Physical Golf

- Thursday, 9 December, 2010

The World's best, such as last week's winners Lee Westwood and Graham McDowell are incredible players - the gulf between those you watch on the TV and what ordinary sport-people can do is enormous, even accounting for Golf's unique handicapping system.

These golfers hit it further and better than a fifteen or five handicapper because they play and practice every day and they are physically able to complete the motion of a swing maximising their structural abilities, again and again.

There are two very different books available for your Christmas stocking or to spend those book tokens you receive, help that will improve your skills and your ability to actually make the most of what you physically can do. Both can take you onwards and upwards to more consistency and then even better use of the 'machine' that you are, whatever shape and size you may be. This article is about Physical Golf and a book you must have -

'Golf Anatomy' is at the physical of the golfing book spectrum in that everything about the message it is part of is how the elite are fitter, more flexible and stronger than those who don't play for $10M dollars every week.

It's a book which will fly off the shelves to the better players, anyone seeking every bit of help them to be 'perfect', but again this is actually a book for all levels of players, something that comes over in just one or two sentences from the opening chapters -

'.. the biggest (swing) revelation - is that there is no perfect way'

'The key is to make your body capable of producing the most efficient swing that you can.'

And then comes the 'nail hitting on the head' moment -

'Every player has a unique range of available motion in his or her joints, level of strength, and balance inconsistencies.'

Having told you this, 'Golf Anatomy' gives you a way of taking the machine that is your physique, and then getting the very best from it. It does so as all its sister publications from Human Kinetics manage, in a perfect way - the best in anatomical illustrations combined with modeling of swings in the same format

This is as classy a book on golf fitness as you will ever find. 'Golf Anatomy's' authors are authoritative as you will meet. It doesn't compete with biometric analysis, its a base for specific personal work on the performance of the machine that you step on the tee with every time you play a round of golf.

If you are a higher handicapper, and you struggle with the swing methods you professional is trying to give you, having this book and a commitment to putting its advice into practice and you will find things easier when you then can show the range of motion you are capable of with confidence, the actual key to your best golf.

For those who don't exercise, the advice of a fitness professional and their help and guidance to develop workouts and the like - is a must - but don't think you will becoming a 'gym bunny' by any means. Much can be done in the privacy of your own home.

'Golf Anatomy' by Craig Davies and Vince DiSaia is published by Human Kinetics and priced £ 14.99 and available from all good bookstores and online retailers

72 exercises to improve mobility, stability, balance, muscles strength, power - and help injury prevention

ISBN: 978 0 7360 8434 5

To get a generous 20% discount until the 24th December 2010, simply quote R772 at the checkout.

Today is the last day for orders for pre-Christmas delivery to UK addresses, so CLICK HERE TO SHOP DIRECTLY AT THE HUMAN KINETICS WEB SITE

(More than) 25 Christmas Presents for your list

Aim Mate - put your golf on the right line

Physical Golf - an incredible book about making the best of your physical abilities

Technical Golf - superb tips about everything

Go to the gym - you have to have this book?

U18 and want to do strength training?

Golf in Scotland - just a superb book

A golf ball revolution - one you cannot lose