FIT TO A TEE

Discover The Missing Link

To Playing Your Best Golf
By Mike Pedersen

Have you ever wondered what makes a professional golfer stand out above the rest?

Is it just their natural born talent, or do Tiger Woods, Larry Nelson and Annika Sorenstam have other secrets? Come on…you don’t believe they just woke up one day and became pro-stars do you?

Of course not! These professionals are backed with years of practice, and also actively take part in a golf-conditioning program.

Feel free to PASS THIS ALONG to anyone you know that needs improve their game, as Long as You Do NOT Modify it in Any Way. I created Fit to a Tee for every golfer who needs the help contained here. Just send a copy of the digital file to your favorite Duffer, attached to an email.

Hello,
My name is Mike Pedersen and in this mini guide, Fit To A Tee, I’ll give you the basics behind the secrets of golf conditioning programs.

Once you find out how simple it is to apply golf fitness to your lifestyle, you will be amazed how quickly you’ll catapult your performance and be humiliating the rest of the players in your foursome! You’ll be the one on TOP for once!

I can assure you this is no gimmick! I am a certified conditioning expert specializing in fitness for golf, a fitness consultant and lecturer, and author of hundreds of articles printed all over the world, including the top golf websites at pga.com and golfonline.com. I’ve spent the better part of 10 years developing golf-specific fitness programs for golfers of all ages and abilities.

I am the author of the first online golf-specific fitness ebook called the Mike Pedersen’s Ultimate Golf Fitness Guide. And I am proud to tell you, that I have had the pleasure of helping over 10,120 golfers gain amazing results from my golf-conditioning program.

I know Fit To A Tee will re-ignite any passion you’ve lost from being discouraged by the outcome of your golf game. After reading this guide you will understand how you can improve on your level of strength and flexibility, so you can begin to expose your “untapped” potential! I want you to succeed, and I know you can. Golf is an awesome game and I look forward to helping you.

Don’t let the idea of fitness and exercise scare you…and trust in the words of the world-renowned golf instructor, David Leadbetter, who said:
“In the future, fitness is going to play a big part in golf. I believe in the holistic approach – golfing technique, fitness, mental (preparation), and nutrition. I utilize it for the average golfer and touring pro as well – cardiovascular training, strength, and especially flexibility. I think fitness plays an important part in mental discipline – being tired coming down the last few holes can lead to letting a few shots slip away. I think players who feel fit feel have the edge. I’m a big believer in fitness, and if golfers take the time to stay fit they can reach their goals.”

I look forward to your success, and hope to hear from you soon.

Hit’em Long & Straight! Mike Pedersen
The Golf Trainer
PerformBetterGolf.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS
FIT TO A TEE

Conditioning For Golf
Strength Training Specific To Golf Produces POWER Flexibility For Optimal Golf Performance Prevents Injury Improve Your Cardiovascular Endurance For Optimal Golf Eat Right To Dominate Your Foursome On The Back Nine Preventing Injuries – Like Your Lower Back
Conclusion: Will You Become A Fitter Golfer?
Next Step

Conditioning For Golf

Conditioning for golf is critical to your golfing success. It’s about you possessing the knowledge of what simple and effective exercises to do that will improve your game, as opposed to ruining it.

Did you just let out an involuntary gasp when exercise was mentioned? Did the very thought of the word make you cringe. Well relax, because I promise the exercise that is being referred to in these pages, won’t leave you moaning and groaning or short of breath.

In fact, you will discover that conditioning for golf is fun and will improve upon your golf abilities, by providing your essential muscle groups that you use when making your powerful golf swing with strength, and your body with stamina.

There are 4 components to a golf-specific conditioning program:
• Strength Training for Golf
• Flexibility for Golf
• Cardiovascular Endurance for Golf
• Nutrition for Golf

Each of the 4 components listed above must be followed in order to gain progress and improvement. It may appear to be overwhelming for you at first, but this guide will cover each component in basic detail, to give you a taste of what you can expect, if you choose to take your golf game to the next level.

