Golf isn’t a sport, and the deep-fried, beer-littered 19th hole is where fitness goes to die.
So some people say, but Denver pros want to change those misconceptions. Now, golfers — professional and otherwise — have more options for getting an enhanced workout on and off the course.
“Golf is a demanding sport, and that’s the piece that some people don’t really grasp,” says Alice Plain, director of golf operations at Vail Golf Club. “The better your flexibility, the better your strength, the better your game.”
One of the newer options Coloradans have is the golf bike, which debuted at Vail Golf Club in June. The six-gear bikes are outfitted with a special hitch to carry clubs, and 20-inch wheels, wider tires and a higher frame make riding down the fairway a fun way to work the cardiovascular system.
Vail has four bikes ($15 for 18 holes) available this summer on a first-come, first-served basis. Plain says traditional golfers might think it’s crazy, but the younger generation and those in the mountain community are buying into it.
“You’re never going to become ripped playing golf, but you can lose weight and become more lean by playing,” says Kyle McGee, the assistant pro at Overland Park Golf Course.
One of the simpler ways to achieve a more strenuous workout is to ditch the golf cart and walk.
For the average course, carrying a bag or using a push cart is analogous to a roughly five-mile walk, according to a report by the Walker Research Group for Golf 20/20. The total burn for walking 18 holes and carrying your own clubs lands close to 2,000 calories.
If you have to use a cart, though, McGee says you can park in the middle of the fairway, grab three clubs and walk to your ball on wayward shots to get an exercise boost. If you need to work on your walking stamina, McGee recommends walking nine holes and then riding the back nine.
(One additional benefit: You can use the cart as a support to help you stretch between shots or during tee box transitions.)
Also recommended: Try 10 jumping jacks, lunges, push-ups or some sort of brief, comparable exercise to get your heart-rate moving. This takes some of the down time out of the game, and makes it more of an active environment.
You can also make the driving range more conducive to a physical workout. For example, McGee tells his students to pick a target on the driving range. Next, hit a shot as close as you can to that target. Run to the chipping area, chip from a distance relative to where your ball would have landed. Then, run to the putting green and do the same.
This a-la-CrossFit exercise, he says, will pump up your adrenaline and heart rate, thereby simulating some of the pressure of in-game shots, chips and putts. It also forces you to cycle through your swings.
“It’s not a game that anybody can master; even the pros can struggle,” says Leslie Wright, director of marketing for Denver Golf. “But they’re more into their workout routines than they have been in the past.”
Wright recommends doing yoga to supplement golf, because it gives you the best combination of building flexibility and strength. Golf uses a lot of body parts you don’t use in other sports, she says, including core muscles, ribs, stomach, pelvis and hips.
Wright and McGee advise crunches, oblique stretches, sit-ups and leg lifts to work the core, and pelvic-tilt exercises (push your lower spine into the ground while lying down, then arch your lower back) to strengthen the muscles connected to the pelvis.
An oft-ignored element of the golf game is the mental component, which psychologist and emotional fitness coach Denise McGuire says people don’t focus on enough. There’s the adage that golf is 90 percent mental, 10 percent physical. (In his own words, Jack Nicklaus called the game 50 percent mental, 40 percent setup, 10 percent swing.)
“You’re not running, you’re not hitting other people, you’re not doing things that most other people think of as sport,” McGuire says. “But in terms of strategy and playing under pressure and going head-to-head against competitors, I don’t see that golf lacks anything in that regard.”
One of the hardest aspects of golf’s mental game is turning a negative response into a neutral or positive one. When players get nervous or upset over a shot, the brain interprets that something’s wrong, triggering the body to go into a stress response. This increases hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which can affect swing tempo, rhythm, grip pressure and muscle tension.
To align your mind with your body, McGuire advocates practicing awareness-building. It’s important to be clear with your intentions and be connected to a target. “Aim small, miss small — if you’re going to pick a target on the left side of the fairway, it’s better to pick a specific tree or branch,” she says. Take deep breaths to slow down. Visualize your target (not the water hazard in front of it). Notice when you have too much tension. Don’t hold your breath, and retain good posture.
The same is true with putting. McGuire encourages people to view the hole as a clock. When you aim, are you putting to drop the ball over its 3 o’clock or 6 o’clock?
McGuire says these are “every bit as much about developing skill and honing a skill, so your overall performance benefits from it.”
There’s a certain level of physical and mental fitness expected on the course now, even for recreational players, Overland’s McGee says.
“It’s not like we’re going to Water World and schlepping around like fat guys in Speedos,” the 35-year-old PGA apprentice says. “There are athletes out here.”
Sean Fitz-Gerald: 303-954-1211, sfitz-gerald@ denverpost.com or twitter.com/srkfitzgerald
EXERCISE WHILE YOU GOLF
The Denver area and golf clubs in the mountains are rife with challenging golf opportunities.
Pros and coaches recommend walking the courses to get more of a workout. The change in elevation, altitude and length of some of the courses can burn upward of 2,000 calories.
“Any 18-hole course that you walk is going to be a workout,” says Leslie Wright, Denver Golf’s director of marketing.
Here are some expert-recommended public courses to help push your limits, both mentally and physically:
Breckenridge Golf Club: This mountain-walkable course recommended by Alice Plain, director of golf operations at Vail Golf Club, is at approximately 10,000 feet and features 27 holes designed by Jack Nicklaus. 200 Clubhouse Drive, Breckenridge, 970-453-9104, townofbreckenridge.com
Willis Case Golf Course: This course is a serious walk, says Kyle McGee, assistant pro at Overland Park Golf Course, with lots of undulating hills to give you a huge cardio effect. 4999 Vrain St., Denver, 720-865-0700, denvergov.org
Green Valley Ranch Golf Club: When the rough grows out, this course becomes one of the most mentally challenging in the area, says psychologist and emotional fitness coach Denise McGuire. 4900 Himalaya Road, Denver, 303-371-3131, gvrgolf.com
Evergreen Golf Course: This one’s an executive course, but it has terrain changes and lends itself to altitude training, according to Wright. 29614 Upper Bear Creek Road, Evergreen, 720-865-3430, denvergov.org
CommonGround Golf Course: The greens here can be very large, but McGuire points out that there are deceiving breaks that can seriously jack up your score. 10300 E. Golfers Way, Aurora, 303-340-1520, commongroundgc.com
Bear Dance Golf: Wright likes this tough mountain course known for its high altitude and dangerous white bunkers. 6630 Bear Dance Road, Larkspur, 303-681-4653, beardancegolf.com
