion here is that the child be compelled to participate in something, and that the choice of activity be up to the child. If your child has chosen golf, once he or she has made the commitment, then compel them to stick with the program for a certain period of time. Remember this is your child’s sport experience In doing parent workshops and coach workshops, this is one of the most often discussed issues. In short, remember that this is Johnny or Susie’s opportunity to enjoy golf now. You either had your day in the sun or you didn’t. This is not about you being able to brag about your child’s accomplishments at the cocktail party or boast about her prowess to gain status. This is about her chance to benefit from all that is good about golf. It is not “our” tournament or how “we” have to work on “our” putting. Be careful that you don’t enmesh your child’s game into your own. Focus on effort rather than results Remember that old adage about, “it’s not whether you win or lose, but how you play the game”? Keep it in mind as you communicate with your child about his experiences. “Did you have fun?” and “You sure worked hard!” are ultimately more important than, “Did you win?” or “What was the score?” Results are important too, but remember to reinforce the effort.

Keep your critical comments about players, instructors, and tournament officials to yourself Is this one obvious enough? I know it’s everyone else that does it, not you. Look in the mirror Mom and Dad! Be supportive and appreciative of the tournament and respectful of the coach and staff- irrespective of whether you agree or disagree with them. Ultimately, let the coaches coach, let the rules officials officiate, and let’s have the parents parent. Make sure your aspirations and your child’s aspirations are realistic Nothing wrong with setting standards of improvement toward excellence, just make sure that you and/or your child haven’t set up a circumstance for a feeling of failure. Get an honest assessment from your child’s instructors about where they see your child’s strengths and weaknesses. Then set a reasonable plan of action for continuous feedback and improvement. Interact appropriately with your child during practice and tournaments There is very little more embarrassing or discouraging to a young athlete than a parent who is overly vocal or interferes with the lesson, practice, or competitive process. Save your input until the lesson or round is over, and then make sure you’re your communication is helpful and constructive. Compare your child only against his or her own development In other words, stop comparing them to everyone else! The only thing that is relevant and within your child’s influence is their own preparation and development. How well Susie’s playing or how far Johnny hits it or how low Brian took it last week is not relevant to your child’s growth. All it does is get them focused on others- the exact opposite of where we want their attention to be. Allow your child to take responsibility for their own game While it is a necessity at times for you as a parent to do some of the scheduling of things (hotels, transportation, etc.) it is within the player’s scope of responsibility to take care of the rest. Do they have their umbrella? Did they bring golf balls to the event? Do they have a fresh pair of socks? All of the things that constitute preparedness as a competitive golfer are the ultimate responsibility of the player. Every time you “rescue” your child from himself is another circumstance where the player abdicates responsibility.

Eventually, too many parents are doing too many things for their kids, and the young players never suffer a natural consequence for their actions. Among many other things, youth sport is an opportunity for young people to learn how to fail and accept the consequences, which then allows them to be taught how to succeed. If you as a parent are doing too many things for them, they will not learn as much or as quickly. The best players have learned how to take responsibility for themselves on and off the golf course. I know that 99.9% of the time your intention as a parent is to enhance your child’s golf experience. Let’s just be sure that you’re making every effort to be a part of the solution rather than a part of the problem. Have fun along with your children!

WOULD YOU EXPAND ON THE CONCEPT OF HELPING ME ACCEPT RESPONSIBILITY AS A PLAYER?

I have been fortunate enough to work with some of the best players in the world of golf. When the team with whom I work wins a National Championship, or the player with whom I work wins a tournament, I regularly get phone calls from people “congratulating” me on these successes. My response to these well-intended callers is that I accept no credit for these achievements, and will assume no blame if things go poorly for that player in the future! Who or what is to blame when things go poorly in your round of golf? Who is responsible when things go well? The obvious answer is for you as a player to look in the mirror. Ultimately, whether you hit the ball well, putt well, score well or don’t do any of these things- it is your responsibility. It can be challenging when playing this game, as players regularly want to blame some condition or circumstance as the reason for their poor performance - “my parents were annoying me before the round”, “the greens were terrible”, “the wind was constantly shifting”, “my playing partner was taking forever”. The truth is that as an athlete you have a choice to make about what you are going to choose to pay attention to when you are on the course. You also have the option to disregard those things over which you don’t have control and put your attention instead on factors over which you do maintain control. It can be a sometimes frightening prospect to assume full responsibility for our actions. When things don’t go as we’d like, to have excuses to turn to can feel like a good outlet and, in the short run, help us feel better. In the long term, however, most junior players will learn that accepting responsibility for their actions frees them up to honestly assess the elements of their game upon which they can work. “My lag putting was really poor this week, I’m going to spend some time working on that on the putting green tomorrow”, “I didn’t get up and down out of a bunker in two days, I’m going to wear out my bunker practice this week”. If you continue to use excuses and to choose not to accept your part

in your poor play, you will be constantly challenged to feel secure in yourself as a player, as you will believe that the many forces outside of your control are ultimately more important than those over which you do have some control. Taking responsibility also permits you to assume credit when things are going well. It’s not just because “I got lucky”, or because “other people gave strokes away”, it’s because you did what it took to get the job done. This is an essential element to building real, solid, and permanent confidence. . Lastly, you preparing well with all the necessary items in your golf bag and preparing physically well will help you get ready for the day when you’re forced to take responsibility for yourself and your parents aren’t around to help. College coaches are looking very closely at those young players who can take care of themselves. Coaches want to coach, not baby-sit!

WHY IS IT THAT I DON’T PLAY AS WELL ON THE COURSE AS I DO IN THE PRACTICE AREAS?

