Eric Thielsen Golf

5 Ways to Shape Up Your Game in the Off-Season

admin — Sun, 12 Dec 2010 20:56:31 +0000

It is currently 28 degrees outside and we are expecting up to 4 inches of snow with 30 mile per hour winds here in Columbus, Ohio as I write this article. For everyone in the northern states the golf off-season is officially upon us. As both a golf coach and golf fitness instructor this is the time of year where I get my students to make changes that will benefit their games for the following season and seasons to come. From the fitness standpoint I see that there are 5 key areas that the average working adult who is chained to a desk 45 hours plus a week can work on to improve their golf game during the winter months.

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1) Hip Mobility – hip mobility is paramount to create power in the golf swing. The more of a sedentary lifestyle one lives the less mobile they will become. Hip Circles are one of the best exercises to help create more range of motion in your hips. To do this exercise start by stabilizing your core in the quadruped (on all fours) position to prevent any movement from the spine. Slowly start to make circles with your right hip, trying to get the biggest range motion possible without losing your stable spine. Another way to think about this is to try and make the circles with your knee while still feeling that the motion is coming from the respective hip. Repeat on the other side.

2) Thoracic Mobility (Mid to Upper Back) – For individuals that are chained to a desk all day I see limitations in this area quite often. Hunched shoulders and rounded upper back are common side effects. This will affect one’s ability to stay in posture throughout the backswing and in turn result in inconsistent ball striking. An exercise that will help get more thoracic extension is squat and arch with a Swiss ball. To perform this exercise start by sitting on a Swiss ball, place your arms up in the air over your head. Now roll out over the ball until your head gets supported by the ball. Drop your butt down towards the ground into the squat position, then push from your legs and arch back over the ball. Try to keep your spine as close to the ball as possible. Repeat back and forth.

3) Glute Stability – And we will specifically discuss the Glute Medius Stability. The Glute Medius is the muscle that helps you not to sway or slide in your golf swing, which causes inconsistent ball striking and loss of power. An exercise that I do at the gym in my fitness routine is called Duck Walks. For this exercise you will need a small exercise band that will fit around your ankles. Different people will need different band tension or stiffness. To perform this exercise Place your band around your ankles and get into a good tall posture. Maintaining a stable posture, begin to side step to the left for 10 steps. Repeat to the right. When doing this exercise correctly your glute muscles should engaging much more than your hips.

4) Core Stability – As most have heard by now, “work on your core for a better golf swing”. Well what does that mean and why? In golf it means that your core will help stabilize either the upper or lower body while the other is in motion. This helps in the transferring of power in the golf swing as well as maintaining dynamic posture (posture while in motion), which helps in overall ball striking. So simply doing tons of crunches won’t cut it for golf. An exercise I like is called Bird Dogs. Start in the quadruped position (all fours) with arms and thighs perpendicular to the floor and one knee elevated on an Airex pad or pillow. While stabilizing your spine in a neutral pelvic posture (not excessively arching or rounding the back), try to extend your non-elevated hip and leg, extending the leg so it becomes parallel to the ground and extend your opposite arm. Make sure you don’t increase the curvature in your lower back at the same time. Repeat on the other side.

5) Ankle Mobility/Stability – This is the most underrated body segment when it comes to golf fitness in my opinion. The golf swing starts from the ground up and if there is any limitation in this region it will have an affect up the rest of the chain/movement. The number one exercise I give my students for their ankles is called Flatten Arches Form Arches. Start by sitting in a chair or on a Swiss ball with your feet shoulder width apart, feet flat on the ground, toes pointing forward, and your hands in fists placed side-by-side wedged between your knees. Now, without moving your hips, knees or hands, try to pronate (rock your feet in) and supinate (rock your feet out) your feet back and forth. Repeat back and forth!

To conclude these 5 areas are all areas that I see on a daily basis that the average golfer needs to improve on. So why not improve your body along with your swing in the off-season. A limitation in your body means compensations in your golf swing somewhere. So to make your GolfTEC coach’s job easier and to make it easier for you to improve your swing as well start to consider golf fitness for this and future off-seasons. To see any of the exercises mentioned in this article or to find a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Certified Golf Fitness Instructor in your area visit www.mytpi.com for more details. Have a great and productive off-season!

