Golf and Yoga

Does anyone out there in the Sandtrap Land do any yoga/pilates etc to help their strength and flexibility? I used to do a lot of yoga to help my cycling (when I was a cyclist) and was thinking that the same benefits could be gained for golf. Yoga helps to build core strength and increase your range of motion. These two things alone would help your golf.

Antoher benefit of yoga is that it helps teach you how to reamin relaxed in any circumstance, this has to be a benefit on the golf course!

Any thoughts?

BigDog

I think yoga and pilates would both be benificial given the core exercises involved. I saw an interesting thing the other day prior to my round, a older guy was doing a spot of Tai Chai prior to teeing off!

Well, I'm not sure exactly

how effective it would be, but any form of improvement is improvement. The actual shape you're in is one thing you can change about your golf game and performance...and doing yoga, certainly for the core exercises, could indirectly improve your game. I started strength training along with a lot of cardio about two weeks ago, and I can see the results myself - many, many yards longer, not so tired after 18 holes, and so on. Any improvement is improvement, I say, and however you get there is fair game. As to the old guy doing Tai Chi...the only thing I do before teeing off is hitting a few drivers to loosen up. I get around the pressure simply by not taking the game seriously. (Not taking stuff seriously is at some times a benefit and other times an awful vice...)

Yoga and stretching poses (with correct form) really helps my flexibility in my core and shoulder turn...even breathing properly in yoga helps translates to less tension in my swing. I've just started taking yoga classes (6 months ago) and some of the most improvement I've seen is in my balance through the swing.

I'd recommend it along with boxing classes for cardio...

Boxing AMG, that is something I have never thought of. Thinking about it I can definitely see the benefits. I run and ride for my cardio, along with a little swimming. Can't let myself get the golfer's gut!

BigDog

This thread hasn't been commented on in years.  But it is a question I have: my wife has been doing yoga on and off for years, and she recently took up golf.  She said there are many exercises (if that is the term used in yoga) that I would benefit from that directly impact core and strength.

I've been swinging the clubs again and taking lessons for a month after an insanely long layoff, and have realized much more convincingly through watching myself on the video monitors that I must shed some pounds and build back strength if I am ever going to enjoy golf like I used to.  It's been a bit of an epiphany and now I am leaning towards taking yoga (she recommended I stay away from the in-your-face/drill instructor type) to see what happens.

I'm in my 40s and in addition to not keeping myself in peak performance, my knee joints have deteriorated.  The doc said I should get back on my mountain bike for that.

Anyone have any experiences with yoga?

Just started a class in "strength yoga" once a week. It is a very hard workout and I can oly imagine it will help my swing. My right hip has been very tight since high school -- nearly 40 years. It has to get better if I keep this up. Balance has to get better from this class too. I am shocked how hard the workouts are beyond my lack of flexibility. Muscle hard. If you walk by the room, it looks like we are just posing. How hard can that be? Well, I do weights twice a week and cardio twice a week, and this class is kicking my butt.

My 73 year old golf buddy swears by yoga helping him maintain his golf distance and stamina.

I do yoga twice a week, on Mondays & Thursdays, a 'Hatha All Levels' class. I totally and completely recommend it for, well, anyone, but especially golfers.

And not just for the surface-level benefits of increased flexibility, but it's just an awesome way to spend an hour. In our class, everything is optional, thus the 'all levels' title. Whenever we do a position, our instructor gives us options - "If you're advanced in your practice try binding your arm", for example. But no pressure at all. Just do what you can.

Results? I just shot a 72 on Saturday, and earlier this year I shot back-to-back 71s. My handicap is down to 5.1, the lowest in about 5 years. Yoga has definitely helped, as it doesn't take me a few holes to loosen up anymore. I'm good to go on the first tee.

Golf is all about balance and flexibility, so if there is one activity that's perfectly suited, it has to be Yoga. I have been wanting to take Yoga classes for years now. Plus, girls in yoga tights...crap, if I do take classes my wife will probably be joining me...

A good rule of thumb is that anyone with a 20 year old 3-wood should be looking only at the women and not the girls. :)

The ladies in tights are a nice benefit for the yoga class. As is having my wife on the matt next to me. :) It is very emasculating to have to pause because the routine is too hard -- even with the alternate pose options -- when these little skinny women can keep going. It's just another plank. How hard can it be?

The ladies in my class call me Token Yoga Dude. I was the only guy there until about a month ago. Now I gotta share them all with Leonard.

http://serenitynowyogacorp.com/

Thanks Rusty for reminding me how old I am. Yes, my 3-wood is probably older than most of the girls I that would be in my class (at the local university).

I actually know the plank. A girl I used to know showed it to me, and I do it when my back gets creaky. It looks so easy but it's a tough pose.

I tend to use modified.

Yeah I do the P90X yoga routine here and there. Also there is a Yoga for Golfers DVD set. The P90X one is hard, and you can find it on Youtube.

You guys that do Yoga, what are the biggest benefits?  Have you seen a noticeable change in posture, back rotation, hip rotation etc.?

There is nothing quite like "yoga strong" for lack of a better way of putting it.

1. Flexibility. I can stand up, right now & without stretching, and touch my toes. I'm 53.

2. Physical strength. That plank pose? Try it. Try to hold it for 10 seconds. Try to hold a downward dog for 30 seconds without hyperventilating. Which leads to the next benefit -

3. Breathing. Don't laugh! Everyone does it, but few do it correctly. Yoga emphasizes in & out thru the nose, which 'regulates' your breathing; it keeps you from over-exerting, cuz when you do, you start to breathe thru the mouth. If you get to that point, stop, take Child's Pose & get your breath back. How this helps in golf is in tight situations - breathe...slowly thru the nose. Child's Pose:

4. Mind/mental strength. This is the unsung benefit of yoga. It emphasizes staying in the moment - there's no 'what to do when I leave' or how your day was. It's you & your mat. Stay in the now.

5. Self-love. Get your mind out of the gutter. Use self-respect if that helps. But what I mean is, yoga is about blocking off time for you & you only to make yourself better.

Now, your question was more specific to golf swing effects, and to that I would say that it has loosened my swing up which has allwoed me to really get thru the ball at impact. My big swing flaw has always been starting the downswing too quickly before setting everything at the top. Due to yoga & a bit of mental discipline to finish my backswing, I can really fire my core thru the ball & let the arms lag behind, as it needs to be in my swing or I smother-hook the shot.

Namaste!

Well with those benefits, I have to say I'll give it a try.  I'm a member at LA Fitness and they do group yoga classes--is the gym class setting where you do your yoga?  Is there a book out there that you recommend for a (super) beginner?

I go to the gym 5-6x week, mostly doing cardio & light weights/high rep stuff.  I'm always open to trying new stuff to enhance the golf game through fitness, and if it means stumbling my way through a few beginner yoga classes, count me in.  Yoga has always been something i've been curious about, but never tried.  Guess this coming week I'll give it a go.