When left on their own to try to figure this question out, many people look at their thinking or their behavior on the course for the source of the answer. Actually, the answer typically lies more in their practice behavior than it does in their playing behavior, and regularly includes a skewed perception of the results of practice shots. I will explain. Sure it helps to hit lots of golf balls on the range. Sure it helps to roll lots of putts on the putting green. Sure it helps to hit lots of bunker shots, pitch shots and chips. In addition to hitting bucket after bucket of practice balls, what’s even more effective and productive is to approximate as much as possible the actual experience of playing the game when practicing. Watching people’s typical practice involves seeing them hitting ball after ball on the range- frequently using the same club and hitting to the same target over and over and over again. Watch on the putting green as many amateurs drop several balls, putt one, and rake another, and another, and another- all to the same hole. This is not real golf. Granted, early in the development and integration of a swing change it is necessary to hit many shots simply to get the feel of the new swing. As well, if one is simply working on the mechanical “stroke” elements of putting, the above practice might be beneficial. However, once these changes have become more habitual, it is important that the practice habits change as well. With a full swing, this involves changing clubs with a high level of frequency and changing targets on every shot. As well, it is critical before hitting the ball that you have in mind a clear picture of the type of shot you want to hit and to have picked out a small, specific target. Full pre-shot would be best! This more closely resembles what you are

attempting to do on the course. Hitting five, ten, or twenty drivers in a row with little or no pre-shot routine does not resemble or reflect what you do on the course. Why then would you practice in this manner? In addition, when one hits several of the same shots to the same target, there is a tendency to get forgetful about the result of each one of these shots. As an example, if you hit driver ten times in a row toward a flag on the range, you might have a tendency to remember the three or four that you hit reasonably close to your intended target. Along with this you might forget the three or four that were hit reasonably well, but were well off line- shots that would be in the rough or worse on the golf course. Of course, as a mental game consultant, I would want people to ultimately remember the shots they hit well and “forget” the ones that they didn’t hit well. However, let’s be realistic when doing the comparative analysis between the range and the course. It is possible that what you think is stellar shot making on the range is actually you employing selective memory about how well you really hit it on the range. Another possibility is that after you hit several drivers, the ninth or tenth one feels really good, and these are the ones to which you’re comparing your shots on the course. Reality is that you don’t get the luxury of hitting ten drivers in a row on the course, and you may go a long time – even an hour or more between times that you use the same club twice. Thus on the range, the more you change shots and clubs and targets, the more it will feel like the “real thing” to you. Similarly, on the putting green, it is important that a large portion of your practice be devoted to putting with one ball, with a full read and pre-putt routine, to varying holes. If you miss, finish your putt. Again, this puts some “positive pressure” on you to make the putts, and replicates to the degree possible what you might encounter on the course. Otherwise, hitting several putts from the same place helps determine the speed and break of the putt, and gives some players a false sense of confidence or security that comes after determining this with several trials. No wonder it feels as though the putter works better in the practice area! Change some of your practice habits to more closely resemble the tasks that you ask yourself to accomplish on the course, and you’ll see your game in a more honest light and see the time you spend in the practice area pay greater dividends!

HOW DO YOU TEACH A TEENAGER PATIENCE WHEN THEY ALREADY FEELLIKE THEY ‘KNOW IT ALL’?

Basically, if a player of any age feels like they “know it all”, I simply ask them if what they’re doing so far is working as well for them as they’d like. Virtually everyone that has been asked that question will acknowledge that things aren’t perfect and they have room for improvement in some area(s). The patience required to appreciate this improvement is enhanced when a young person has realistic goals and can see himself attaining these goals on a step-by-step basis. If these goals are too unrealistic, too outcome-oriented, or too long-term based, impatience regularly sets in.

I HAVE READ THAT VARIOUS BREATHING TECHNIQUES ARE GREAT FORCALMING A YOUNG PLAYER’S MIND. HOW DOES THIS WORK?

Learning how to “center” oneself through the utilization of breathing techniques is an essential element of a player’s mental tools. Regular practice- preferably on a daily basis- of a meditative-type breathing strategy is very helpful for a player to be able to make use of this technique when in competition. The techniques are many and varied, but the universal elements are: regular practice off the golf course, purposeful application on a regular basis when on the golf course.

I KNOW ABOUT AN EXERCISE WARM UP AND A PRE ROUND WARM UP. SHOULD I USE A PUTTING WARM UP AND WHAT

SHOULD IT LOOK LIKE? My suggestion to a player is to make sure that whatever warm up they use works for them and that they are clear about what their intention is when they’re warming up. Generally, I’d suggest rolling a ball across the practice green, lag putting uphill, downhill, and side hills if possible, in order to get a feel for speed. Then I suggest that the player take one ball, and work his way around the putting green selecting putts in the eight to twenty foot range, fully reading the putts and going through full pre-putt routine. It is critical that every putt be finished- no gimmes! We want to prepare for what is about to take place in just a few minutes. Before leaving the green, I suggest that the player finish with several made putts in the three-foot range, to get the feel, sound, and confidence of seeing the ball go in the hole.

AS MUCH AS MY CHILD LOVES GOLF, I CAN TELL THAT IT ALL JUST BECOMESTOO MUCH AT TIMES. IS THERE ANY WAY

TO PREVENT BURN OUT? The number one answer for this is to let the child determine how much he or she wants to compete, practice, and play the game. As soon as the parent or instructor takes on the role of discerning how much a player SHOULD play, the young person is put in a position of either pleasing someone else or staying true to what they feel. I think it’s fair to say here too, that if a child is asking for the parents to make certain sacrifices and commitments on their part regarding money and time spent on the game, then it is only fair for the parent to demand a certain level of reciprocal commitment on the part of the child. This starts, however with a request from the child for the parent’s to commit, rather than a request from the parent for the child to commit!

