Please check out our inaugural GolfDash Newsletter. Content includes Member Benefits, Featured Site, Coming Soon, Sneak peak, 19th Hole and Special Offer. Check it out here: December GolfDash Newsletter and let us know what you think.
Curious out there how many folks practice some type of alternative exercise to increase your golf swing power. By this I mean aikido, chi gong, tai chi, etc. I practice aikido so I have some direct experience. It is a type of "power" that you develop over time. One of the keys in any of these disicplines is, of course, you have to practice it but it very much has to do with working on a way to relax your body so you have "effortless" power. I have glimpsed this only a few times in the last couple years and if I had the chance to play a bit more would pursue this adamently. I was actually testing some exercises from Ken Cohen's book, The Ways of QiGong, and did a number of standing postures. Just standing (although in a certain way)and letting your energy or "chi" sink to your center or "hara." It is VERY difficult to just stand for say 20-30 minutes but when I was practicing semi-regularly and played golf I would have that feeling of power coming from my center (hips) and not from the top (which is what I usually do) with a totally relaxed, (almost felt like I did not have a club in my hand) full swing. I easily gained about 20-30 yards. It was almost magical. However, it was VERY fleeting. But I often think back and wonder about how I could tap into this "hidden" power source more often.
Of all the golf books I own, Getting Up and Down, by Tom Watson, has the most wear and tear, the most coffee stains and (dare I say) the most used. Why this is so is something I have, honestly, never given much thought but I believe it has to do with it's simplicity and directness. The short game, as we all know, can be one of the squirreliest parts of the game due to the myriad of lies and obstacles (sand, water, deep rough, short rough) one has to consider and negotiate. What I think makes, Getting Up and Down so unique is it's simple focus on these challenges. Like to get out of thick rough around the green Watson recommends picking the club straight up and straight down (obviously lessening the grass/clubface contact) - but when I first read this tip many moons ago it didn't really shock me or surprise me (I mean it is JUST a tip) but when out on the course trying the technique it felt completely odd, counter-intuitive and scary. The first time I attempted it (in competition no less)the ball came out high and fluffy and dropped like a feather inches from the pin ;-) The short game demands all sorts of precise club positions, angles, swings that it is truly a science. In my humble opinion it is a must have golf book for your collection and will hopefully bring you years of short game satisfaction. And if budget is a concern, head over to Amazon where used copies start at 95 cents!
Some (possibly) little known facts about East Lake Golf Club, host to this years Tour Championship in Atlanata, GA.
