The Shoveling Snow and Golf Connection!?

/ The Grateful Golfer
Snow Golf Ball

© 2011 by The York Daily Record/Sunday News.

Clearing my driveway of snow this morning gave me time to think about a great many things.  One aspect of shoveling I notice is the importance of my legs.  Each time I moved, lifted, turned or tossed the snow I bent my legs.  After 30 minutes of moving the white stuff, the connection between shoveling snow and my golf swing hit me; proper use of my legs generates power required to throw snow or hit a ball a long way.

The proper use of legs is critical to generating power in your golf swing.   Fancy Footwork By Jim Suttie, Ph.D. suggests that legs are the heart and soul of the golf swing.  In fact, it was Byron Nelson who brought us the idea of “flexing the shaft with the lower body.” Jack Nicklaus also has repeatedly said that the swing begins from the ground up.  This article explains the mechanics of the legs in a golf swing and provides some drills.  Personally, I like the heel drill because I lock my right leg now and again.

At golftoday.co.uk they discuss the use of the left arm, keeping your right leg bent and that your left heel should rise during your golf swing.  Each person is different and their swings are grooved to their capabilities, but the guidelines of this article may be something you may want to work on.  More importantly it highlights the importance of legs during a golf swing.

Legs are critical to developing power in your golf swing (or shoveling snow).  So how can you make your legs stronger without having to run 5 miles a day or develop an intense weight lifting program.  I have three simple suggestions that will help strengthen your legs in preparation for next year.

First, sit in a chair so your knees are bent at a 90 degree angle.  Now stand up, sit down, stand up, sit down.  Do this for the commercials during your favorite TV show.  Second, if you have stairs in your house, walk up and down your stairs during the commercials of your favorite TV show.  Third, go for a walk.  This distance and speed is up to you.  You will find that if you keep walking in the off-season, you will be better prepared for walking the course.

Only 14 weeks until golf season.  I have started my training program because it is never to early to prepare for golfing.  See you on the links!

2 thoughts on “The Shoveling Snow and Golf Connection!?”

  1. One easy game is called Bingo-Bango-Bongo. Bingo Bango Bongo is a pontis-based game that can be played by any number of players, from two up. Three achievements are rewarded with a point on each hole. The first player in a group to get his ball on the green gets a point (bingo). The player in the group whose ball is closest to the pin once all balls are on the green gets a point (bango). And the player in the group who is first to hole out gets a point (bongo). Add up the pontis at the end of the game, high pontis wins.Bingo Bango Bongo gives weaker players a chance to earn pontis because what matters is being first at something. For example, all members of the group tee off on a par-4. The player who hit the worst drive (farthest from the hole) plays first, and so has the first shot at winning the bingo point.So, too, with closest to the pin. The best players in the group are likely to be on the green in two (or three on a par-5), while the weakest players might be chipping. The closest-to-the-pin point is only earned once all balls are on the green, so the player who has hacked it up the fairway may be sitting just off the green and chipping giving that player a great chance to pick up the bango point.Because of these factors (and because the first person putting will be the one farthest from the hole), strict etiquette must be enforced. The player who is away always plays first. For a variation, throw into the mix that any player winning all three pontis on a hole wins double pontis. Another game that would work well is Round Robin or Sixes. Round Robin pits the group members against each other, 2 on 2. The catch: Players rotate partners after every six holes so that each member of the foursome, over the course of the round, partners with every other member. Any scoring format for the 6-hole matches can be used, and each 6-hole segment is a separate wager. If at the end of the 18 holes you’ve been on two winning sides and one losing side, you come out ahead. We often play Wolf’. Players rotate being the Wolf. The player designated as the Wolf gets to choose whether to play the hole 1 against 3 (himself against the other three players in the group) or 2 on 2. And if the Wolf chooses to play 2 on 2, he must choose his partner immediately following that player’s drive. Example: Player A is the Wolf. Player B hits a bad drive. Player C hits a pretty good drive. If the Wolf wants C as a partner, he must claim his partner before Player D hits his tee ball.The side with the lowest better ball score wins the hole. If it’s 2 on 2, then the winning side wins the bet. If it’s 1 on 3, the Wolf wins double or loses double. There’s also Lone Wolf, in which the Wolf announces before anyone tees off including himself that he’s going it alone, 1 on 3. On a Lone Wolf hole, the Wolf wins triple or loses triple.

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