CAN YOU EXPLAIN WHAT A FULL PRE ROUND WARM UP SHOULD LOOK LIKE AND HOW LONG IT SHOULD LAST?

There is no “right” amount of time for a pre-round warm up. The ultimate answer is different for every player. Generally, somewhere in the range of 45-90 minutes is what I see with the vast majority of the best players in the game. As with everything, as long as it’s purposeful, consistent, and effective, there is not a “right” answer. The most important part of the warm-up is that it be recognized as a warm up NOT a practice session. Make sure the body is loose with dynamic movement and stretches. Make sure that there are enough swings made with various golf clubs, hitting different golf shots with full pre-shot to different targets. Make sure to hit some bunker shots from varying lies, as well as a variety of chip shots. Pay attention to full routine and feels on the putting green as well. For each of the players with whom I work there is a specific warm up, but there are variations off of these general themes depending on personality types and what works best for each person.

CAN YOU GIVE AN EXAMPLE OF WHAT A TYPICAL PRACTICE WEEK SHOULD LOOK LIKE FOR MY JUNIOR GOLFER? HOW SHOULD IT

VARY BY AGE OR STAGE OF DEVELOPMENT? This is a very difficult question, because the practice week will vary tremendously given the player’s age, ability level, stage in their Periodization plan, and time availability. Basically, I suggest that at least 75% of the practice time be spent hitting shots inside 100 yards. I also suggest that the closer a player is to competition, the more time spent on the golf course and the less spent in the practice areas.

HOW DO YOU COMPLETELY COMMIT TO JUNIOR GOLF AND GIVE YOUR CHILD EVERY OPPORTUNITY TO BE SUCCESSFUL

WITH IT, YET STILL CREATE A ‘BACK UP’ PLAN IN CASE IT DOESN’T WORK OUT?

There is a very simple answer to this, in my mind. Never do anything for golf that permanently jeopardizes one’s educational opportunities. Full commitment to the game as a junior does not preclude one from keeping pace academically so that there is a “back up” plan in the world outside of golf. Very few junior golfers ever earn a decent living playing the game professionally. On the other hand, a large percentage of junior golfers can use the game as a gateway to educational opportunities which they can use whether or not they ever play professionally. One thing I remind even my most elite junior players is that they are only a back injury or a shoulder injury away from possibly never playing the game again. Don’t make golf a priority over school.

WHAT SHOULD I BE THINKING ABOUT WHEN I PUTT? This question is very personal to each player. For some the feel of the putter head is all they think about. For others it is a picture of the ball going in the hole. Some players will remind themselves of how many putts similar to this one they’ve made in competitions and practice. Many will think of a phrase like, “smooth” or “tempo” or will hum a song in their mind. Helping my players find the answer to this question is one of the areas in which I spend a tremendous amount of time as a consultant.

MY CHILD SOMETIMES LACKS CONFIDENCE IN HIMSELF (HERSELF) AND HIS DECISION MAKING ABILITIES WHILE PLAYING. IS THERE

ANY WAY TO TEACH HIM TO BE MORE CONFIDENT?

There are many reasons why a player may be under confident regarding their game. The primary answer that I’ve found regarding decision-making is that players are fixated on get the answer “right” when it comes to making a decision. Is this a nine iron shot or an eight iron shot? Should I hit this ball low and run it or loft it in the air and try to stop it? Does this ball break one cup right to left or only a little bit? These kinds of questions create doubt and a lack of decisiveness. When players understand that they could hit either eight or nine iron, run it or flop it, and play it outside with less pace or on a straighter line with more pace, they begin to see that there are many answers to the same question. It boils down to commitment to their choice. Regularly, there is no “right” answer. I suggest to players that they pick an answer and make it “right” by hitting a quality shot. Then, learn to accept the outcome as something over which they do not have complete control.

HOW LONG SHOULD MY DAILY PRACTICE LAST, ASSUMING MY FOCUS IS ON QUALITY AND NOT QUANTITY?

This is completely dependent on the skill level of the player, what he or she is attempting to accomplish in the practice session, and when they are going to compete next. Generally, no more than 3-4 hours of practice off of the golf course in a session, and many can get a lot done in two hours. If one is also playing a round of 18 holes, then two additional hours would be the maximum I would generally advise for a junior player on any given day.

HOW DO I KEEP MY FOCUS WHEN DURING LONG PRACTICE SESSIONS?

Make sure you have a purpose for what you’re trying to accomplish. Create games and competitions with others or against yourself in order to stay “in it”. I also suggest no more than 30-45 minutes for any one activity. If you want to hit balls on the range for 90 minutes, it is generally easier to focus for three 30-minute sessions than one 90-minute session. Work on short game between ball-striking sessions to give your mind a break and some variety. JUST BEFORE EVERY TOURNAMENT I LITERALLY FEEL SICK TO MY STOMACH. I LIKE TO COMPETE AND FEEL FINE WHEN I PLAY. HOW

DO I GET RID OF THOSE LAST MINUTE JITTERS? First of all, recognize that there are almost no players in the world of competitive golf who have learned to “get rid of” the last minute jitters. One thing that is important is to make sure that you’re not misinterpreting what those jitters mean. They don’t necessarily mean that you’re going to play poorly- in fact when you’ve played well you’ve probably felt that on the first tee. As well, the feelings are not just generated by fear or stress or anxiety. The physical response that you’re having is also generated by excitement and enthusiasm- essential elements to help you play your best golf. Short answer- incorporate your breathing exercises and change the way you interpret those butterflies in your stomach!