Strength Training Specific To Golf Produces POWER

Naturally, there is more to a golf swing than just picking up a club and hacking away at the ball. There is a proper way to perform the swing, so you don’t end up causing injury to your body, such as the ever popular low-back pain over 80% of golfers experience at one time in their golfing careers. However, it takes more than a mechanically correct golf swing to avoid injury, and achieve the explosive drives you know you can do; it takes the power of your muscles.

You will gain more power…quickly, by strengthening the key muscle groups you use when swinging your club. These include your: Abs (stomach muscles or CORE)
Lower back
Lat Muscle (latissimus dorsi – upper back under each arm)
Quadriceps (thigh muscles)
Right / Left Deltoid (shoulder muscle)
Hamstrings (tendons in the back of your leg)

If you have not taken the time to strengthen these areas of your body before playing golf, swing faults will be the outcome. Therefore, it is essential that you maintain these muscles. You can do this by strengthening them through swimming, moderate weight training, by practicing your golf swing, or through my golf-specific conditioning program, which provides special video demonstrations and step-by-step instructions with brief explanations, which guarantees you strength and improvement upon your golf swing!

You might be wondering why strengthening these muscles are so important to the outcome of your golf swing; the reason is because each of these areas helps you to maintain your posture throughout your swing, producing a repeatable swing with fewer miss-hits. From the time you begin your address to the moment you come in contact with the ball, your posture must withstand the torque of your golf swing in order to prevail
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Let’s examine this in further detail, so you can gain a better understanding of how these muscles work to produce power. Address -When you are in the point of address, your knees and hips are bent, which requires the strength of your quadriceps and hamstrings. Your upper body is angled in a way that requires the support of your abdominal muscles. If your body is in shape, this posture will come with ease, but if you have any extra “fluffy cushioning” on your stomach, you will feel the urge to lean forward. This will not only pull you out of your posture, but it will also put a large amount of pressure on your lower back.

Backswing - When you begin your backswing and raise your club to the rear, your right or left leg (depending on the position you favor) should remain bent, which will place a higher amount of pressure on the coinciding quadriceps. However, if your quadriceps is weak, you will feel the urge to straighten your leg, leading to the breaking of your posture. Your hamstrings are used to keep your body angled during the backswing. As your right or left deltoid (depending on your position preference) is preparing for a powerful downswing, your abdominals should be tightened and storing coiled-up energy in order to work with the rest of your muscles in producing your max amount of balance and power.

Downswing – Following the backswing, the weight that has been placed on your right or left leg will release, and a lot of tension will be felt up the entire left, or right side, of your back lat muscles. Your lat muscles play a major role in producing power for your downswing; therefore the stronger they are, the longer your drive. As always, your abdominals and hamstrings need to support the torque of your swing, because if left to be controlled by the movement of your spine, your posture will be thrown off balance, while your body is in the process of completing the golf swing.

These are just some of the reasons why it is so important to keep your muscles strong and flexible, when playing golf. Their strength (and flexibility) will enable you to produce maximum clubhead speed into the ball, with less effort, which is an easy way to decrease your handicap. Just imagine, instead of making the traditional amateur big ol’ banana ball right (better known as the slice), or a hard pull left, you will produce every golfer’s dream – “The long ball, that goes straight every time!”

With super success like this, you’ll wear a proud smile on your face, while others stand around to gawk at your marvelous drive. It will astound you how quickly you will see results when you choose to follow this type of conditioning program. You could let your friends in on our little secret, or you could simply tell them that eating your Wheaties, as mom always instructed, really paid off!

Whatever you decide, know that the improvement in your golf game depends entirely on your fitness ambitions, as well as the golf-specific training/conditioning program that works for you.

TIP: Squats and lunges, done properly, are a great way to really get into your quadriceps and hamstrings, as well as your gluteals, hip flexors, and calf muscles to produce a stable base to your golf swing!

Flexibility For Optimal Golf Performance Prevents Injury

Regardless of how strong your muscles may be, without flexibility, these muscles will lack their full potential, because they will be tight and restricted. Flexibility without strength is not “permanent” flexibility. Why? The answer is simple – As you improve the range of motion in your joints and muscles, your muscles need to be strong enough to keep this newfound range.

