The winter is long, which means there are only so many daylight hours to spend out on the course this weekend. And what happens when it’s raining or snowing? You may not be able to spend your every free moment actually golfing this winter, but that doesn’t mean you can’t think about golf 24/7. [Read more…]
3 Reasons To Work Less And Play Golf More
As golfers, any chance we can take to spend some time on the course, however short it may be, is precious. Whether it’s working a 9-5 or coming home to a busy family, most of us live busy lives. For us, the golf course is a relaxing getaway. It’s the pièce de résistance of our daily grind. But for those that do work all day and family all night, finding that time can be difficult, and in some cases seemingly impossible. The most avid of golfers can go weeks at a time without making it to the course. That’s just not right!
So, how do we do it? How do we find the time in our busy schedules to sneak out a few hours in the week to hit the range, or dare I say, play a few holes? Skip out on work! No, I’m not telling you to forgo your work responsibilities in favor of playing golf (although that does sound enticing). Below I provide three reasons why playing more golf can actually make you perform better at work, and how you can play more during the week.
Relationship Building
You go to work everyday. See the same people. Do the same things. Go home, and repeat. It can get a bit monotonous. Little did you know that Ralph from Marketing and Matt from Sales both love to golf but just can’t find the time to play. What do you do? You march right into your boss’s office and ask if he wants to play golf on Friday with you and the boys. What’s he going to say? “You know Steve, we’ve had a good week. Let’s play!”
If you are so lucky, a day out with your co-workers can bring a whole new perspective to your working relationships with them. For better or worse, you can learn a lot from people on the course. Not so lucky to get out on a Friday? Set up a weekend tee-time with your co-workers. Keep it fun and casual and soon enough your boss will be asking YOU to skip work to play a round mid-week.
More Efficient Workplace
Once you have your weekly work foursome on the books, you’ll need to make sure you get all of your work done so that your performance doesn’t drop. Sounds easier said than done, but here are a few tips to help you stay ahead of the game:
- Limit Meetings: Meetings are great, but keep them short and to the point. No one likes an hour meeting that would have sufficed with a quick email.
- Weekend Work: Do some pre-week planning on Saturday or Sunday. Nothing big here, but going into the week with some keep action items will get your Monday’s off to a good start.
- 4-Day Work Week: This isn’t possible for most people, but if it is, for the sake of your golf game DO IT! You’ll work a little longer and harder Monday through Thursday, but having Fridays to your leasure will prove key to your flexibility to play more golf.
These will help you be more efficient on the job and your boss WILL notice.
Workplace Detox
We all love our jobs and love being at work. Okay, maybe not all of us. But, I swear we do here at Daily Birdie! In all seriousness, workplaces can be an ultra-stress environment. Whether it’s project deadlines, product launches or monthly sales quotas, this stress can really take it out on you (my grey hair doesn’t lie). Any good boss knows when the troops have been working hard and are in need of a little workplace detox. So, whether you’re the boss or the employee, next time your company is planning a team building exercise, propose a trip to the range. I normally don’t recommend this, but head out to the range and swing for the fences. Let out all of your work stress, one ball at a time. You’ll be relaxed in no time and you’ll be heading back into the office on cloud nine.
We think it’s clear. Playing more golf, and getting your mind off of work, even for short while, can be beneficial to your job and your work relationships. Just make sure your boss thinks so too! Cheers to more Fridays on the course instead of in the office!
Play well!
Strengthen Your Golf Muscles With These 4 Workouts
How important is physical fitness to the success of your golf game? Let’s just say that good technique, expensive equipment and dumb luck can only get you so far. In the end, if you want to drive it like D.J., you’ve got to get your fitness game on point. The main goal of a golf-minded fitness program is to make you a better player, but that overall ambition can be broken down into smaller branches.
Greater cardiovascular fitness, for instance, can keep fatigue-driven mistakes at bay when some golfers’ form starts to break down on the back nine. Better core strength and twisting flexibility will give your drive the added power you’ve been searching for. Overall, keeping your muscular system in good form helps to prevent the overuse injuries and pain so many avid golfers are subject to. If these benefits sound appealing, try including these four proven golf exercises into your practice routine.
1. Resistance Band Steps
Wrapping a resistance band around your ankles, keep your knees slightly bent and your back straight. Take ten small steps forward, ten small steps in reverse, ten small steps to the right, and ten small steps to the left. That’s one set. Performing the move in all four directions will hit those elusive hips muscles, and nearly every leg muscle your golf swing will need. Your legs and glutes are the base for every stroke you take on the course, and you want them to feel strong and stable.