The Ryder Cup

admin — Wed, 06 Oct 2010 12:43:33 +0000

The 2010 Ryder Cup was played at Celtic Manor Golf Resort in Wales this year. The European team lead by captain Colin Montgomery defeated Cory Pavin’s American team by a score of 14.5 to 13.5. The Ryder Cup has to be my favorite golf event to watch over the years. Watching the Ryder Cup you get a true sense of the passion, intensity and enjoyment that the game should be played in and was meant for. For many and myself it takes you back to the team golf experiences you have playing in high school or college golf and for others back to playing in any team sport. I have had so many great memories playing team golf and team sports and the atmosphere the Ryder Cup creates brings me back to those times as well makes me wish there were more of them. I have a few thoughts on this years Ryder Cup. My first is that the Europeans showed they have a very deep team and should continue to have deep teams in the future. They were able to reign victorious without Paul Casey and Justin Rose the 7^th and 23^rd ranked players in the world respectively. Next, the Euros showed that having skill in all areas of the game out ways a mastery of one or two select areas. Americas team was built around a bunch a bombers and streaky putters. That was shown by winning 3 of the 4 sessions played, while losing 5 ½ points out of 6 in the other. Finally, the celebrations and the coverage of them at Ryder Cup sets the event even farther apart from a normal event. I can’t wait to be a part of that experience in the 2012 Ryder Cup at Medinah Country Club in Chicago when the USA comes away with a win there. If you are looking at having your own Ryder Cup experience it may be easier than you think. There are a number of ways to put together an event like that at a course near you. Types of matches you may try could be one country club or golf facility vs. another, company vs. company, one fan base group vs. another (i.e. Ohio State vs. Michigan) and others you may come up with on your own. You can modify the formats if you like with things such as playing a 2 on 2 scramble for a match and/or deciding when or when not to use handicaps. Again, other ways to modify can be left up to your own creativity and situation such as the number of players on a team, etc… I’m sure your local PGA Professional like myself would love to help put together an event like this for you and your teammates. In closing events like the Ryder Cup and also Presidents Cup show us that for one week when the players are not playing for anything but pride personally and for country that this is one of if not the best games in the world. A game that requires a myriad of abilities, talent and athleticism to become anywhere close to skilled at especially skilled enough to make a living out of. If a person is trying to introduce someone new to golf particularly a junior I feel this event is the premier event to start to stir up some curiosity and interest about the game. In addition, I believe this event only validates the decision to include golf as an Olympic sport for the years to come.

Eric Thielsen, PGA Certified Professional, Certified Golf Fitness Instructor

Eric Thielsen Golf

High School Golf Tryouts part 2

admin — Tue, 17 Aug 2010 14:02:46 +0000

In part 1 of my post on High School golf tryouts I delved into responsibilities of player, parents and coaches when it comes to preparing a student athlete for this time of year. This week I will discuss more in depth how to most effectively go about getting them equipped to handle this task. The golfer must be prepared mentally, physically, technically, and be tournament ready. Mentally he or she has to understand that golf is not a game of perfect and they will face adversity on the course. Getting frustrated and letting mistakes compound will deteriorate ones self-confidence while increasing their scores. I was having a conversation with fellow PGA Professional Gerry Hammond and he was talking about how important instilling internal self-confidence to a junior golfer is. To paraphrase our conversations we came to the conclusion that if you can let that self-confidence build correctly you can let it ride it for a very long time. Some other mental characteristics that need to be instilled to our junior golfers are; discipline, perseverance, commitment and a process-orientated mindset not a result orientated one. Now on to the physical portion of their preparation. Physically at this point in there development they need to have some regular workout regiment in place. Doing this as early as possible will benefit them immensely in the future. A Certified Golf Fitness Instructor like myself will be able to explain what type of program is appropriate for them. It can be as simple as sport cross training or as complex as a PGA Tour Professionals workout routine (such as Camilo Villegas or Adam Scott’s). If done properly this will get them a leg up on their competition especially for kids in the northern states where the golf season is 9 or 10 months long at most. Students that take this part seriously tend to have increased levels of mental focus, work ethic and self-confidence. The golfer must also be at a sufficient level technically at swinging the golf club. And because you do not want to go into a tournament or tryout situation with a lot of mechanical jargon in your head this step has to be done well in advance. Waiting till the last minute and then seeking out an instructor will make it challenging for the student and teacher to meet their goals in such a condensed timetable. Lastly, the golfer must be tournament ready. This may be the most important part of all. This is a summation of all the other parts of the equation. You can be the most well prepared individual out there, but if you can’t deal with tournament pressure you will not get the most out of you preparation. A junior golfer who is tournament ready can deal with the emotions and situations one will encounter while on the course during tryouts. This is done simply by playing in tournaments throughout the summer months when kids are not in school. For kids wishing to gain college scholarships one day through playing golf this type of yearly dedication and discipline is mandatory, however that doesn’t mean it can’t be fun and enjoyable. Golf is a fun game and teaches us many things on and off the course as well as providing us with many unforeseen opportunities. I know it has for me and hopefully it will as well with your junior golfer.

