Josh’s Tips & Tricks: Save Energy
Intro
Hello golfers, welcome to this week’s tips & tricks. I hope you’ve been applying your suncream and staying hydrated in this beautiful weather when you’ve been on the course! It definitely makes us all enjoy golf more when the sun is out and the ground conditions are firmer. Your scoring should be improving if you’ve been playing a practicing more effectively so this week we’re going to look at something that could make your game more enjoyable and less strenuous.
Trolley or no Trolley?
Firstly, it’s important to understand that golf is a game that requires all of your muscles, joints, and other soft tissues to work in synergy in order to give you the best chance of reaching your peak performance. Gone are the days where you almost needed a senior citizens card to use a trolley. All you need to do is take a stroll around your local golf course these days to see the amount of people now utilising the latest in push/pull/electric trolley technology to realise that more and more people are using golf as a way to stay active and healthy whilst chasing that elusive single figure handicap.
Injury
The first question that needs to be answered is whether or not it is better to carry your clubs or use a trolley of some sort. In almost all situations I believe it to be much better (and safer) to use a trolley rather than lugging your clubs around 18 holes. Carrying your clubs not only places a huge amount of compressive force on your spine, but also causes lactic acid build up in the surrounding muscles causing fatigue and you guessed it….. Injuries!
There is also the issue of dropping and lifting the bag potentially over 100 times throughout a round which places even more torsional stress on the spine (especially considering the average golf bag weighs between 8 and 15kgs). This could potentially be the beginning of a lifetime of spinal health issues if not addressed early enough. The latest research out of Europe also shows that carrying your bag leads to a decreased ability to score and an increased chance of injury!
Research
Dr. Neil Wolkodoff, medical director of the Colorado Center for Health and Sports Science, conducted a study on the physical effects of using a push cart vs carrying a bag. His findings indicate that physical benefits of carrying your bag are minimal. Golfers in his study who carried their clubs burned an average of 721 calories over 9 holes compared to 718 calories burned by golfers who used a push cart.
“One of the suprising realizations was that just swinging a club about 100 times uses up a significant amount of energy,” Wolkodoff said, “The golf swing is tough on the back no matter how you look at it. If you can use a push cart and keep one more stress away from the back that’s a great thing.”
Additionally, research suggests that golfers who carry increase their risk of injury to shoulder, back and ankle.
Perks
In this warm weather we should be staying as hydrated as possible. If you carry a golf bag you’re limited with how much you can fit in the bag. You also have to carry around more weight in the extra fluids. With a trolley, push or electric, you can fill the bag with as much liquid as you want and even top it up in the half way house!
Another additional extra that can be used in the summer as well as the winter is the umbrella holder. Staying in the shade, especially at an exposed course with little tree cover, could help keep you out of direct sunlight keeping you cooler.
Options
As a Motocaddy and Powakaddy service agent we always have lots of stock when it comes to trolleys. We have new and second hand. We have push and electric. Here are just a few items we have in stock at the moment…
Summary
Whenever i’m teaching people to play golf I try to make it as easy as possible. When you’re palying golf you want to make it as easy and enjoyable as possible. Having a good trolley makes it more enjoyable. If you’re in the market for a new trolley give us a call on 01179 709 070 or pop in to the shop for some advice.
There won’t be a newsletter next week as it’s my 30th birthday and I’m on holiday but i’ll be back the following week. If you would like to get a lesson booked in click the link below.
BOOK A LESSON NOW BY CLICKING HERE
Catch you soon!
Cheers,
Josh