2. Bridge Pose/Pelvic Lifts
This is traditionally a glute-strengthening yoga move, but chances are you’ll even remember this move as “pelvic lifts” from gym class. Lie down on your back with your hands by your sides, and bend your knees. Keeping your feet hip-width and parallel, focus on feeling the squeeze in your glutes when your lift your hips up until they’re about parallel with your knees. Hold for one breath then release down. Repeat ten times for a set. Make sure to keep your knees from pointing out as you push up.
3. Arm & Elbow Planks
For an exercise that is considered one of the best core moves out there, the name may sound like a misnomer. Arm and elbow planks are very similar exercises, so if you have a penchant for one, feel free to stick to that one. But since each pose highlights a slightly different muscle group in the chest, arms, shoulders, and core, why not try both?
- Forearm Plank: Start in the up-position of a push up: make sure your neck, shoulders, and elbows are slightly loose and unlocked, and that your butt isn’t sticking way up in the air. Basically, your body should look like one straight line from the side. Then, staying strong and loose, hold for 30 seconds then lower and rest. Repeat a few times, eventually leading up to holding each plank for two minutes at a time.
- Elbow Planks: Similar to the forearm plank, only you’re supporting yourself with your elbows and forearms on the floor, instead of just your hands. Make sure to stack elbows directly under your shoulders to maintain good form. Same here, hold for 30 seconds then lower and rest.
4. Superman Pose
Lie facedown on a mat or blanket on the floor. Put your arms up in front of you, as if you were Superman flying into battle. As you take a slow breath in, lift every part of your body up that you can. That means keeping your stomach and pelvis on the ground, but lifting your legs, chest, head, and arms. Hold this position through one round of slow breaths and release on the out breath. Repeat a few times according to your comfort level. This should feel hard, but not straining. Try to keep your neck in alignment, and not craned up when you lift. This could mean looking slightly down, instead of forward.
Disclaimer:
Seeking advice from a professional is always recommended before starting a new fitness program if you have concerns about the condition of your health. The exercises here are compiled as the result of research, but do not take the place of medical advice.
Have a workout that helps your golf game? Tell us about it down in the comments below!
How To Use A Ball Mark
Marking your ball on the green is a pretty standard practice to most golfers. However, not all players are marking properly. And in some cases, golfers aren’t marking their balls at all. Now, I’ll be the first to tell you that it’s not always necessary to mark your ball — especially when your ball is not in line-of-sight of the player currently putting. But, with golf being the gentlemen’s game that it is, it’s common courtesy to mark your ball whenever it may distract or impede another player’s putt. [Read more…]
WATCH: Golfing On Ice FAIL
This video of a golfer attempting to hit his ball off the ice has been sweeping the internet. It has golfers and non-golfers alike rolling on the floor laughing! It brings a whole new meaning to “play it as it lies.” [Read more…]
Should You Putt Or Chip When Just Off The Green?
When it comes to amateur players, this is one of the age-old questions out there. When you are on the short grass around the green, you have the choice to either chip it or putt it. This is a debate that many players struggle with. They tend to go back in forth between the two options, depending on how they are feeling at that moment in time. [Read more…]
10 Best Places To Golf In Georgia
The golf season unofficially begins each year in gorgeous Augusta, Georgia at The Masters. With the birds chirping and azaleas in full bloom, the sights, smells and sounds of spring mean it’s a new season for golf fans across the United States. The competition isn’t half bad, either. [Read more…]
4 Tips To Help You Play Better In The Rain
Are you a golf addict? Then you’ve probably played in the rain before. What’s a little moisture in the face of a great game, right? Golf is famous for being a sport that prompts some obsessive behavior in its aficionados. So unless there’s a hurricane brewing and they’ve been kicked off the course in order to prevent damage to the grass, it’s not uncommon to see golfers galore tough it out in the wind and rain. [Read more…]
7 Ways To Avoid Skin Cancer On The Course
Did you know that the majority of people diagnosed with skin cancer melanoma are white men over the age of 50? Think skin cancer and skin damage are a necessary occupational hazard of the pro or avid golfer? You’re half-right, in that exposure to the sun is compulsory if you want to get out on the golf course and compete — or even if you just want to play the occasional weekend game. [Read more…]
5 Ways To Golf On A Budget
Increasing golf’s popularity has been a key goal of the entire industry for much of the past decade. Surveys and studies show that the main deterrents in golf are that it takes too long to play and that it is too expensive. The USGA and the R&A have pledged to do something about pace-of-play and explore ways to speed up the game. But, what about the costs? [Read more…]