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

Route 66 -- Times Gone By

Original backdrop to the stage productions from 1929.

Lobby of theatre with Mr. Dillon

An afternoon tour of the historic Coleman theatre, on Route 66 in Miami, Oklahoma, opened my eyes and filled my head with layers upon layers of stories about the wealth that came out of the lead and zinc mines in Ottawa County from 1910--1950's.  Learning that George L. Coleman believed that he could draw the world to Miami, Oklahoma if he built a stage to match the elegance of the European theatres. Which he did in 1928-1929. The magnificent Spanish Revival era Coleman Theatre was built to match the style of Louis XV, complete with gold leaf trim, hand woven carpet with the Coleman insignia of a pick and shovel, velvet curtains from Belgium, and a crystal chandelier from Czechoslovakia. I found myself and friends spellbound with every story shared that day by Danny Dillon. 

Ceiling and staging

However, George L. Coleman also built a golf course, as a place for his son George to practice, and for Hollywood stars to play on when they visited the Coleman mansion on Rockdale Blvd. In the early 1920's Rockdale Country Club was built. During my childhood in the 1950's I met Ben Hogan, Patty Berg, Mickey Wright, Mickey Mantle and other great golfers and performers. These celebrities, I began to realize, all visited my home golf course thanks to the connections of the Coleman family and my father, Johnie Stapp. 

Dave Marsh, Mickey Mantle, Patty Berg, Johnie Stapp 1956

Pondering those pieces of times gone by an epiphany occurred. I discovered my next writing challenge. It became apparent that this colorful history of a golf course built by a visionary man in the 1920's needed to be recorded--through research and through the eyes of child who witnessed part of this history.  Slowly, I began to dig and sort, through the NewsArchives, notes I'd taken, and stories collected. Then one night, my puzzle pieces began to fall into place, when much like George L. Coleman I found a jewel of a story.

Ky Laffon, a champion golfer, who learned to play golf in Miami at the tutelage of Ed Dudley, spent decades crisscrossing the country playing professional golf, returning to Miami from time to time. My father willingly told stories of Ky, and I'm sure I retold some tall tales in the classroom after his visits. 

It is recorded that Ky's uncontrollable temperament more than likely kept him from winning more first place trophies in professional tournaments, but it did secure his place in history through his legendary act of "club-icide."  After watching his putt lip out on the 18th hole, and numerous other putts that didn't fall that day, shaking with anger he walked off the golf course carrying his putter.  Reaching the trunk of his car he pulled out a gun and proceeded to shoot his putter three times, yelling in a colorful slang the entire time.

Ironically, the same weekend I visited the Coleman Theatre I also laid a personal story to rest. Thanks to John Finley, Rob Kimbrough, and others at the First National Bank of Miami, we were able to lay my father's "Pro Emeritus" stone to rest outside the Dobson Museum in Miami, Oklahoma. It originally had been placed by the putting green at the old Miami Golf and Country Club, after my father died in 1989.  The putting green where many a man won and lost bets during an evening a friendly putting contests, where hundreds of people took lessons from the pro, and where famous stars once walked.

Where one story may end, another begins.  

Letty Stapp Watt
Johnie Stapp's daughter and historian

Route 66 -- The Mick

He stood bigger than life in the eyes of every child who'd ever heard his name. He'd always smiled at the kids as he autographed baseballs, golf balls, bats, and more. I stood near my father watching the commotion around us. Even though Mickey Mantle was nearly a household name for every American child in the 50's, seeing him in person and knowing his family made it special for many of us kids growing up in Ottawa County. 

My father, Johnie Stapp, with Mickey Mantle about 1956

One day he and his twin brothers, Roy and Ray, along with other Yankee players showed up at the Miami Country Club to play golf. It must have been in the summer because there were many people swimming, who suddenly jumped out of the pool and began to gather around the large and loud group of men. What I recall and what the facts are sometimes become twisted, but that day with a gallery of people we watched "The Mick" hit a tee ball off the first tee and fly it over the green (a par 4 about 360 yards), across Elm street behind the golf course, and into the fenced horse stalls owned by Mr. Lou Newell.  The gallery roared and the teasing and bets were on. "Johnny Dial" was the stud horse owned by Lou Newell, and for only a moment someone worried that he might have hit the horse, which made the golf shot even more lavish to retell.

My memories of Mickey seem quite colorful, when I recall my dad coming home from work sharing episodes of the days when Mickey and his friends came to the club to get away from the crowds and feel at home.  Billy Martin, Mantle's manager, asked my dad to give him golf lessons. Dad suggested that Martin come back often,  "so we can get that slice fixed." Martin just laughed. 

The Yankee players who came to Miami along with Mickey, George Coleman, and other celebrities sometimes played what dad called "destruction derby" with the golf carts.  I'm sure it wasn't what my dad liked to see, but Mickey and his friends always paid for the damage they imposed, and the men loved to retell the stories.  

Along the way, decades pass and memories grow fuzzy. This summer on my way to a golf tournament in Joplin, Missouri, along with my friend Kay Dalke, we took a sideways trip along old Route 66, and stopped at the Dobson Museum in Miami so I could take care of "burden and worry" that wouldn't leave my mind. As I talked about my problem with Jordan Boyd, Kay noticed the display on Mickey Mantle. Jordan suggested we locate the Mantle home a take a peek at history along the way to Joplin. 

With map in hand we headed north on Route 66 to
find his Commerce home.  Kay regaled me with her love of baseball and childhood family memories. Her grandmother's brothers were Paul and Lloyd Waner from Harrah, Ok. They are both in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. The Baseball Hall of Fame treated her family as special guest when they visited. She, like so many of us, remembers meeting Mickey Mantle, so finding his home was very special to both of us.

We were humbled by his small home. The plaque read: At the age of 5 or 6 his father started teaching him how to hit, they used the tin barn as their backstop. Mutt, his father (a miner) would pitch righty and Mick's grandfather would pitch lefty while teaching him the fine art of switch hitting....


Kay said, "Seeing Mickey Mantle's home was so exciting. It is hard to imagine the life of simplicity some of the greatest athletes of our lifetime have come from." 

Along the way, there's just so much to see and think about. 

Letty Stapp Watt
Johnie Stapp's daughter and historian

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