HOW DO YOU MAKE PRESSURE YOUR FRIEND? First of all there is no such thing as pressure. There is only thinking that creates feelings of tension and “pressure”. Essentially, the players who make pressure their “friend” are those who have done the challenging, but rewarding work of controlling their thinking process such that they actually look forward to opportunities that make others crumble. Remembering past successes in tough situations, recollecting the hard work and effort in preparation, recognizing that there is no chance for victory without taking the risks in competition- these are some of the thought techniques used by the best in the game. One question that I use often with players to help them put this in perspective is, the risks in competition- these are some of the thought techniques used by the best in the game. One question that I use often with players to help them put this in perspective is, “aren’t getting into the so-called ‘pressure’ situations the reason that you work so hard at this game in the first place”?

WHY IS IT THAT PLAYER’S HAVE SUCH A TENDENCY TO COMPARE THEMSELVES TO OTHERS?

One of the challenges about being a young person is dealing with what feels like is a constant comparison to other people. This is true at school, in one’s social circles, at home, and in the golf arena. What many young people inevitably do during this time of analysis is begin to feel somewhat insecure about certain aspects of who they are. “I’m shorter than everyone” “I’m taller than everyone” “I’m skinnier than everyone” “I’m heavier than everyone”. This type of thinking leaks into golf, creating insecurities about the game. “I can’t hit it as far as most kids” “I don’t putt as well as he does” “We don’t have as much money so I don’t get the instruction that she does”. When this is going on inside one’s head, it is very difficult to “play your own game”. Instead, junior players often try to be someone they are not, try to keep up with what others are doing, or try to do things that are not in their capacity. Not only does this emphasis on what others are doing frequently hurt a player’s confidence, it also regularly impacts course management decisions. Among the common mistakes:

• Unconsciously pulling the driver out of their bag in order to hit it as far off the tee as possible.

• Automatically pulling 3-wood for the second shot into a Par 5

• Consistently “under clubbing” by falsely believing certain clubs are hit further than

they actually are

• Making high risk/low reward shot selection decisions

• Swinging the club harder to try to hit it further The solution to this is to be honest and objective about what strengths and capabilities you bring to the course as a player. This is what is referred to as “playing within yourself”. Once you recognize and acknowledge what works for you, you will begin to play the game in the way that is best for you, rather than playing the game in order to try to do what others are doing or the way you think it should be done. The truth is, whether judging against others in life or in golf, we will always find someone who is better at something than we are. It is hard to get our ego out of the way and lay up when our competitor can get there in two. It is difficult emotionally to hit 5-iron to a Par-3 hole when our competitor hits 9-iron. It is a challenge to continue doing what you’re doing if you see a competitor who is successful doing something different. In life, those that are constantly following others lose a sense of who they really are. In golf, those that are distracted by others often get lost in constantly changing their game. Be like the best players in the world. The most successful golfers of any age figure out what they’re good at, understand what works for them, and then make a commitment to stick to it. Be the best player with what you have, rather than trying to be something that you’re not.

IF THE PLAYER IS NOT SUPPOSED TO BE FOCUSED ON SCORE AND OUTCOME, HOW ELSE CAN THEY MEASURE THEIR SUCCESS?

Many junior golfers are still in the process of developing all of the fundamentals of their game. When going onto the golf course it is critical that the young golfer have a specific purpose in mind as to what she or he is attempting to accomplish. These “process” objectives can become the criteria for determining how much growth is being made. Some examples are below:

• Are all considerations being addressed in determining proper shot selection?

o Wind speed o Wind direction o Lie o Slope o Yardage from center of the green

o Hole location o Choice of correct club o Choice of correct shot o Yardage from center of the green

• Is the young player reading the putts thoroughly?

• Are the physical pre-shot elements consistent?

• Are the swing changes being attempted?

• Is the player eating and drinking healthily enough and regularly enough?

• Is the player adhering to the preconceived game plan?

• Is the player playing too quickly or too slowly?

• Are shots being played “one at a time” or is frustration mounting?

• Is a narrow target being selected before attempting a shot?

Junior players can work on these kinds of things on the golf course by determining which one or two of these types of items they intend to work on. Giving oneself a hole by hole grade can be helpful. Simply marking on the scorecard on a1-10 scale or a grade of A-F can keep the youngster paying attention to these goals. Make sure that these types of positive habits are formed which will help in their growth and development, and ultimately impact the player’s bottom line score!

I KNOW ABOUT PRE-SHOT ROUTINES, BUT WHAT IS A POST-SHOT ROUTINE?

For most junior players, the time immediately after hitting a ball poorly is mostly spent in frustration or anger while thinking about how badly the ball was hit. The rest of the time is typically wasted trying to figure out what was wrong with the previous swing or putt. Conversely, when young players hit a shot well, they rarely pay attention too much- other than the result of where the ball ended up. I strongly encourage for young players that they develop better habits at an early age. Here are some important points for you as you grow as a player:

1. Take time to mentally reinforce the feel and sight of the good shots that you hit. As an example, you have 150 yards to the pin and you select the 7-iron (or whatever club works for you) that will give you the best chance to get it close. If you hit that 7-iron well, I would want you to watch the full flight of the ball, reinforce within yourself how that felt and replay the trajectory of the shot in your mind. This will help you improve your ability to visualize this type of shot next time you mind.

This will help you improve your ability to visualize this type of shot next time you’re in a similar situation.

