Unfortunately for those who take the sport seriously, golf has a
reputation as a lazy, roll-out-of-bed sport, where some players
casually smoke and drink their way through 18 holes.
Editor’s note: Preparing for Prep Sports is a series highlighting the athletes of the fall season, and what they do to prepare for the upcoming season in their respective sport. Today, girls golf.
Hollister – Unfortunately for those who take the sport seriously, golf has a reputation as a lazy, roll-out-of-bed sport, where some players casually smoke and drink their way through 18 holes.
You can most likely thank John Daly for that one.
On a sunny Thursday afternoon at Ridgemark Golf and Country Club, San Benito High School girls golf coach Chris Branon asks his players countless times if their backs are hurting, as the back and the wrist are two of the most common golf injuries.
Carrying a golf bag over 18 holes, all the while keeping the same mechanics of your swing from hole no. 1 to hole no. 18 is harder than it looks. And if you want to win at a high level, you’ll need to be in shape.
When asked how important it is to be in good shape and conditioned, senior golfer Marissa Gutierrez said it’s very important, but not something anyone ever thinks about.
“You don’t think about it – it’s golf,” she said. “You’ve got to carry your clubs, but it’s way more than that. You not only need to walk and play 18 holes, but also have the strength to swing the same way like you did on the first tee.”
Senior teammate Amanda Frey said it’s frustrating to hear other athletes write the sport off as if it lacks physical ability.
“You need to be in good shape and you have to work at it if you want to be the best,” Frey said. Added senior teammate Jordan Archer, “There’s a misconception that it’s for lazy people, but there’s a lot of walking and you need to have a lot of stamina.”
Branon said the physical aspects – the balance and the endurance – come into play on every shot. And if those begin to come into question, the physical aspect turns into a mental aspect.
Senior Katie O’Brien says she runs every other day for about an hour – “… or until I get tired,” she said – to relieve stress and increase her endurance.
“It’s very important,” O’Brien said of being in shape, “because if you’re not, you’ll make a lot of mistakes.”
Others like Frey are on the treadmill three times a week for 30 minutes, and are on the mat doing Pilates. “That’s basically what I do endurance-wise to stay in shape for golf,” she said.
Archer said she’s usually in the swimming pool, as well as on the elliptical machine three times a week.
In the weight room, the golfers work on squats to bolster their legs and thighs for balance, and strengthen their core with crunches. “Three sets of however many you can do,” O’Brien said. Added Gutierrez, “Crunches you do forever, until you actually feel the tightness.”
A strong stomach, Gutierrez explained, will provide a stronger swing when you “uncoil,” and will also relieve the pressure off your back.
“Deep down, people don’t realize what it takes to play golf,” Gutierrez said. “It’s a mental game more than it is physical, but at the same time, it’s just as physical as any other sport.”
Aside from running, eating right and working out, you still need to know how to play golf, of course.
Gutierrez plays nearly year-round, competing in tournaments through the Junior Golf Association of Northern California and the American Junior Golf Association.
And for those players who don’t play year-round, others are usually practicing and playing at Ridgemark at least once a week, if not more.
When the off-season approaches for the Lady ‘Balers, Branon is advising his team to of course continue practicing throughout the year, as well as do 50 push-ups and 50 sit-ups every day in order to remedy any back pain.
“If your stomach isn’t prepared to take on the shock of a golf swing, then your back is going to take it,” Branon said. “For those who don’t do it and get back injuries, they then realize real quick just how important it is.”
