Golfing endurance

[ITgolfHack]

I've just started playing regularly again this year and the last time I played at least once per week was about 4 years ago. Right now I'm finding that I'm getting pretty worn out halfway through the back 9.

Early September, I'm set up to play an 18 hole outing followed by 3 days in a row playing 18. I'm worried that I'll be useless the last day or even last 2 days after playing 2 18 hole rounds in a row. Anyone got any tips for building endurance between now and then other then trying to play every day?

[kafka01]

Do you walk or drive? If you walk - just go some jogging to build up some condition.

If you drive and actually get worn out - i dont want to be rude in any way - i can walk 27 holes on a hilly course and thats it - after that i´m finished - but carting around there is no way i get worn out (i literally can/do play the whole day that way) so i cant really imagine how this can physically stress you. Maybe go on the range and slowly increase the numbers of balls you hit - that should give your relevent muscles more energy

[Slim 11]

Start walking or jogging regularly. Also, when playing, make sure you stay hydrated and have some power bars or something (banana, whatever) to fuel up during the round. A hot dog and beer at the turn won't do it. I am speaking from experience.

[mruseless]

Same question that was asked earlier: do you walk or ride?

Plus another question: what do you eat and drink, and how often?

Food and drink are extremely important, and can make or break a round.

Please give us a description of what kind of food you eat before and during the round, and what you drink, and how often.

[GaijinGolfer]

My advice would be to start exercising regularly (a 30 minute walk each day is fine) and make sure that you eating enough and staying hydrated.

[ks8829]

Start simply walking everyday and you will notice your endurance and leg muscle will build up gradually. Make sure you are drinking and eating during the round as well.

Pretty soon you back nine will be your strong nine holes.

Make sure you stretch before and after your round of golf also to stay loose.

[egeub]

Do some light jogging 4-5 times a week for a duration of 25-30 minutes, if you aren't up for jogging, then walk 6-7 times a week for 30-45 minutes. After two weeks try to increase the duration by 10 minutes.

Drink plenty of water in the hours leading up to your jog/walk and plenty of water afterwards, a gatorade wouldn't be a bad idea either (...perhaps a Tiger Gatorade???)

Make sure you stretch out your legs before and after the jog/walk, this is a step many people leave out, but it's the easiest way to prevent any sort of injuries.

Get 3 well balanced meals each day, with some light snacks thrown in there if you want. Drink a little water after each hole, and the have like a gatorade and a powerbar at the turn.

Getting plenty of sleep is an easy way to give yourself some extra energy during the day.

I hope that helps and good luck!!!

[Ben]

A couple have already hit on this, but just to reiterate, eat!

For a tournament round, to start my day I'll have a protein shake (with milk) and a couple of hard boiled eggs. I'll have water or a Vitamin Water close by as well. And sometimes a banana at the turn. I also always have a bag of raw almonds with me and munch on a few every other hole or so.

[ITgolfHack]

Sorry to get back to this so late, I had a busy weekend. I should have made it clearer, it's not that I get tired and can't move around, it's just my arms and core muscles start to feel like lead and don't want to get it done any more. I start hitting some really bad fat shots, my slice comes back, and keeping the tension out of my swing becomes much harder for some reason. A big part of it may have to do with the fact that I’m terrible and end up hitting a lot more shots in a round then a better golfer would. Overall, I'm in pretty good shape and could easily walk or jog several miles without collapsing.

I think I'm past the problem or almost passed it.

I played last Monday, 9 holes subbing on my dad's league.

I played 18 holes twilight on Friday and practiced with my net for 4 hours on Saturday.

Finally, I played 18 holes Sunday morning on a very tough course (at least for me) and another 16 holes that same afternoon on a much easier course while shooting the best score of my life for the first 9 holes on the easier course.

It was only during the last few holes as the sun was going down that I started to feel that familiar leaden feeling in my arms, I hit some fat shots, and just like magic my slice reappeared. By the time the outing comes around, 72 holes over 4 days should be a breeze.

EDIT: Definatly going to take the eating suggestions to heart, I'll need every edge I can get over some of these guys!

[jking]

I think it's also worth noting how snacking and keeping hydrated during the round will help your mental game as well. I always found myself getting not only physically tired but mentally tired by the 14th hole. For the past couple of weeks I've been taking a cooler full of Gatorade and water, along with a bag full of snacks like almonds, powerbars or bananas with me to the course, and I can definitely feel the difference in my focus on the last few holes.

[N.V.M.]

try this . you can buy them at a lot of corner stores, gas station stores, etc.

it's not a caffeine based energy drink, like Red Bull. just shoot one down just before your round, it works.bananas are great for energy too,throw a couple into you're bag. and yeah, drink lots of water, even if you're not thirsty. usually, if you're thirsty, it's too late.

[Klean]

Do you smoke? I'm a smoker in relatively good shape and even I get worn out on the back 9 if I have a smoke during the round. So when possible, I keep my smoking to the last 2-4 holes.

Heat also plays a factor. If it's cold weather, I could go on for the full day. But anything above 95 and it starts to take a toll on me.

[Lefty39]

Don't be like me I'm so burned out. I played 18 today and on the front nine I felt like myself hitting good shots. Then on the back my neck was hurting so bad I could hardly carry my bag, and I didn't even finished the last hole.

[DJYoshi]

I work out 4 - 5 days a week. Ever since I started working out, my game has gotten so much better. The key things that we focus on during my workouts for golf are:

shoulders (both strength training & fast twitch movement)
legs (running, steep walking, stairmaster combo to warm up)
squats (front, rear). walking lunges, dead lift, leg extension, leg curls, jump squats
Rotator cuff strengthening (b/c I have a partially torn r.c. in my right shoulder)
core training - abs abs abs

more cardio followed by a 30 minute stretch session (best part of the day if you ask me)

i'd say if you're getting overall tired, then just try 30 minutes of power walking each day. w/ a light routine of plyometrics. why plyometrics?
They teach your body to use the muscles for fast & "explosive" power, but the best part is you don't gain any bulk that could hinder your swing.

You can do simple stuff like, jump squats, push ups, diamond pushups,
shoulder sword pulls (great for helping you with a good finish to your swing), reverse sword pulls (really helps to keep your shoulders balanced during the entire swing when your body will be at its peak in going after the ball)
rotator raises upward & then outward (I gained a good 10 yards off the drive this year by heavily working on my rotator cuff and back flexibility)

If you need more help, I'd be happy to ask my trainer to pump out specifics for what's ailing you during and after the round..
remember the most important thing after the round is STRETCHING & protein intake.