The course is looking better and .. a little news.

Well, the weather is getting better (warmer and a "little" dryer), so now everyone is dusting off the clubs and venturing back to the course. I'm getting more requests for lessons and the tournament season is gearing up. I'll be rather busy in the next several months with many tournaments happening at Fox Run GC (Barksdale AFB). This is where "a little news" comes in. I've been asked to assume the position of Director of Instruction and Director of Tournaments for Fox Run and I think it will be a wonderful opportunity to help this wonderful course be even better. I'm hitting the ground running with many tournaments coming up in April and May, the biggest being our annual "Customer Appreciation" tournament on April 30, 2010.

I'm having a great time with some of my current students and watching them improve. With time they should really be enjoying their "new" swing and so far I see some wonderful improvement in their swings.

As people drag their clubs out for the first trips around the course let's hope they don't forget to work on their stretching routine also. Many golf related sports injuries occur due to lack of proper stretching before taking full swings. In fact many swing faults can also be attributed to "range of motion" issues involving the shoulders (deltoids, trapezia, etc) and hips (flexors, abductors, etc). I encourage my students to check with their physician if they have ANY range of motion restrictions for whatever reason. I know I have several medical conditions that require me to pay extra attention to stretching before playing golf and I'm sure that most people also have some limitations that they need to think about also. Your doctor and physical therapist or kinesiologist can recommend a proper stretching regimen for your particular situation but please don't think that you can simply "take a few hard practice swings" and you'll be good to go. It's NOT that simple, I know from experience.

So, until next time, arrive a few minutes early and take the time to stretch your body BEFORE you stretch things too far.

Gary