Therefore, flexibility and strengthening of the muscles go hand-inhand, and must be used together in order for you to achieve your maximum amount of power. You will find that after combining both strength and flexibility in my conditioning program, you will drive the ball farther and straighter than you ever have before – I guarantee it!

The combination of flexibility and strength are imperative when it comes to preventing injury, especially when it comes to your “trunk” area. I believe that the “trunk” area, which consists of your abdominals and lower back, is the MOST important area of the body for a golfer to improve on, as it is often where most of golfing injuries result.

It may surprise you to know that approximately 80% of all amateur golfers play with a sensitive lower back. If you are one of them, you will not want to pass by the opportunity of proper conditioning methods revealed in my special program.

Other common areas of the body that are susceptible to injury include:
Shoulder
Wrist
Elbow
Hips

With proper flexibility and strength training, you will relieve the amount of stress you place on specific body areas during the intensity of the golf swing. You might not think that the golf swing is intense, after all golf isn’t a physical sport, right? Wrong! If you looked at the golf swing in slow motion, you would be amazed at what the body goes through. Contrary to popular belief – Golf is much more of a physical game than presumed!

Due to the fact that golf is a physical game, it is highly possible to experience pain from strained muscles or tendons. You have the power to eliminate pain by simply completing a 5-10 minute stretch program every day. This stretching will increase your flexibility, and will also improve upon your strength and balance. Stretching can be done through different forms of exercise such as my YogaBall Program.

The need for flexibility that is achieved through stretching is needed during each stage of your golf swing – Address, Backswing, Downswing and Impact. Tension is placed on the various muscle groups that were discussed in the strengthening section: hamstrings, quadriceps, lower back, lat muscles, right / left deltoid and abs, as well as the areas of the body which include the torso, trunk, shoulders, and chest. The following explains how this occurs during the different golf swing positions:

Address – In the address position, when you are attempting to achieve the perfect spine angle, your hamstrings are under the most tension. This being the case, if your hamstrings are tight, you will increase your chances of subjecting your lower back to undue pressure and strain, as well as breaking your posture. On the other hand, if your hamstrings are loose, you will be able to keep control over your posture, and relieve any strain from your lower back.

Backswing – To create the perfect backswing your trunk and lower back need to coil with minimal hip rotation. In order for this to happen, you require a tremendous amount of flexibility in your lower back and mid-section. Without the power of this flexibility, you will suffer restrictions and not create any torque.

Downswing - This particular part of the golf swing requires a substantial amount of strength and flexibility in the torso. Watch the pros and you will see for yourself that during the downswing, their upper body stays back. This is how they store the powerful energy that creates long straight drives every time. However, if your torso remains restricted, your upper body will overcompensate for your lack of flexibility, and you’ll produce a beautiful slice that will amaze even the worst players, amateur golf has to offer.

Impact – To be able to “stay in” your swing through, and past impact, also takes a lot of strength and flexibility in your torso, legs and more specifically in your upper body – particularly your chest and shoulders. The flexibility of your upper body is key to your success during impact, and if this area is kept tense, you will end up sporting the dreaded “chicken wing” stance, with your elbow sticking up as you swipe the ball.
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As you can see, the flexibility of the above mentioned areas are essential to your golfing success. You will discover by regularly stretching your shoulders, chest, lats, trunk, torso and hamstrings that you will be able to maintain perfect body positions, and really come into impact with a lot of clubhead speed. You will find that not only will you make extremely accurate shots almost every time, but You will see your drives sail 10, 20 and even 30 yards further than before – Get ready for your dream long drive, because you can achieve it!

TIP: For increased shoulder flexibility, interlock your fingers, placing your palms out, and extend your arms upward. Do this 3 times; hold for 15 seconds.

