By Dr. Vince Gomez

About two years ago, I posted a two-page spread of stretching exercises for golf in Swing magazine (now Golf Digest Philippines) which was very well received. Until now, many still ask me if I have copies of these exercises so that they can include them in their daily exercise regimen to stretch out their tight, tight bodies to help their golf game. Why did they like it? I have many theories, but basically most of the readers (and my patients) said that the exercises were easy to do, they could be done in the golf course, in the cart, in the snack house, locker room, living room, bedroom, or even at work (I want THAT job!). The entire set can be done in 10 to 15 minutes and most of the body is stretched out completely. If done twice a day, even better.

The exercises are divided by area and they tell you what part gets stretched. Pull or stretch your body into the position slowly and not quickly or with a bouncing motion. Hold each position for about five seconds taking a deep breath in and out. Then move back and repeat about ten times. The whole idea is that after you stretch out, you should feel that your muscles are pulled out to length and all the tightness is gone.

What is important is that you should stretch before you play. It is best to spend 10 minutes stretching before and after you play. Stretching before you play removes all the muscle knots and starts blood circulating into quiet rested muscles. Stretching after you play clears out lactic acid, which are the waste products of exercise which cause muscles to ache or be sore the next day.

Step-by-step demos of these exercises are found in the October-November issue of Golf Digest Philippines