Bob Writes To Jack Nicklaus
Dear Jack,
Loved the anecdote
that you revealed at the Senior Skins. For those who weren’t tuned-in,
it went as follows:
You went out to
a junior golf camp in Palm Beach. The golfers were 5 to 9 years old.
Somebody asked the group if any
of them knew who Jack Nicklaus was. Only one of the kids raised his
hand. He said, "He’s my grandpa!"
You were recently quoted as saying that throughout
your career golfers have told you they wished that they could play
like you do ... and now they can!
You can still play, however you also are capable of
playing better. Your flexibility is less than it was in the past.
This is costing you distance. The solution is to do some stretching.
Three stretching exercises which are golf specific:
1. Stand about
10 inches from the wall with your back towards the wall. Slowly turn
your upper body in either direction
and place your hands against the wall after rotating as far as you
can. Hold this position 10 seconds. While keeping your hands firmly
planted against the wall, turn your upper body back towards the front.
Because your hands are planted against the wall, you won’t be able
to turn far. This will momentarily tense the muscles that are restricting
your swing. Hold this tensed position for about 10 seconds. Now,
relax while maintaining your hand position against the wall. The
final step is to rotate your upper body a couple of inches farther
than you did originally and hold for another 10 seconds. You will
find that your flexibility improves instantly as you alternate the
rotating and tensing phases. Repeat as often as you like on the first
side and then repeat in the other direction.
2. Cross your right arm in front of your chest and
then grab your right arm just above the elbow with your left hand.
Use your left hand to pull your right arm across your chest. Hold
for 10 seconds. Now push your right elbow against your left hand
(back towards the right.) Repeat and then switch arms.
3. Lie on your back and raise your right leg and point
it at the ceiling. If you are doing this outdoors, I suggest that
you point at the sky instead of the ceiling. Slowly move your right
leg across your body towards the floor on the left side while keeping
your right shoulder flat against the floor. No sudden or jerky movements.
Repeat with other leg.
Golfingly Yours,
Bob Mann
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