Keeping Busy During the Golf Off-Season

Rocky and the assistant golf pros at Mill Run
know what it takes to train like a champion

The 2012 golf season is nearly ready for hibernation, but the golf team at Mill Run Golf Club certainly isn't! Matt and Cameron are preparing to begin their off-season training schedule that includes hundreds of chin-ups, thousands of crunches and regular 6 a.m. jogging.

While we can't all train like Matt and Cam, there are a variety of ways you can improve the physical aspect of your golf game over the winter!

Firstly, rest is good. If you've been golfing multiple times a week all summer long, taking a few weeks off to rest is a valuable practice for both mind and body. After a nice break, take an hour to incorporate some golf-specific stretches or exercises into your workout routine; if you don't have a regular routine, don't worry! There are lots of simple stretches you can do from home that require no equipment at all.

The golf swing requires balance, flexibility, mobility and strength all coming together in a fluid, controlled motion. Understanding what muscles contribute the most to these different factors can help to highlight which areas to focus on when it comes to training.

The back, shoulders and hips are areas where improved flexibility will really help your game. Incorporate stretches that involve controlled twisting and resistance in the aforementioned areas. Doorway stretches are a great example of a simple technique to increase range of motion and strengthen your rotator cuff (shoulder).

Doorway Stretching

For more examples to build a small workout routine, visit the "Golf" section of the Livestrong website. They have plenty of resources!
http://www.livestrong.com/golf-exercises/

Little Known Golf Rules

Greetings from Mill Run!

Most of us know the basics of golf. We know the rules, we know the etiquette, we know how to dress. One of the neat aspects of golf is the notion of honour as it relates the rules of the game. The majority of sports see athletes competing right at the limit of the rules and perhaps even bending them when they can get away with it. Golf is different. 99% of all golf rounds include over four hours of self-refereeing and require a good measure of discipline to complete with integrity.

Nevertheless, broken rules are common to nearly every amateur golf game. Most of the time, it isn't something done with malicious intent or sneakiness, but rather a decision of convenience or to maintain the pace of play.

Are you going to walk back to the tee to re-hit the 300+ yard drive you failed to find in the deep rough?

Probably not.

Most playing groups have established their own rulebook that they follow on a day-to-day basis. It can include consensual agreements on which rules must be always honoured as well as those perhaps deemed too strict or intense for weekend golf.

Here's some interesting USGA rules or rulings you might not be aware of:

Putting in the Rain

It is illegal for a player to receive umbrella cover from a caddie or another player when putting.

10 Second Stall

Think Tiger Woods' most famous shot... If your putt arrives at the lip of the cup, you have 10 seconds to address the ball before it falls in. If it falls in after 9 seconds, good putt. If it falls in after 11 seconds, an additional stroke will be assessed even if you didn't touch it.

Don't Do the Dew

It is illegal to remove dew from your ball anywhere between the tee and green. Even if there's grass cuttings sticking to it, even if there's mud on it. There was no specific reference to any snow cleaning for us here in Canada.

Range Finders

Illegal.

Water Bunkers

You just hit your ball into the sand, wait the water... In the case of rain-filled bunkers, you are granted a free lift to a part of the bunker, no closer to the hole, that is dry. What if there's nowhere dry to drop or the ball just keeps rolling back into the water? You can take a one-stroke penalty and drop outside the bunker directly behind the original position of the ball. Unfair? Yup, tough.

Enjoy the rest of the fall golfing season!

Bunker + Water  =  No Mercy

Source URL: http://www.tampabay.com/sports/golf/article1035045.ece 

Breaking 100,90 and 80!

As the golf year is now officially underway, it is important for you to have a clear and concise idea for how you want to improve this year. Otherwise you may just end up making the same mistakes over and over and never make any progress to better golf. The big three goals most golfers face are breaking 100, 90, and then 80.

To help facilitate your improvement, below are few tips on each stage and what you should focus on to break through those barriers.

Phil in the Hall

While the Barclays in Singapore this past weekend included a great win by Martin Kaymer and a controversial sound bite from Steve Williams, it also included a PGA TOUR ballot announcement.

Phil lining up a putt

Phil will be welcomed into the the World Golf Hall of Fame in May of 2012. Mickelson earned the honour with 72% of the vote.

His record is extremely impressive, with 35 PGA TOUR wins, 3 international wins and 4 major championship wins.

Speaking at last Thursday's press conference, Phil said: "This is a really special and cool honor, and I'm excited to be part of the Hall of Fame. I'm excited to be part of the Hall of Fame that has the names of the greats of the game that I looked up idolizing and many of them that I've had a chance to compete against early in my career, and to be a part of that group is a special feeling."

We know there's still more to come from Phil, and he wants to get to 50 career wins.

Cheers to Phil from the folks at Mill Run Golf Club.

Phil looks good in green

Clubs that fit

If your clubs are more than 5 years old, it may be about time you consider switching to a set of fitted clubs. Technology has progressed to the point where golf club features are very much tailored to the specifics of the golfer using them. The lie, the length, the weight. And really, it makes sense; a golfer who is 6'2 will swing quite differently than a golfer who is 5'9, especially when they're both using the same "off the rack" set. Fitted clubs WILL take strokes off your score; this article explains more.

By Barbara Gardella

Every golfer’s swing is as unique as the golfer. There is rarely, if ever, a common swing found between golfers. From the address through the follow through, no two swings are the same. The nuances can be as simple as the height of the golfer to as in-depth as the knee flex at contact.

From beginners to professionals, it is very important to consider whether you need to get custom fit golf clubs. For the lower handicap players, a set of custom made golf clubs can help you get closer to a “scratch” golfer level. Higher handicap players should evaluate how much it is worth to them to cut some strokes off of their score with custom fit golf clubs, before they shop for clubs.

There are some distinct benefits to using a set of custom fit golf clubs. The main distinctive characteristics that affect every golfer are differing heights, addresses to the ball, weights, and multiple other distinct characteristics. When you take into consideration all of the aspects that make us distinct as golfers, and humans, you begin to understand just how important playing a set of golf clubs that are built to suit your game, specifically, can be.

The length of the golf club is one of the main factors to consider when you are thinking of getting custom fit golf clubs. You will, naturally, accommodate for a shaft length that is either too short or too long for you. However, this can be corrected with a custom fit golf club, and can also allow you to swing more comfortably rather than changing your swing to accommodate the incorrect club length.

Another of the major factors to be considered when getting custom fit clubs is the weight of and where the weight lies in the club head. Each person’s swing will benefit from weight sitting in a different area of the golf club head. If you are having trouble getting the ball in the air, it will benefit you to have the weight placed in the more rearward portions of the head. The more you move the weight towards the front, if possible depending on the club head, the lower the trajectory of the ball.

Custom fit clubs allow you to get the most out of your swing; and your equipment; and will take strokes off of your score. However, it is always important to remember that a custom fit golf club is not a remedy or replacement for practice and a strong commitment to improving your game.

Source URL: http://www-golf.us/911/advantages-of-using-custom-fitted-golf-clubs

Welcome

Mill Run Golf Club is a unique, full-service golf facility with a difference - all the amenities of a private club available to the public. Nestled into the rolling hills that surround Uxbridge Ontario, Mill Run provides both challenging and interesting golf, as well as great scenery. Subscribe to our Blog to keep up to date on club and golf information!