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
By Dr. Vince Gomez
Recently, the wrist has become the subject of some golf chatter surrounding the pro tour. For those who follow Jennifer Rosales (our own JRo) closely, they know that her wrists were the source of many problems and injuries requiring her to modify her swing to prevent injury and help her game. Michelle Wie fell while jogging and hurt her wrists. Although she was supposed to have recovered, she still couldn’t play well enough to break 80 and she had to withdraw rather than risk losing her card due to the dreaded “88” rule. And, most significantly, there was Lefty (Phil Mickelson) who hurt his wrists and has been playing dismally since.
Many of you golfers have also had your share of wrist problems. The most common complaint I get in my clinic regarding the wrist is pain after grounding the club or hitting a branch, rock or root. The pain is usually in the leading arm, in the ulnar side of the wrist. The pain is worse when the wrist is rotated or when the wrist is cocked back and carries the club. This pain can be very disabling and can make playing golf impossible. If you have a back spasm, you can still play with a corset brace. If you have an ankle sprain, you can still take the cart practically up to the ball and play it. If you have golfer’s elbow, you can still swing the club and hit the ball as long as your swing is shorter. But, the wrist? If the wrist hurts, you can’t pick up the club but if you can pick it up to swing it, you are so afraid of hitting the ground that in most cases, you flinch or drop the club. So, you can’t play and this, in many ways, makes the wrist the most important area of the body as far as playing golf is concerned. A study conducted among the top 226 American players in the PGA and the LPGA showed that 93 (24%) had left wrist problems with the right affected in only 3%.
Read More
By Dr. Vince Gomez
If golf is a good walk spoiled, can we spoil it any more by riding? In almost eveyr private club, golf carts are available to anyone who feels that the best way to enjoy a game of golf is, well, to ride. The idea is not to get too tired and conserve one’s energy for the final holes.
Some golfers feel that the way courses are laid out now
