Stay in Golf Shape with Upper Montclair's Tyler Hall
Over the course of the coming days and weeks, the New Jersey State Golf Association and New Jersey PGA Section are pleased to bring a series of articles about how golfers can stay in golf shape from their home. In the second of this series, Tyler Hall of Upper Montclair Country Club in Clifton, NJ, shares fitness tips to help keep you in shape and your game sharp.
Ok so... here we are with a pandemic on our hands. Gyms are closed, courses are closed, pretty much everything we utilize on a daily basis to advance our skills, improve our health, work on our craft, whatever it may be, it’s all CLOSED!
I for one rely heavily on my performance in order to provide for my family, so although it is recreation to most, take it from me - staying in shape, keeping a sharp mind and advancing my abilities is critical to my day-to-day. So now that we are faced with a crisis, fear not! There are plenty of ways to keep the body and mind strong, or in this case, “golf strong”. The best part is that we can do it right from our very own home.
Tapping into my days as a licensed personal trainer, here is a simple guideline to follow to keep things moving forward instead of backward.
See if you can scratch out 5-15 minutes, 3 days a week to do some HiiT training (high intensity interval training) This is far more beneficial to your body, mind and overall health than going for a two hour run 6 days a week. All you need to do is 30 seconds of something to raise that heart rate as high as you can, followed by 20-30 seconds rest (or some short burst variation), then repeat! I for one do a killer circuit of 20 seconds of squat jumps, 20 seconds of burpees, 20 seconds of mountain climbers, 30 seconds rest. Repeat 5-10 times. Sound easy? Trust me, it’s far from it and the best part for me is as I start to fatigue, I put my mind into a place for example where I may be coming down the stretch in a tournament, needing to push through the mental anguish and birdie the last hole to win. Last year, I qualified for the PGA Championship in a six-way playoff going par, birdie, birdie. Although it was my first attempt qualifying, in my mind I had been there a thousand times, so when the time came, I knew I was the one to beat.
As a product of many major surgeries, to my hands, wrists, both shoulders, lower back, etc., this prompted me to get my ACE person training license, to understand how the body works to not only propel my ability as a golf instructor, but to help people avoid some of the injuries I went through more than a few times.
On of the best things you can do for golf is work the posterior chain of the body. Hamstrings, glutes, erector spinae, etc. If it’s found on the back of the body, work it! Kettle bell swings, an all time favorite of mine, crushes the posterior chain (in a good way) and also strengthens the muscles used for power and stability in the golf swing. All types of plyometrics are great for the golf swing and developing fast twitch fiber in order to bomb it! Squat jumps, split jumps, box jumps, all gravy baby! Want to develop that core? Planks, go no further. Plenty of ways to vary a plank to balance out the core strength of the body.
Did you know most injuries come from a poor ratio of strength. If your left side is stronger than your right, guess what, you are susceptible to a big fall. Go in the garage, grab a club and make 100 swings left handed if your a righty. Strengthen the opposite side of the body and your golf game will be just one of the things to thank you for it.
My kids have a trampoline in the yard with a big net attached to it. Today I grabbed a five-iron, a bunch of wiffle-golf balls and started hitting balls into the net, righty and lefty. From there I grabbed a 40 pound resistance band wrapped around the tree in the back yard and worked out my back. After that, a quick HiiT workout, a few planks, Superman’s and bridges, some static stretching and good to go!
Get creative, work the back, project your mind to another place and I promise you, when the skies clear and you feel that grass under your feet again, you’ll be ready and better than ever. Stay safe and healthy and please and look out for your fellow man. Cheers to seeing you all on the other side of this!
Tyler Hall is a two-time NJSGA Open Champion (2015 and 2016) and the 2019 New Jersey PGA Section Match Play Champion. To learn more about Tyler, please visit his web site: https://www.tylerhallgolf.com/