Improve Your Endurance For Pro Level Focus

Have you ever found yourself huffing and puffing as you drag your feet to the 15^th _hole or sooner? Do you find that with the bulk of your ambition gone, you are forcing yourself to get through the last few holes, without losing too many strokes, or having one yourself? Do you have any idea s why this situation occurs, or how your body winds up in this sluggish, exhausted state? The answer my friend, is you have poor cardiovascular endurance.

Every golfer needs some form of cardiovascular conditioning in order to maintain energy, and keep their focus throughout the round. This doesn’t mean that you have to perform an intense cardiovascular workout every day of the week; it simply means that with a little exercise, you can enjoy your full game of golf without having to throw your score from being exhausted at the last few holes.

Since you probably have no intention of becoming an active marathoner, you might be wondering what the BEST form of cardio exercise is for a golfer. Here are a few tips that you can follow, which you will also find, among others in my golf-conditioning program!

Jogging – For the average golfer, jogging is usually not a good choice of exercise to improve your cardiovascular endurance, and the reason is simply because, although it is a great way to raise your heart level, it is easy to develop sore knees, burn yourself out and become discouraged. After all, how many times do you need to run when you are playing golf?

Walking – This is the ideal choice for the average golfer. For 3 times out of the week, take a 30-60 minute walk that is 10% faster than your average walking speed on the course. You will be amazed at how much stronger and more motivated you will feel!

Intense Aerobics - Although I have suggested that walking is the prime choice for most golfers, if you already are an active jogger, or follow an intense aerobic workout (or wish to start one), you are receiving the cardio endurance you need for optimal golf. You are also going a step beyond, and really improving upon the fitness of your body, and keeping your heart strong – Good on you! However, for most of you, if you want to achieve and maintain the cardiovascular endurance goal, I strongly recommend my walking program.

Remember, improving your cardiovascular endurance for optimal golf, not only improves upon the way you play your game, but it also helps you to control your weight, and keep your heart healthy. A quality program will show you how to do this and more!

TlP: Weak joints? Swimming is a low-impact way to get your heart pumping.

 

Eat Right To Dominate Your Foursome On The Back 9

I bet you remember that popular saying “you are what you eat”? It’s true, and to strengthen that statement, I would add that “you perform what you eat”. For example, have you ever gone to a golf course and seen golfers breaking to enjoy a hot dog and pop at the turn? Does it you to discover that shortly after their fast food snack they feel terrible, and in later rounds blow up on the “back 9”? Have you ever experienced this?

Proper nutrition is so very important, not only to your game, but also to your health. You probably have seen that there is a variety of information out there on what to eat, what not to eat, how much to eat and often becomes confusing, and that is why most people give up on figuring out good eating habits, and resort to the ol’ diet plan.

First and foremost, you need to understand, that eating healthy is not as difficult as you may think. Yes, it does take some discipline, but as you become more accustomed to being aware of what to crave the nutrients it requires - and as a special bonus, you’ll feel better, stronger, and have more energy.

To begin with, you should never skip breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day, because while your body has been sleeping – believe it or not – it has been burning calories. Think about it: If you have slept for 8 hours, your body has gone without fuel for 1/3 of the day! If you don’t eat breakfast, you have left your body energy deficient. How can you possibly expect your body to perform for you when it’s running on empty, any more than a car when it has no gas?

To give proper fuel to your body, you should eat small portions throughout the day from the five essential food groups. If you are a diet fanatic, the idea of eating carbs might scare you, but when it comes down to it, besides protein, carbs is where you get most of the energy your muscles need in order to perform their best.

Therefore, when you are on the golf course, it is a good idea to bring snacks with you that you can munch on periodically throughout the game. This will help keep your body full of energy, so that it can perform at its best.

By gaining the proper nutrition knowledge you need, it allow you to make wise food choices, while maintaining a healthy weight, both on and off the course. Before you know it, you’ll be eating right and playing your best!

TIP: Dried fruits and nuts are the perfect tasty golfer’s snack for healthy energy.

 

Preventing Injuries – Like Your Lower Back

How many times have you gotten off the course and your lower back is stiff or sore? As mentioned earlier…80% of all amateurs incur a lower back injury in their golfing career. This number is extremely high and could have been prevented with the proper stretching and strengthening of your “trunk” area.

