CHRISTMAS

Since Christmas is right around the corner I have officially started shopping and I couldn't help but share the things I found. It's amazing what you can buy off the internet.

On Find Gifts website they have something every golfer should own:

<- How did I ever manage without this?! What a great idea and I am sure this would come in handy on those hot days on the course.

Now this would allow me to work on my grip while in the backyard BBQing away. ->







<- Now that is just creative!  
 It's amazing what you can find on the internet these days! 

So after this you would have your cigar, beer, and grill all decked out. Perfect! 

WOD

Workout of the day 
Improve your swing:

While mindlessly running at my local gym one day I got to thinking how being here would help my golfing. I often think of many things while on the treadmill looking at the same spot on the adjacent wall and this is just one of those things that popped into my head. 

While looking up some workouts on the PGA Tour website I found some that would help my golf swing. I realized I was already doing most of them but could improve and substitute a few. 

1. ROW- not my favorite thing to do in the gym and I thought more of it as a cardio exercise rather than building muscle. But building my back muscles will help the my entire swing be more powerful. 

2. TRICEP DIPS- Did I say I didn't like to row? After doing a dozen of these, rowing seems fun. (I never thought I would say that!) Of course strong arms help everything about a golf swing. 

3. RUN- I can do that, while it's working my cardio and lower half I am able to clear my mind and think about everything going on around and in my life. Running will help my gluts and legs to create a strong base for the swing. 

4. ABS- It's the one thing everyone is doing at the gym and the first on my list. Having a tight core helps your swing enormously and it's the one thing everyone needs after the holidays. 



While working on my game I am also working on my knowledge about what goes on behind the game. This is just one simple thing I can accommodate in my daily trip to the gym to help better my swing and beat the boyfriend on the course. 

Thanksgiving

A mandatory day off.. 

Well it being Thanksgiving I knew I would have the whole day off from work and school so I figured I would get some long needed golf practice in… WRONG!

I have found going to the range is equivalent to going to the gym. It’s all about getting your butt off the couch and making the effort and on a holiday that just isn’t happening. When everyone is stuffing their faces and relaxing in a turkey-coma why should I be the one having to change out of my fat pants and doing anything that caused any type of exertion? It’s the thought that counts right? I mean I thought about going and doing something productive for a couple hours, but of course nothing materialized out of it.

Oh well. Maybe on my next day off, which will be Christmas.. 

Angry Club

A club made just for me..

While browsing the internet I came across GolfStinks page while he was talking about the Angry Club. At first glance it looks more like a training club and I didn’t quite understand the name. I checked it out and literally laughed out loud while watching the video on it. It is a genius idea, it can be used as a training club, but when you really need it you just hit it on the ground. Once you do that it spits out some foul language and message that was recorded on it. People are just getting so creative with getting angry on the golf course. If this is available I would be the first in line to buy it.

Unwritten Rules

Why can't I drink a glass of champagne while golfing? Is beer the only "appropriate" alcoholic beverage for the golf course? While I have been learning more and more about this sport I find that the unwritten rules are getting longer and longer. From the extensive dress code to the proper manners, golf has proven to me that no matter what you do, you are breaking some kind of rule. 

I understand that champagne might not be the best thing to be drinking while driving to the next hole, but who could really object to some afternoon "celebrating?" I mean finding the time to get out on the course for a leisurely round of golf is enough reason for me to pop the top on some fine bubbly. I am young I should be able to do anything and get away with it, right? Right? Ok maybe not but come on, enough with the rules already people. 

Stress Stress Stress

It is a never ending battle with me and stress. Stress helps me get what I know I need to get done but boy does it pay a toll on the body. I am back to my normal routine of work, school, and homework. Trying to find time for the fun things in life is becoming harder and harder but when I get around to them I enjoy them that much more. For me golf is something that has been pushed on the back burner while I attend to the fun task of homework. While I don't get out as much as I hoped to enjoy the beautiful "fall" weather of Florida, I am going to make more of an effort. 

Effort is the key to getting through the stress. I find that if I make an effort to do something fun I am more likely to get the things I have to get done out of the way first. This coming week will be productive (positive thoughts, positive thoughts, positive thoughts) and I will get what is needed out of the way to make time for the fun things in life like going to the range and hitting the crap out of some balls. 

Stress reliever or source of cause?

Running around like a chicken with your head cut off? It sure feels like I am these days with the schedule I put myself through. Work, school, blah blah blah. I don’t seem to have time to sleep much these days and forget about any leisure activities. It is a chilly and windy day out due to the hurricane wreaking havoc on the east coast today and there is no way I am headed to the range for my weekly bucket of balls. I started thinking how much golf could be a cause of more stress in my life or if is a way for me to get away from the madness of my day-to-day routine.

While I try and practice every week, sometimes there is no way. By the end of the week if I didn’t practice in some way I regret it. After getting my frustration out on some innocent balls, I always feel better even if it wasn’t the best day(for me or the grass). For me golf is the time I take for myself and do something that I want. Not homework teachers think we all enjoy or work, which I shouldn’t complain to having a good job, but work is work. Golf is the time I let it all go and the only thing I can stress about is my swing.

I think this is all in my mind frame for the game. It could easily go the other way around and do more harm to your blood pressure than good. An article by CNN asks the very same questions on stress and golf and how it affects people in different ways with how they view the sport,

So with all that stress, could playing golf actually be bad for you? If you're beating yourself up emotionally and getting angry that's not very good for your health said Thompson. But it's all a matter of attitude. Somebody might go out and enjoy it, see it as a chance to get away from work, have a nice stroll and catch up with their mates.

While I still have my days when I’m the one hitting my golf club on the ground and mumbling a few choice words, golf is still that one time in my life I get to go out and hit something as hard as I can and walk away with a cleared head. Hopefully I can keep this frame of mind and continue to enjoy the game instead of letting it bog me down like I see so many others do.