Eric Thielsen, PGA Certified Professional
Eric Thielsen Golf

High School Golf Tryouts part 1

admin — Wed, 28 Jul 2010 17:25:38 +0000

We are nearing the end of July and this can mean only one thing. Golf tryouts for middle and high school kids will be starting in a week or two. I have several students that I teach that will be venturing out to make the journey to achieve the goals that we have set for them. Some are just trying to make the team, some are attempting to make varsity as freshmen and others are seeking to be the number 1 player on their team. Each of these goals are ones that myself, their parents and the student themselves have had a say in. This joint goal setting makes it so much easier to work with the student through the summer and the whole year as well. Each of the parties involved has to be accountable for their part in the development of the child. The parents have to be supportive, encouraging and provide (when applicable) the resources to help the child in their venture. For the student / junior golfer it has to be their endeavor. Now their parents or guardian and the instructor (myself) need to push the student to become what we think they can be only as long as it is in line with what they want for themselves. Myself as the junior golfers coach is required to utilize every resource that I have at my disposal to help this young man or woman realize their dreams and goals. One example is I have them get involved in summer tournaments and in some cases year round tournaments so when the tryout week comes around they have decreased levels of anxiety. An instructor or coach should assist them in becoming a well-rounded golfer and person. For golf performance we will focus on the technique / fundamentals, mental strategies and focus, as well as physical conditioning. As a former The First Tee of Columbus golf instructor and participant I know first hand that golf teaches kids many tools they can use in their everyday lives. Tools such as patience, determination, integrity, good judgment, respect, responsibility and hard work will all be invaluable to them, as they become adults. It is a challenge to balance athletics, academia, social and family life. This is why it is so important that everyone involved be held accountable for their end of the bargain when comes to preparing a high school and potentially one day a college golfer for what they require to make it at that level. Each junior golfer is different so one approach will not work; developing a positive and open relationships with them is far more beneficial to everyone in the long-term success on and off the course.

Eric Thielsen, PGA Certified Professional
Eric Thielsen Golf

2010 British Open

admin — Tue, 20 Jul 2010 23:08:46 +0000

First of all Congratulations to Louis Oosthuizen on his commanding victory at St. Andrews and taking home the 139th British Open title. I have known of Louis Oosthuizen for about 3 or 4 years now. Watching him play on the European Tour. This past week Louis was in control of all parts of his game from the physical to the mental in capturing his first major title. As a golf professional and instructor it is a joy to watch when you see someone clicking on all cylinders. Not only that, but being able to see it in their face that all the hard work and the knowledge of all the people that supported them during the journey has paid off. It shows that even though golf is an individual sport having the right people around you and taking steps to doing things the right way really pays off. Coming from the Ernie Els foundation in South Africa it afforded Louis to have access to resources that otherwise may have been inaccessible. This shows us more than ever that to bring up a champion in any profession a balance is needed. Everything from talent, hard work, perseverance, discipline, physical conditioning, education, and a support system is required to become the best person according to our own personal goals. I enjoyed watching the balance, rhythm, positions, and control of his golf game and swing. I wish him the best of luck in the future and I predict we will be seeing more great golf coming out of South Africa in the upcoming years.

Eric Thielsen, PGA Certified Professional
Eric Thielsen Golf

Intro to Eric Thielsen Golf

admin — Thu, 15 Jul 2010 03:48:03 +0000

Hello everyone! I am Eric Thielsen and welcome to Eric Thielsen Golf and my first blog post. Over the upcoming weeks, months, and years I will be here making posts about once a week. Discussing and commenting on all things golf. Tournament results, current events / hot topic issues, golf instruction & performance, fitness, equipment, rules, and much more. I’m looking forward to everyone’s comments and would love to hear from you on topics that you want me to blog about. 48% of all golfers shoot 100 and above and 3 million people give up the game every year. So it is my hope we may be a small part in moving those numbers in a better direction. By helping keep the pulse of the game strong. Thanks for your time and I am looking forward to the future! Keep it in the short grass.

Eric Thielsen, PGA Certified Professional

Eric Thielsen Golf