This area is your abdominals and lower back. In my opinion this is the MOST important area of the body for a golfer to improve on. Out of all the golfers I have personally worked with, most of them came to me with limited range of motion and pain in their lower backs. I can proudly say that the majority of them don’t feel their lower backs at all anymore. Not even after playing 36 holes in one day for some of them! What a great feeling to help a golfer play better, pain-free golf as they get older!

That’s what we all hope for, right? I know I would like to play painfree later in life. If you take good care of yourself, one of the beauties of golf is that it’s a game you can enjoy well into your golden years.

During my initial evaluation of a golfer, I test them on how close they can come to touching their toes without their knees bending. This will give me a good indicator of initial range of motion in the lower back and hamstrings.

If you can’t get past your knees, you’re in big trouble. If you’re one of these people I’ll bet your back is stiff and sore as we speak. If you can get down to the middle of your shins that’s better, but still not a good scenario for pain-free golf.

If you can touch your toes you’re in business! You’ll have the best chance at maintaining your golf posture throughout your swing and without undue stress on your lower back.

So what’s the solution? For starters, make a commitment to stretch those hamstrings and lower back muscles. All it takes is 5-10 minutes each day to dramatically improve your flexibility. A great stretch for your hamstrings is the Lying Hamstring Stretch with Towel:

Instructions:
• Lie on floor with legs extended
• Place towel on bottom of one foot by bending knee and pulling

it towards body
• Now try to slowly straighten leg against towel
• Stop when you feel a slight pulling sensation in back of leg
• Do not pull with towel, straighten leg against towel, upper leg

should be at a 90 degree angle at hip and remain there during stretch

 

• Hold for at least 15 seconds, repeat and switch legs

Benefit to Golf Swing:
• Help maintain posture through swing
• Decrease stress on lower back, therefore reducing potential

injury to back
• Allow for better posture in putting; improving putts made per
round
• Improve balance while in golf posture during swing, making
swing more repeatable

Other areas of the body that are commonly predisposed to injury are the wrist, shoulder, elbow and even the hips. The golf swing is very traumatic to the body. Especially if you have physical limitations. Playing in pain is not fun and can ruin your golf game for a long time. They say golf isn’t a physical game, but if you looked at the swing in slow motion, it’s amazing what the body goes through. I think it would change your opinion very quickly.

Most of these injuries would not occur if your body had an improved level of strength and flexibility - yet another very good reason to embark on a strength and conditioning program for golf.

Conclusion: Will You Become A Fitter Golfer?

As you have discovered in this mini guide Fit To A Tee, not only will conditioning for golf take your game to another level, you’ll feel like you did many years ago. Isn’t that a good enough reason to start? Think about it: As you grow older and have the opportunity to enjoy free time, wouldn’t it be nice to be able to have an improved level of fitness? Just imagine being able to wake up and participate in whatever recreational activity you desire, especially a good round of golf.

In our society it is anticipated that as people become older, a steady decline in their activity and health is a given. I believe the condition of our bodies is a reflection of the choices we make. Trust me. I know, I’ve seen it! I have personally worked with people well past age 70, who have the vigor of someone half their age. It is never too late to start! All you need is the drive (pun intended) to get you there. The choice is yours. Are you going to become another one of society’s statistics, or are you going to prove that age is only a number.

I really honestly believe fitness for golf is the missing link amateur players need in order to make their golf game that much better. After all, it’s your body that plays the game! Doesn’t it make sense that if you take care and strengthen your body, it will produce the results you want? How can you possibly go wrong with adopting a healthy lifestyle?

Without fail, I will continue my relentless mission of convincing golfers of the rewards of being fit and healthy. That’s why I developed the “Power Performance Program™” to help you achieve better drives, greater precision and lower scores, through a personalized system that’s unique for your individual situation.

Next Step

I have spent the better part of 10 years, developing golf-specific fitness programs for golfers of all ages and abilities. Through my Ultimate Golf Fitness System at Perform Better Golf, I have had the privilege of helping over 10,120 people incl