Acuna

I am also a new golfer and cannot emphasize enough how important stretching is for me. I had a similar, albeit less sever from your description, rib injury after hitting a few fat shots on a mat. It was about a week before I got better. About two months after that I went to the range and started swinging without stretching. Before long I had another sore rib. The pain never got above a 1-2, but it was always there. Taking it easy seemed to work and I was back to normal in about ten days. I have been fine since then. Good luck on your recovery!

Oh I am having fun and enjoying the process. I do want to get better (started five months ago).

Sadly, mine is legit.

Yesterday I shot a 107, which is pretty bad. I got sucked into honey do hell the day before and was pretty sore, especially my back, and just wasn't making good swings for the most part. My 3W off the tee was slicing like a driver and that is normally a straight shot for me. I also fatted a good number of shots, which makes sense due to my back. If I don't make a good body turn I hit way behind the ball, and something bad will happen.... Specifically, ther were three OB penalties on the back nine and several crappy shots that undid me. I also was about a foot short on several longer putts that had the perfect line.... So close to breaking 100, and yet so seemingly far away. I'll ge there sooner or later!!!

BOOM! I wonder how Freddie is feeling right now.

Yep. Tree limbs are pretty long odds, in my short experience with this game. I am playing 18 on Sunday. I hope to play smarter.

Agree 100%, it was smooth terrain and clear to the green. I just needed it to get it out there. Plus it is August in Texas and if you get off the fairway the ground can be more like concrete sometimes....

CANNOT be overestimated. I have been working on ball striking so much I figured it would be much easier when I started hitting the ball consistently better, and I am doing that now, but my score isn't changing much. I was thinking about my crappy 9 hole outing the morning (shot a 59) and I realized that every bad "blow up" hole started with me taking a shot that I knew I should not have tried to make . For example, hitting under a canopy of trees to a green about 75 yards away, I knew if I hit my sand wedge it would get caught up in the limbs overhead, but thought "They aren't that big, you can do it." Wrong. Yep, sure did hit those limbs and they kicked my ball back behind where I started. I would have been much better off running that ball onto the green with a five iron way back in my stance. It really was all about trying to get me around trees today. Had I played smarter shots wit respect to those trees I bet I could have saved myself 5-10 strokes. If you also take away the three OB penalties I had and I am shooting mid forties. Damn.

All I know is I absolutely, positively HATE hitting off mats. It seems every other time I do it I end up getting banged up from a funky swing. Good grass, cold drinks, friendly staff, and clean facilities goes a long way. Oh and decent range balls.

Sign them up for intensive before and after school coaching during the week and all day sessions on Saturday, get the best pro you can afford and have him or her hyper-analyze every aspect of their swing. Demand progress each and every day, with little reinforcement other than "You'll thank me when you're 30." I kid, I kid (no pun intended). Keep it light, keep it fun, and if you are dealing with younger kids, keep the outings short- you don't want them getting bored.

Ran two and a half miles at 7min/mile pace then did a couple sets of shoulder and arm workouts and some balance exercises. Tried to get about 45 minutes of work in (including 15 minutes of super slow motion swing drills before I ran).

What happened? Rickie/Dickie Fowler is playing my kind of golf- opening with two double bogies!

You lose what you don't use

Man, this thread makes me wish I took up golf when I was younger. I am 35 and started playing this past April. Sounds like I could start to lose distance as soon as I gain it.

To each their own on whether to tip or not. Tipping will exist regardless of what people are paid. FWIW, I always tip the beer cart girl.

I like being outside. I like the challenge. Oh and the feeling of hitting a pure golf shot every once in awhile resonates with my soul and keeps me coming back for more.

I am new to golf, but from an outsider looking in, there sure does seem to be a lot of snake oil in the golf training aid market. I am sure all of it has its purpose at some point, but in the end my philosophy (as a new golfer) was get instruction at the beginning to build a solid foundation of swing mechanics and then practice, practice, practice. The lessons I took once a week when starting to play golf earlier this year were key. That said, I did buy a device called a Swing Advantage. While I do not think that it is necessarily the end all be all swing training aid, I have found it to be excellent for working out my core. It has also helped me use more of my body and not just my arms to try and swing the club. No affiliation with the company, I just bought one of its products.