2. On the other hand, take time to rehearse the same shot if you’ve hit it poorly. In

the same situation as above, if you don’t hit the ball well and chunk the ball 80 yards, rather than immediately going into a checklist of what you must have done wrong and why your swing didn’t work well, re-swing the club at full tempo until you get a good feel. Your body and mind have a tendency to remember the last thing that you’ve done, and if you can put the 7-iron back in your bag after having swung it well, you’re much more apt to feel good about that club when you subsequently choose to use it later in the round. This way with every club in your bag, the last swing that you executed with it was one that you liked and felt confident about. The key here is to re-swing thinking about a good shot, rather than thinking about correcting an error. You’ll be much more likely to swing the club fluidly and will get your head out of the way and let your body do what you’ve been training it to do on the practice range!

3. Be aware of your internal dialogue after you hit a shot. How are you interpreting

what just happened? Post-shot emphasis on mechanics is typically a non-productive idea. The golf course is not the place to attempt to analyze your swing. This analysis is best saved for the practice area, and ideally would be done with a teaching professional’s input. The truth is that most young players are terrible at diagnosing their misses and are guessing when it comes to figuring out what went wrong with a shot. Regularly young players make a poor guess at what went wrong, and try to fix something in their swing that wasn’t broken in the first place! Now instead of one swing flaw, you’ve created a second. Continue down this line of thinking and you’ll understand why you see some players’ swings deteriorate as their round progresses.

IF YOU COULD CHOOSE ONLY THREE THINGS TO TEACH A PLAYER, WHAT WOULD THEY BE?

1. Learn how to be in the present moment. Past and future only get in the way of thinking in the “here and now”, and the “here and now” is when golf shots are executed.

2. Learn how to stay patient. This game is one that requires a lot of time, energy,

and dedication in order to play it consistently well. The progress will often times be measured in very, very small increments. Patience allows a young player to see these small successes and be grateful for them. Impatience gets in the way of seeing the small successes and inhibits long term growth.

3. Continue to persevere. There will be many days when things seem as though

they aren’t going well in this game. In fact, many people experience more of these days than those days when things seem as though they’re going great. The truly great players learn to persevere in the face of adversity, and thrive on the challenge of overcoming tough tests. Lesser players make excuses, get discouraged, or lessen their efforts. Those who persevere learn how to excel despite the challenges in front of them.

HOW DO I TRAIN MYSELF TO PLAY ONE SHOT AT A TIME? GOLF CAN BE SO FRUSTRATING AT TIMES!

The best players in the game get angry in virtually every round they play, but the best players recover from their anger and frustration quickly and move on to the next shot. How do they do this? The number one answer is that they train themselves to monitor their self-talk. Allow yourself a couple of seconds for your initial emotional reaction, then check your own self-talk. In checking for helpful self-talk, a simple guide is this: speak to yourself as you would want your caddie or instructor to speak to you. What would it be like if after you hit a poor shot or missed an easy putt, your caddy or instructor were to say to you, “that shot was horrible” or “what’s wrong with you?” or “you can’t make a putt today”? I suspect that you would quickly consider firing that person, as their feedback was negative and unhelpful. Instead, what you’d want to hear from that person would be phrases like “come on, you’re OK”; “let’s make the next one”; “stay focused on the next shot”; or “better preparation next time”. In addition to self-talk management, another strategy in post-round analysis is to monitor whether attention is being paid to things that are controllable or things that are uncontrollable. The things over which you have control as a player are things like:

• Gathering of preparation elements (i.e. wind check, yardage numbers, etc.)

• Commitment to game plan

• Commitment to line of putt or target of shot

• Commitment to specific shot selection

• Clarity of the picture in your head before you hit the ball

• Tempo

Another tip that has proven helpful for some players is to take a full-tempo swing in post-shot recovery if you don’t like the way the previous swing, chip, or putt felt. This can be valuable in that it reinforces a better feel than the previous swing, and then you can put the club back in your bag. This way, the last swing with every club in your bag was one that you liked!

Constructive post-shot recovery also involves maintaining positive, strong body language. Champion golfers look like champions most of the time they are on the course- independent of how they’re playing or where they are on the leader board. Walking with the head upright and striding purposefully (but not sprinting!), sends a message to yourself and your opponents that you remain someone to be reckoned with on the course at all times.

Part VII

Resources for Junior Golf There was a time in the not so distant pat when resources and information for junior golfers was sparse. Things have continued to change as new organizations, books, experts and the general growth in the junior market has developed. Instead of going through an in depth list of the variety of junior golf resources available in today’s market, this chapter will focus on a summary of some of the more prominent organizations that can either give you the answers you’re looking for or direct you to the resources you need most.

Competitive Junior Tours American Junior Golf Association (AJGA) (http://www.ajga.org) Mission Statement: The AJGA is dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college scholarships through competitive junior golf. By offering competitive opportunities, the vast majority of AJGA members attend college, and most attend on some form of athletic scholarship. About the AJGA: With approximately 75 tournaments around the country each year, the AJGA is the recognized as the largest, most active junior tour. According to the AJGA, more than 160 AJGA alumni play on the PGA and LPGA Tours and have earned more than 300 Tour victories. International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) (http://www.ijgt.com) Mission Statement: The mission of the International Junior Golf Tour (IJGT) is to provide exceptional junior golfers with the opportunity to develop and showcase their competitive skills while setting high standards to preserve the traditions and integrity of the game.

