SupHer Power Golf Warm-Ups On the Go

Patty Berg clinic, with Dave Marsh Wilson Rep, Mickey Mantle NY Yankees, and Johnie Stapp, PGA pro,Miami, Ok. Country Club  c 1956

As the daughter of a Professional golfer, growing up in the fifties and sixties the idea of physical stretching before teeing of was unheard of, with the exception of Patty Berg, who visited our Miami Country Club in the 1950's as a Wilson Club representative. She concentrated on helping women play golf with the sole purpose of seeing women 'invade the fairways.' 

Long before Miguel Angel Jimenez's hip movement stretches made the sports news, Patty danced and stretched, all the while talking to the crowd about golf, about sports, about travels, anything to make us laugh and love her even more. Her dance type moves allowed her body to maintain the fluidity needed to swing for the crowd. So rather than do precise stretches to stay loose, she moved her body and limbs repeatedly, allowing her play amazing golf.

Patty Berg, Early Professional Years

The last few Friday evenings during our Covid 19 stay home stay safe season of life, I have been fortunate to join the Virtual Play Day golf clinics given by SupHer Power Golf for Women.

April Kenyon, Dr. Beth Brown, Coach Nancy McDaniel

My golfer's mind and body have benefited from each program, and perhaps mentally benefited the most from the much needed pre-game warm-up routine that Nancy McDaniel offers each week at the beginning of an episode.  Without being physically and mentally prepared to play golf we often set ourselves up for failure until our bodies begin to sync with the rhythm of the golf swing.

The first clinic when I heard Coach Nancy (Hall of Fame Women's Coach for Cal Berkeley) describe the urgent need to stretch before jogging to the first tee with barely in time to tee off, I laughed and thought to myself, “That might just be what I need.” The mental connection she gave me was to give myself the grace to play the first few holes at 85%, to lighten up on myself. By incorporating these suggested quick stretches the back can loosen up, allowing each of us to swing with less stress on our muscles.

Coach Nancy, twisting the upper torso.

We have all been guilty of arriving for our tee times with minutes to throw the clubs on the cart and head off to the first tee. Here is what Nancy suggests:

    * Before leaving the space of the car, inside or out, close off all communication with the outside work/family world.  Take a deep inhale pushing the belly muscles out like an inner tube, being sure to keep the shoulders heavy and low beneath the ears. Once helps, but 2-3 times is better. 

     *Jog slightly or take giant steps to the cart, gathering area, or first tee. Get the blood to flow, and give yourself the gift of the warm up stretches.

   

Hayden stretching her wrists after working
on her computer all day for her college
classes. 

     *If putting is a weakness or concern because of tension in the upper body, then begin with neck circles, wrists and arm flexes being sure to use the core muscles to hold the balance. This helps to release tension of the day and to alleviate golfers/tennis elbow. 

Coach Nancy hip/piriformis stretch.

     *On the tee box or as the group gathers to hand out scorecards, explain that you can talk and listen while stretching. Then pick a routine for stretching that fits your body's needs, such as starting at the top down.  As for me, I often begin (in the middle) with the piriformis stretch (think letter 4). My hips and hamstrings are tight. This stretch I can do near the golf cart holding on for balance, if I am running that late. Then I continue down the legs with the hamstring stretch and end with some kind of arm or core body twist.  



     *Overall movement might begin with top rotation and work downwards. 

Hayden Meiser, OBU Girls Golf Team

Leg swing back and forth. 

For instance, stand on one leg using something for balance and swing the free leg back and forth. This loosens the hips. Then begin to engage the torso with various twists.

Hayden stretching inner thigh allowing
greater rotation. 

   








  *Make sure to perform one to three squats to activate the glutes. It doesn’t require a rotation of 10x10x10. Simply start in a golfer’s stance then release arms into a squat, hold for a couple of seconds and repeat. This is not the gym, it is stretching on the go.   

Coach Nancy McDaniel in the
squat position using a club
for balance. 

   *To help with balance and swing movement place your hands across the chest, with a golfers stance and posture swing the body back and through. It is important to finish with ‘spikes up’ and body in balance.

    *If you cannot finish a top to bottom round of stretches before teeing off, then step off the golf cart when others are hitting their next shot, and stretch at every opportunity, until you feel free to swing through to the target, 'spikes up' as Nancy calls it. 

  

'Spikes up' helps with the follow through. 

Remember to modify as needed for your body's needs, abilities, or aches/pains, and to provide your body with plenty of water. The brain is more responsive when it is nursed by water rather than drained, feeling dehydrated, and unable to think.

The first time you hit a great shot, sink a putt, or chip like a pro, do the Patty Berg dance of celebration to anchor the greatness of the moment and to continue to keep the body vibrant and loose.


***For more information on SupHer Power Golf for Women please contact one of the following team members:

April Kenyon <april@supHerpowergolf.com
Nancy McDaniel <nancy@supHerpowergolf.com
Beth Brown <beth@supHerpowergolf.com

SupHer Power Golf for Women This is the Landing Page for future courses and events provided by SupHer Power Golf. 

