Golf Related Injuries!

A while ago in the Strait times there was a survey about golf in Spore,it said that there are approx 55,ooo golfers in Spore,thats people playing on the golf-course or hitting balls at the driving-range at least once a week.
The survey said that at least 70% of these golfers get injured pursuing their hobby! Don't know about you but i find that astonishing considering that golf' is not a contact sport like rugby!
Where do hobby golfers get injured,well obviously the spine is most commom,followed by elbow,shoulder,wrist etc.
How do these injuries occur ;1/Poor technique2/Ill-fitted equipment,and 3/ Not warming up or stretching before practising/playing are the main reasons.
1/Poor technique;Backpain due to rigidly keeping head down/still,forcing untold pressure on the spine.
Keeping the left arm stiff or locked resulting in the so-called 'tennis- elbow ocurring'. Shoulder/wrist due to constant hitting of the ground/mat.
2/Ill-fitted clubs; We are just scratching the surface with this one,just that when tall-golfers have too short a clubs causes an arched spine(quasimodoe appearance).
3/ Not warming up before hand;Alot of golfers pull muscles in their stomach or lats! These muscles need to be stretched before hitting shots,i often see golfers starting their practise session with the driver,which is the equivilant to stepping on the gas at fullpelt from the word go .A golfer must always start lightly with the shorter clubs and work their way up to the driver. For me hitting a bucket of balls is a good workout due to the effort of swinging and the concentration involved,
So there you have it.Golf does not make you fit! YOU have to be fit to play golf! Good news is you do get to burn alot of calories!

Food in Singapore

My Mouth starts watering just thinking about the food on offer in this fascinating country! Lastnite i had a sumptuous chicken rice opposite Novena mrt,and the other nite at Jalan Kayu i had 'ta hokkien hey me'(wrong spelling),which left a warm-glow in my stomach the whole day!
In England i was brought up on Indian curry,so i love spicy.One of life's great pleasures eating,and here you are spoilt for choice!
On the subject of England,after what seemed an eternity of lifeless dour football,England finally produced a performance of note beating Croatia 4-1 away! At last they played as a team,and Theo Walcott is as quick as Lewis Hamalton! Anyway i look forward to the big match this Saturday.Portsmouth v M'boro! 'C'mon you blues'

'Misleading terms'

The mother of all 'misleading terms' in golf is that you must keep your 'head down or still'. Golfers are given this advice on Driving ranges and golf course all around the world,resulting in restrictive and unnatural body movements,which can cause injury when perfected let alone poorly executed golf-shots!
What i want to know is how this piece of advise orginated,but i have an inkling. It doesn't help matters when great players advise you to keep your head still in instuctional books/mags,which just goes to prove that great players do not neccessary make great coaches!
Somes years back they measured Greg Norman's spine movement during the golf-swing using computers,his spine moved 8cm on the backswing and then 25cm on the follow-thru to the finish position! Now correct me if i'm wrong but isn't the head connected to the spine,so it has to move,now i'm not saying you move you head on purpose, just that it has to 'go with the flow' which is a more natural unrestrictive body-movement resulting in better golf-shots being struck,its logical as well as putting less stress on your back! I will elaborate more on this subject in future blogs!

Learning golf the correct way

There has been and still is alot of nonsense taught about the 'golf-swing'!
It pains me to see golfer's forever struggling with their games because they have recieved'false info' from unqualified coaches.Remember cheap advice is not good,say if i wanted to learn to fly an aeorplane i would seek a qualified expert,just it seems in golf there are a lot of so-called experts advising their friends or spouses to swing this way or that,it just confuses the poor golfer because it is just a mish-mash of tips and cliches' with no real concept!
A golfer has to get the basic fundamentals right if he/she has any chance of playing to their full potential.I see so many golfers with poor posture and their aiming/alignment way off the intended target!
The solution is to get proper instruction from an experienced PGA qualified coach,then golfers can get to learn golf the right way,ultimately getting more fun and enjoyment out of this fascinating game called golf!

Adapting to life in S-E Asia!

Hi My name is Alex Rowson a British PGA Golf pro/coach!
I've been living and working in Spore now for 3years,coming over directly from Germany! I'm still getting used to the heat here,but i'd rather be hot than cold!
The food here is mouth-watering,alot of variety,i love spicey and i just had a Mee-rebus at the coffee-shop which burnt my lips off.
It is a great experience for me to live in this amazing metropolis,all the different cultures,races,working and getting on with it.
They love their football here,and i'm amazed at the coverage of the EPL,as a Soccer mad Englishman i think its marvellous! My Team is Portsmouth!
'So my next blog will be about Golf in Spore.