We finally made it to April and the snow melted and now the golf course and driving ranges are getting open. I get plenty of questions about what my high school does in March to get in golf shape when we can’t go outside. That is a very good question that I would like to take a shot at answering. This is the kind of information we could all use as golfers struggling to get back into golf shape in March.
One component I added this spring was a fitness evaluation and demonstration with Jim LaFratte. Jim is the Director of Golf Fitness and owner of CORE Golf Consulting. I met Jim last season as he is a resident of Morris County and called me about some of my golf clinics. Jim invited me to his studio in Cedar Grove, NJ and put me through an extensive physical evaluation and gave me a plan to work my body and change some habits to get me to achieve a better functioning golf swing. Jim is Titleist TPI Level 3 Professional that has an extensive background in corrective exercise and post rehab work. His work with some of the top private golf clubs and their golf professionals in northern New Jersey has really fourished in the last year.
Jim and I talked about putting my golf team through some foam rolling and stretching exercises to start them thinking and acting more like athletes who need to prepare to play golf. Jim and his two assistants joined us in the wrestling room and we split up the group into three smaller groups and went to work. The golfers worked out and stretched muscles they never heard of before. Jim also gave us valuable information on nutrition and pre round activities we could do along with the core workout he put the group through. My golf team thought the afternoon was full of very useful information and that Jim and his staff were on point in their presentation.
A golf fitness component with Jim LaFratte is something I will be offering my students this upcoming season. I believe in what Jim does and his knowledge on the subject is second to none. The Hackettstown Golf team learned more than just golf that cold day in March.