For other golf tips/ health tips click on the links below:

Finding Balance

SupHer Power Golf




c. Letty Watt,
historian, golfer

SupHer Power Golf

Having played or been involved in the game of golf for seventy years one might think that I find the game easy. The reality is that confidence at any age is a major hurdle. In the last ten years my back and hips have totally thrown my balance and game off, causing my handicap to go up and my confidence to go down.

Not to many years ago my posted scores ranged 78 up to 88. Now that range is from 84-99, and it is all based on whether my hamstrings are loose, my hips can rotate and I can swing through the ball. I find it embarrassing to shoot a 94 one day and an amazing 86 the next day.  My pity pot lures me into distress when I don't play up to my younger standards. 

There is hope.  Recently I discovered a new golf program for women called SupHer Power Golf. Their approach is succinct and universal to the mental and physical side of golf for women, and all players. 

On April 17, 2020 I joined a virtual golf lesson through Zoom. It is called SupHer Power Golf Virtual Play Day. The three women who developed this program are Dr. Beth Brown, from Oklahoma, April Kenyon, and Nancy McDaniel. This program turned out to be the medicine I needed to play a better game consistently.   

This live interaction program is divided into three main parts: the Warm up, the Front nine and the Back nine. 

WARM UP

My attention immediately peeked when Nancy McDaniel, Hall of Fame women's golf coach for Cal Berkeley, not only showed us stretches we can do on the tee box minutes before we play, but also asked us to move away from our computers and follow along.  Now that is my idea of learning online...step away from the computer and move. 

THE FRONT NINE

Once we are warmed up and ready to play the game of golf we often find obstacles preventing us from playing our best. This section of the video is my favorite and it became my "show stopper."  Sometimes I actually think I know a lot about golf, and that is when I find out how much there is learn. 

THE GREATEST CHALLENGE TO IMPROVEMENT is OVERCOMING THE OBSTACLES THAT WE PUT IN OUR WAY.  HOW?

Obstacles at Prairie Dunes 

April Kenyon, Executive/Leadership Coach & USGTF Certified Golf Instructor, explains how we need to understand ourselves and our beliefs about the game. By inviting us to explore our beliefs about our golf skills, our ability to improve, why we play golf, and perhaps who we are, we can take steps to overcome the obstacles we believe exist. 

April continues this session by sharing the thought, "Do we bring limitation to each shot or bring empowerment?" How do we change our internal focus to Empowering. Online we were able to chat and share our concerns. Once I wrote out my limiting thoughts I stepped away from the computer and thought about what I had just written. Holy Cow, could that be me? 

Palmer Private Course PGA West
Mountains to the right, water to the left and boulders in between. 

Yes, there may be out of bounds to the right and to the left of the first tee (The Trails Golf Club), but that is not in my head.  I immediately begin to LIMIT myself when I place the obstacle "but at my age" on the tee box with me. "At my age" I struggle with distance of my club selection. I can see how I limit myself immediately.  The irony, is that my swing is actually strong and repeatable, giving me commanding EMPOWERING belief. Which thought process will I bring to the tee box, and each shot thereafter?

THE SKY IS NOT THE LIMIT.

YOUR BELIEF SYSTEM IS.

Later that evening I took my 8 iron to the back yard to swing and listen to my positive belief which truly is "I have a solid repeating swing that is strong enough to mentally and physically help me improve." Since the golf course is not available to me right now, due to the COVID19 pandemic, the backyard will have to work. 

This is called positive communication and the best example I have ever seen in my life is from the Waste Management Phoenix Open when Special Olympics representative, Amy Bockerstette stepped up on the 17th tee box with Gary Woodland, PGA player. As you watch this video please pay attention to her self-talk: I got this. I can do this. This is awesome. They love me.  Amy and Gary

THE BACK NINE

Hall of Fame Coach, Nancy McDaniel, demonstrating the wrist hinge. 

Moving back to Nancy McDaniel, we are given a chance to study a technique to improve our swing. Through the video she uses a broom to show how to use the broom as training tool. We examine and practice our swing in four steps: wrist hinge with face pointing toward the ball, transition motion with the broom lagging behind, impact, finish. How simple and yet so dramatic for a physical lesson. 

THE SCORE

Before using my 8 iron that evening in the back yard I decided to use the open space to really let loose with the broom. It helped to reinforce my positive communication with myself as I rotated and swung through with the broom with focus. However, I did get to laugh at myself when I failed to focus, thereby letting the broom fly away from my body with the painful result is that it stung my ribs on the follow through. There is a lesson here. 

My takeaway from this live virtual golf lesson is most certainly my own positive self-communication and belief that my repeating swing will work. I must add that my strong swing will only continue because I believe in working out five days a week, and three of those days must be using the core effectively. The power of communicating positively is perhaps the most important accomplishment in life.  

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