About the IJGT: The IJGT sponsors well over 60 junior golf tournaments around the country each year and is poised to expand its operations significantly in upcoming years. For the first time in its 10-year history, the season-ending Tournament of Champions on the IJGT will be televised in nearly 25 million homes on regional sports networks around the country. Future Collegians World Tour (FWCJT) (http://www.fcwtgolf.com) Mission Statement: The FCWT is a non-profit organization committed to helping young men and women in their pursuit of earning a college scholarship through the challenge of competitive golf. About the FCWT: The FCWT enters its ninth season of competition in 2005-2006. They currently offer approximately 58 tournaments throughout the country. This tour accepts young men and women 11 to 18 years of age. FCWT Membership for the 2005-2006 season is $199. Costs of tournaments are between $359 and $399. Florida Junior Tour (http://www.floridajuniortour.org) Mission Statement: The Florida Junior Tour (FJT) provides affordable, high level competitions for all junior golfers regardless if they in Florida or not. About the Florida Junior Tour: The Florida Junior Tour (FJT) was formed by the Florida State Golf Association (FSGA) in 2004 for the benefit of junior golfers of Florida. The Florida State Golf Association is one of the largest golf associations in the USA with over 180,000 members and 400 volunteer committee members who serve as rules officials and course raters. The organization uses over 150 volunteers dedicated to junior golf and emphasizes affordability, quality and integrity. Tour open to young men and women, ages 13-18. All Star Junior Golf Tour (http://www.allstarjuniorgolftour.com) Mission Statement: The mission of the All Star Junior Golf Tour is to give junior golfers throughout the world the opportunity to develop, and grow through the experience gained by competitive junior golf in pursuit of a collegiate scholarship.

About the All Star Junior Golf Tour: The All Star Junior Golf Tour is a new young tour. Their 14 annual tournaments are played between May and July throughout the U.S, They accept ages 10 in its 10-year history, the season-ending Tournament of Champions on the IJGT will be televised in nearly 25 million homes on regional sports networks around the country. More Resources for Your Junior Golfer Junior Golf Scoreboard (http://www.juniorgolfscoreboard.com) About the Junior Golf Scoreboard: The Junior Golf Scoreboard is an information service created in 1998 by a group of parents whose children have been involved in all levels of junior golf, from local competitions to the U. S. Junior Amateur and AJGA events, and most of whom have gone on to play golf at the college level. The founders of the Junior Golf Scoreboard saw a real opportunity to help junior golfers market themselves, find tournaments more easily and assess their playing skills against other junior golfers without necessarily having to travel all over the country. The First Tee (http://www.thefirsttee.org) About the First Tee: The First Tee is a World Golf Foundation initiative dedicated to providing young people of all backgrounds an opportunity to develop, through golf and character education, life- enhancing values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship. The intent is to offer opportunities for improvement in the quality of life and create a platform where children can increase their potential for success. The First Tee golf-learning facilities are located throughout the United States. There are also facilities and programs in several international locations. Young Americans Golf (http://www.youngamericansgolf.com) About Young Americans Golf: This is an extensive resource for free, up-to-date junior golf information, programs, tours, news and insight. Built by a hands on junior golf mom, it’s a "one-stop-shop" for junior golf. Not only will you receive information on "where" to play but "how" to play. You will find helpful information and insight on almost every facet of the game, for both the junior and their parents. Juniors of almost any age, no matter their ability level, gender or economic situation, have many outstanding golf programs available to them.

Red Numbers Golf (http://www.rednumbersgolf.com) Their goal is to mentor talented junior golfers and their parents toward well-informed, sound decisions that will enhance their overall junior golf development, assist them throughout the college placement process, and lead to long-term success in life beyond golf. Junior Links (http://www.juniorlinks.com) In November, 2000, senior members of the golf industry gathered as part of a program called GOLF 20/20: Vision for the Future. The primary purpose of GOLF 20/20 is to ensure the future of the game by implementing programs that will actively increase participation and interest. Rather than create another new program, it was decided to first gather information on the extent of junior golf in America, and to establish a forum for communication. The first phase of that effort is juniorlinks.com, which contains an ever-growing database of junior programs in this country, and will ultimately provide a vehicle for communication for junior golfers, their parents, and junior program administrators. Responsibility for management of the content of juniorlinks.com has been assumed by the USGA Foundation. LPGA-USGA Girls Golf (http://www.lpga.com) About the LPGA-USGA Girls Golf: This organization serves as a partnership between the LPGA and the United States Golf Association. It provides the opportunity to achieve success, progress in golf and learn life lessons inherent to the game, such as patience, respect, perseverance and honesty. Girls Golf creates a healthy environment for girls to play golf that, in turn, builds their self-confidence and prepares them to meet the challenges of today's world with assurance. PGA Junior Series (http://www.pgajuniorseries.com) About the PGA Junior Series: Sponsored by Callaway, this series is designed to promote the enjoyment of golf by junior golfers through affordable and competitive playing opportunities in professionally supervised stroke play events organized by The PGA of America and supported by PGA Professionals. The 11th annual PGA Junior Series will continue to provide global and national exposure for each of the 150-player fields. The Callaway Golf PGA Junior Series provides affordable and competitive playing opportunities for boys and girls between the ages of 13 and 18. An average of 20 states have been represented at each event. The Callaway Golf PGA Junior Series is organized and conducted by The PGA of America with the support of PGA Professionals.

College Golf Scholarship Resources and Information About College Sports Scholarships: A college golf coach does not have to assess your ability or guess at your potential unlike an aspiring football recruit, your score is on the board, your handicap and national ranking are there for all to see. Golf is classed as an Equivalency Sport which means that the scholarships on offer might not be all full ride, some will be partial, say 50%, but on the up side the golf coach can give scholarships to a larger number of players. There are 289 Division 1 and 186 Division 2 colleges that offer men's golf scholarships and for women there are 217 Division 1 and 90 Division 2 colleges. The NCAA allows each Division 1 men's golf program 4.5 scholarships and in Division 2, 3.6 are available. For women, there are 6 Scholarships available in Division1and 5.4 in Division 2. That's a total of 1,970.1 men's golf scholarships available in the NCAA alone. For women's golf the total number on offer in the NCAA is 1,788.