Hate to hear it. A pitching wedge and a BirdieBall or Almost Golf Ball or some other practice ball and your neighborhood park should keep your swing sharp. FWIW, while I don't have money problems, I have time problems (self employed with a wife who enjoys being around me and two very young children). I don't get to play a lot of rounds (2-4 times a month), but I do a lot of practice behind my house and I find it very rewarding and enjoyable. Make some sort of game or challenge for yourself and get after it. Best of luck to you.

I take a lot of (divot-less) practice swings. I also have left a heck of a lot of wedges by the green. Putting them on the flag while putting has cured that problem for the most part.

Most excellent, and definitely worth bragging about!

I am working on my 7-5 irons lately. My scoring irons and wedges have been fairly good for me, especially the wedges (56, 60). For me, it is about trying to make contact and not trying to hit the ball so hard. When I swing with a good tempo, good things happen. When I try to really get after it I tend to "spin out" and slice the #(&%@ out of it. My mantra lately: I am trying to hit the ball better, not farther.

Today was an off day. I don't know if I would call it exercise but today I did: 20 minutes of slow motion drills on my full swing, 15 minutes of putting, 5 minutes of stretching. Tomorrow I will do: 15 minutes of core, followed by a three mile run at approximately 7:30-8:00 min/mile, then some light (high rep, low weight) arm/shoulder workouts with dumbbells.

Sit ups or planks if you have back issues are good for the core. I have also done some exercises with a dumbbell where I hold it out and rotate my body while keeping my head facing forward. Most core exercises also seem to help with posture. If you do a web search for longer drive workouts (or something like that) there are a lot of articles about workouts for golf that strengthen the core. I also like using resistance bands when working on my core.

LOL and I agree!! I am already pretty driven (I have a bit of a competitive streak) and work on my game every day. I have a goal to be less than a 15 handicap within 2 years. My current handicap after 11 rounds of golf in my life is (...shuddering...) 34. Yes, I know it is awful. But I am getting better and I believe I can reach my goal. Below is a typical training week schedule. I have a 6 month old and 4 year old daughters, so it is hard for me to take big blocks of time for a full round of golf. As much as I love golf, I love them more. The morning work outs are done early before the kids get up. The evening stuff is done on the way home from work or after dinner. In addition to what you see below, I usually have a sprinkling (1-3 times per week) of playing the hole behind my house (par 5) or playing what the neighbors and I call "the short course", which is the par 5 and the following two holes (both par 4). The Short Course makes an approximate triangle and you basically end up where you start. It is fun to get about 40 minutes of golf in at the end of the day. My oldest daughter usually likes to join me on my evening jaunts to the course. I am usually playing with someone and they have their kids with them too. Monday Morning: 2-4 mile run, 25 minutes of core/leg workouts, 10 minutes of slow motion drills Monday Evening: 20-30 minutes of putting practice Tuesday Morning: 30 minutes of slow motion drills, 10 minutes of lag putting practice Tuesday Evening: Chipping/Pitching/Wedge Practice Wednesday Morning: 2-4 mile run, 20 minutes of core Wednesday Evening: Short and mid irons at the range, 15 minutes of slow motion drills or putting practice before bed Thursday Morning: 15 minutes of slow motion drills, 20 minutes of putting Thursday Evening: Mid and long irons, 3 wood and driver Friday Morning: Play nine holes (if I can), otherwise 1 hour on the range before work Friday Evening: Off, maybe play the par 5 behind the house.... Saturday Morning: 3-5 mile run, core depends on how far I've run Saturday Evening: Nothing Sunday Morning: 15 minutes of core, 10 minutes of slow motion drills Sunday Afternoon: Play 18 holes (If I can get a hall pass)