5 Ways to Improve Your Golf Game Without Leaving Your Hot Tub!

June 12, 2012

Did you know that you don’t actually have to be on the golf course to improve your game! The way this spring weather has been going, I’ll get that you haven’t had much actual golf time.   So, stay sharp and improve your game before you tee off.

Don’t be envious when you watch the US Open Golf Championships this weekend. Think hot tub to improve your game.

Here are 4 ways to do that while you’re enjoying your hot tub in good weather or bad.

1. STRENGTHEN YOUR HAND MUSCLES.  Strengthen your wrists and the dozens of tiny muscles in your hands by laying a dishrag (or washcloth) on the edge of the hot tub. Crumple it into a tight ball, letting go and repeating a dozen times with each hand. Do this 3-4 times weekly. What a great way to get a better grip when you’re putting.

2. USE THERAPEUTIC BANDS. These stretchy bands are really great for strengthening and stretching shoulder muscles in ways that expensive gym equipment does not. Shoulder muscles, particularly rotator cuffs are easily injured and will keep you off the course for a long time if they become injured.  A strong chest is needed for an effective swing.

Hold the band overhead with both hands so that you feel some tension in the band. Increase or decrease the tension in the band by gripping it widely or narrowly.  Slowly lower the band behind your back, then up over your head and then down to your belt line. Resistance will increase when the band hits the water giving you a greater workout.

3. SHARPEN YOUR MENTAL FOCUS.  It’s been said that the most important six inches in golf are between the ears.  There are a number of books that help the avid golfer sharpen his/her mental focus and perform better under pressure.  A good book to take to the hot tub (reading it on your Aqua Reader so it won’t get wet) is “Golf is Not A Game of Perfect” by Bob Rotella, PhD, which offers some excellent visualization techniques.  You can also get it as an audio download to play on your ipod. These are techniques that can be done easily while you’re soaking in your Hot Spring Spa and perfectly relaxed.

4. DAYDREAM YOUR PERFECT GAME.  This is the perfect thing to do in the hot tub especially when it’s raining and you can’t get on the links. Daydreaming about the game has been proven to have a positive effect on performance.  Recent studies have shown that while physical practice is the most beneficial, mentally practicing your swing and desired ball flight and outcome is more beneficial than doing nothing at all.

Picture the sound and feel of solid contact from the tee, the flight of the drive, the club you choose for your approach shot, the contour of the green, etc. Play the first several holes in your mind until you start to lose focus.

5. LIMBER UP BEFORE PLAY. Prepare for a tennis or golf game by warming up in the hot tub. Move your joints through their full range of motion and condition your muscles.  Guaranteed to improve your match or beat your handicap!  As we age, we all get stiffer.  Also, as we age, it takes longer to recover from muscle pulls & sprains. Do yourself a favor-take steps to avoid injury by limbering up in your own Hot Spring Spa from Olympic Hot Tub.

Source: An article by Joel Zuckerman, a freelance golf & travel writer who’s has played nearly 800 golf courses around the world. Impressive. He know his golf!

SANUM PER AQUA. Latin for Health through Water.

 

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