• Athletic Scholarships (http://athleticscholarships.net/golfscholarships.htm)

• College Sports Scholarships (http://www.collegesportsscholarships.com)

• Ping American College Golf Guide (http://www.collegegolf.com/collegegolf)

• Scholarship Golf (http://www.scholarshipgolf.com)

Most Frequently Asked Questions Regarding Junior Golf My son (daughter) is interested in competitive junior golf. What is the first step? If this is your child’s initial entry into competition, I would suggest that you contact your local or regional state golf association to see if there are any competitions in which your child can compete. Typically the local and state associations hold entry-level type events on a regular basis to provide opportunities for young players to “get their feet wet”. If your child enjoys this type of competition, then the more intensive competitions might come into play, with the requisite commitment to training and practicing and traveling that are part and parcel of the higher levels of competitive junior golf. http://www.usga.org/associations/regional/regional_state_associations.asp Live in a foreign country? Here is a listing of the golf associations outside of the U.S. http://www.usga.org/associations/foreign/foreign_golf_associations.html

My son (daughter) is showing really signs of early talent. How do I go about finding the resources they need to help them develop as a player? In most communities there are many people who are involved in the instruction of golf, but the reality is that there are few who are highly competent in helping young players on their developmental path. Those who find the best fit for the developmental resources typically do it through word of mouth. Follow the lead of the players in your local area who have been successful and who have developed their game. Early on in this process, be prepared to add and/or delete individuals with whom your child is working as you discern the best fit for your child’s game and personality. There is no one instructor that works best with every kid. On the other hand, my experience has been that once you find an instructor that is a good fit and has a track record of developing students, it is important to make a long-term commitment to that person to ensure continuity of instruction- whether it’s swing, putting, mental, or fitness training. How do I get access to top level resources without ‘breaking my bank’? Personalized access to top level resources is generally very pricey. Looking at group lessons with top instructors, attending camps or short-term golf schools, and accessing information via the internet or through other media are some of the ways that some parents have learned to circumvent the money drain that is typically associated with high-level instruction. The truth about competitive golf is that the cost is by and large very high to fund the requisite things that a young player could get into in order to improve his or her quality of play. Is there any way to find out how my child’s performance compares to other children their age? Depending on the level of competition in which your child competes, there are a number of ranking systems in place that compare players on a wide variety of attributes-scoring average, records vs. other ranked players, etc. Junior Golf Scoreboard, the American Junior Golf Association and the Golf Week/Titleist rankings are the ones that are most accessible and most utilized. Many state and regional associations also have their own ranking systems based on a variety of factors. My child was not one of the top 25 names in junior golf but is still a great player and would love to find out if there is a possibility of a college scholarship. How can he/she get the interest of some college coaches? College coaches are typically fixated on the students who are within one to two years of graduation. In fact, the NCAA prohibits the coach from initiating contact with players who are not within a year of graduation. The best way to get on the radar screen of prospective coaches is to initiate contact through letters, emails, or phone calls.

Putting together a thorough golf and academic resume, as well as keeping a coach updated on your progress in tournaments as well as what future events in which you’re entered gives you a chance to be noticed and seen by the coach. As well, you may take “unofficial visits” to any college or university about which you have interest. At that time, you can meet with the coaching staff and/or players on the team and get a sense if there might be some mutual fit. For the players not among the top players in the country, this whole process is akin to a PR or sales process. Get comfortable with that, because if you aren’t selling your child’s attributes to prospective coaches, someone else will be selling their own child’s attributes! Which tours do you recommend in junior golf? Largely, this depends on the level at which your child is capable of being competitive. There are great local tours in many of the Sun Belt states, as well as tours that are regionally competitive. On a national level, the AJGA, IJGT, FCWT, and PGA Junior Series are among the best and most well-run.

Special Bonus Chapter

Training Tools and

Programs for Juniors This bonus section contains valuable programs, training tools and resources designed to elevate the games of competitive junior golfers. Feel free to print any of these out and use them to record vital information about the way you play. There are always potential areas for improvement.

ROUND ANALYSIS FORM

NAME: DATE OF ROUND: COURSE NAME: SCORE: MY STRONG POINTS DURING THE ROUND: 1. TECHNICAL: 2. MENTAL: 3. PHYSICAL: MY LIMITATIONS DURING THE ROUND: 1. TECHNICAL: 2. MENTAL: 3. PHYSICAL: I FOLLOWED MY GAME PLAN ______% OF THE TIME DURING THE ROUND I MADE THE FOLLOWING ADJUSTMENTS DURING THE ROUND ______________________________________________________________________ WAS THE ROUND PLAYED UP TO YOUR POTENTIAL _____ OR DID YOU LET OUTSIDE OPPONENT FACTORS AFFECT YOUR ROUND? ____ COULD YOU PLAY BETTER? ____________ WHAT AFFECTED YOUR ROUND THE MOST? _______ DID THE BEST PLAYER WIN? _____ WHAT DID YOU LEARN FROM THIS EXPERIENCE? ______________________________________________________________________ IF YOU DID NOT PLAY WELL, WHAT CAN YOU DO DIFFERENTLY TO PLAY UP TO YOUR POTENTIAL? ______________________________________________________________________ IF YOU PLAYED WELL, HOW CAN YOU IMPROVE YOUR GAME? ______________________________________________________________________

SAMPLE 3-DAY WORKOUT FOR ELITE

JUNIOR GOLFERS AGES 14 AND UP Monday Strength Training Workout Instructions: Perform 2 sets of each exercise before going to the next. Rest one minute between sets. Special notes: Use the outside play equipment bars to perform Pull Ups. If weather is too cold or rainy, substitute for Lat Pulldowns. Try 40 lbs. to start with. Always begin each workout with a dynamic warm or cardio warm up (any cardio of your choice like Treadmill, Elliptical, run, etc.) for 5 to 7 minutes. Plank exercise: if you feel it in your back, please stop. Only go as long as you can while challenging your core.

