Desert Golf Adventure

We decided to spend our Christmas holidays this year in Palm Desert at the fabulous JW Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa. Despite the intermittent showers and cloudy weather, mornings were spent on the resort's beautiful 18 hole golf courses, the Palms or the Valley, both designed by Ted Robinson, "King of Waterscapes". In the afternoons we worked out in the fitness club, sweat it out in the steam rooms and sauna, lolled by the pool, and basically zenned out in the Resort's gorgeous spa, the largest of its kind in California. Golf fees were $69 U.S. per person including the cart with state-of-the-art navigational and computing systems; however this fee doubled after Boxing Day. What a great way to end the year! We will definitely return for another Palm Desert Golf Adventure.

Marriott Desert Springs Resort & Spa
74855 Country Club Drive
Palm Desert, Ca
1-760-341-2211

Swing into Spring with a Great Golf Stance!

Last week I began a round of golf lessons in order to brush up on the basics and get rid of some of my bad habits. My instructor is fabulous and very concise with her advice:



1. Knees are slightly flexed (not rigid and not bent a lot)

2. Arms are monkey arms hanging free

3. Weight is on the balls of feet not the heels (almost top heavy feeling)

4. Back is slightly arched (not pelvic tilt)

5. The shorter the club, the more the weight is on the Left with a narrow stance

6. The longer the club, the weight shifts towards the Right with a wider stance

7. Head is down



Of course there's so much more that could be said; however this is enough for now!

Thinking about a Fabulous Golf Spring!!

Well, even though it's either snowy, rainy or chilly still in Vancouver, I've promised my golf partner (my husband!) that I will start gearing up for golf season.

What I've been doing since the New Year is this:
1. working out at my health club 2-3 times a week
2. walking the dog briskly three times a week
3. daily sit-ups (try to!)

Now it's the last day of February, so I'm flipping through my golf magazines for inspiration.
I might even go to the shops and look for a new addition for my golf wardrobe, even if it's only a pair of socks or some brightly coloured golf balls.

I'll start the driving range next week....

TIPS FOR BETTER GOLF

Now that the blustery, rainy days of Autumn are here, the golf course will be out of bounds for most of us. But there are many things you can do to improve your game during the bad weather....

1. Visit your Health Club to work on CARDIO, STRENGTH and FLEXIBILITY.

2. PRACTISE regularily at the Driving Range.

3. Take a MONTHLY GOLF LESSON at the Driving Range.

4. Sign up for some YOGA or Pilates lessons to improve FLEXIBILITY.

5. WALK or lightly JOG regularily to help with CARDIO.

6. WATCH golf pros on TV to help your own game.

7. READ golf books to pick up more tips.

8. Encourage your FRIENDS to take some golf lessons, so that by the spring, you will have more friends to play with!!!

9. RESEARCH ideas for a golf getaway that you and your mate can take next year. This is a great goal to work towards. It will make weekly sessions at the driving range more enjoyable!!

10. INVEST in a pair of rubber golf shoes, waterproof clothing, warm golf gloves and brave the elements. Atleast the course won't be crowded!!

Strengthen Your Core

Want a useful golf tip?

Strengthen your stomach muscles. When you have a strong stomach, you will have a healthier back and a stronger core. So start doing some sit-ups and some core strengthening exercises like pilates or yoga. Right now, yoga for golf seems to be very popular. For good reasons. Yoga will help your flexibility and your breathing, both of which are necessary for golf. If you're flexible, you will have a better and longer swing.... If you breathe properly, you will have more power and endurance....So the next time you're watching Tiger Woods play in a golf tournament in some exotic locale, get off the couch and onto your yoga mat....you can strengthen your stomach while watching great golf on TV. It's called multi-tasking!!

Let the Club do the Work

Well, my husband taught me an interesting thing at the driving range last week. I was having trouble with my irons, as usual - they're not my favourite clubs. (Give me my driver any day....)

So what he said to me was this:

Let the club do the work!
Don't use your arm muscles!
Feel the weight of the iron!
Let the weight of the iron hit the ball!

Then he asked me to take a few continuous swings back and forth to feel the weight of the iron. Then he told me to close my eyes and repeat this action. Then I had to simulate the full swing without using my muscles, just the weight of the iron. Gradually he told me to incorporate my hip rotation into the swing to increase my power.

After I did this for a while, I found myself being able to successfully hit the ball with each one of my irons. I was thrilled!!!!!! Can't wait to now go out on the course and show off my new skill.

Practise. Practise. Practise.

Like anything, the more you visit the driving range and practise your shots, the better your golf will be. We all know this, but why don't we do it???

Last week I was dragged to the driving range by my husband/golf mentor with the promise of a Japanese lunch, offered as an incentive after hitting 100 balls. Diligently I divided my balls into 10 groups of 10. Then, before I did anything else, I warmed up and stretched for a good 10 minutes. I knew that if I didn't, I would pay for it later....then I started with my sand wedge and hit 10 balls. After that, I went through each of my four irons, two hybrids and three woods. I kept notes on how far I could hit with each club. I also tried to make sure to set up properly and hit each shot as if I were on the course. By the time I got to my driver, I was feeling quite proud of myself! That Japanese lunch was going to taste delicious!

Maybe that's the trick: promise yourself a small reward each time you visit the driving range.