Exercise Sets Reps Intensity Tempo Free Weight Substitutions

Rest Interval

Chest Press 2-3 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 Start with 10

lbs. Increase weight if this

feels too easy.

1 minute

Pull Ups 2-3 As many as you can

70-80% 2-0-2 (or Lat Pulldown)

1 minute

Ball Squats 2-3 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Alt lunges 2 10-12 70-80% 1 minute

Fit Ball

Crunches 2-3 20-25 70-80% 1 minute

Glute bridge 2 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

DB Deadlifts 2 10-12 60-70% 2-0-2 Add 5-10 lbs

to each hand 1 minute

Side Shoulder

Raises 2 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 Add 3 lbs to

each hand 1 minute

Tuesday Core Training Workout Instructions: Circuit Style Golf Fitness Workout #1 Instructions: Perform 1 set of each exercise in order without rest. Then, rest one minute. Repeat sequence 2 to 3 times. Plank exercise: if you feel it in your back, please stop. Only go as long as you can while challenging your core. Exercise Sets Reps Intensity Tempo Rest Interval

Side Plank 1 Hold 30 seconds

70-80% none

Front Plank 1 Hold 1.5 minutes

70-80% none

Fit Ball Shoulder Stability 1 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 none

Stability Ball Bridges 1 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 none

Reverse Crunches 1 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 none

Fit Ball Glute Lifts 1 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 none

MB Wood Chops 1 10-12 60-70% 2-0-2 none

Rest 1 minute

Repeat Circuit Repeat circuit

Stretch 10-15 minutes

Back, hips, shoulders

Thursday Strength Training Workout Instructions: Perform 2 sets of each exercise before going to the next. Rest one minute between sets. Special notes: Always begin each workout with a dynamic warm or cardio warm up (any cardio of your choice like Treadmill, Elliptical, run, etc.) for 5 to 7 minutes. Exercise Sets Reps Intensity Tempo Rest Interval

Fit Ball Push Ups 2-3 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Single DB Row 2-3 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Squat Press 2-3 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Alt Lunges 2 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Fit Ball Leg Curls 2-3 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Tricep Dips 2 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Push Up to Rotation 2 10-12 70-80% 2-0-2 1 minute

Dumbbell Curl to Press 2 1 minute

Stretch

GOLF FITNESS WORKOUT AGES 14-18 Warm up 5-10 minutes movement prep Sets Reps Rest Interval

Workout A A1) Med Ball Back Lunge

2 8 to 10

A2) Push up to Arm Lift

2 8 1 minute

B1) Alternating Arm and Leg

2 10

B2) Glute Lift

2 10 1 minute

Stretch 5-10 min.

Workout B A1) Med Ball Single Leg Squat

2 8-10

A2) Windmill

2 6-8 1 minute

B1) Squat to Back Row

2 8-10

B2) Elevated Plank with Shoulder Lift

2 8-10 1 minute

Stretch 5-10 min.

Player Fitness Evaluation Name: John Gladstone Date: Current Stats: Height: Weight: Strengths: Great shoulder flexibility. Good neck flexibility. Good strength overall. Weaknesses: Tight right spine Tight left hip Stabilization and balance Goals: 1. Increase spinal flexibility on right side 2. Increase hip rotation on left side 3. Develop better stabilization and balance Action Plan: 1. 2. 3. This is a player fitness evaluation from an actual elite male junior golfer. Use the following fields to complete your own evaluation and record your results. Go back and retest periodically to see how your body is changing. This is just a sample of some information you might want to record and work to improve upon.

Summary Evaluation Sheet Name _________________________________________________ Date: __________

Goal Assessment: (completed by player). Please list your fitness goals for the year. Be specific, i.e. increase shoulder flexibility, get in better shape, increase upper body strength, etc. 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Notes:

Trainer Priorities: (completed by trainer) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Notes:

Golf Coach Priorities: (completed by golf coach) 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. Notes:

About the Authors

Stephen Ladd is the president of Renegade Golf, a company dedicated to helping golfers improve through golf specific programs and comprehensive training methods, including Golf Strength and Conditioning, Holistic Nutrition and Lifestyle Coaching, and Cutting-Edge Psychology. He is recognized as an industry leader, having worked with close to 6,000 golfers in 39 different countries. Stephen holds national certifications as a golf fitness trainer with several organizations including The Titleist Performance Institute and the C.H.E.K Institute Golf Performance Coaching Program. He was nominated as Trainer for the Year 2010, having been chosen from among over 85,000 trainers across the country.

Jeff Troesch is an internationally recognized expert in the field of mental skills training and performance enhancement and has been involved in training athletes and other elite performers for nearly 18 years. Jeff served as Director of Mental Training for David Leadbetter.’s Golf Academies, where he was instrumental in assisting in the development of the training programs and methodology that continues to produce golf champions around the world. He works with several touring professionals and amateur players - assisting them in the creation of optimal training plans and developmental strategies.

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