November is for ....

November is for Thanksgiving and I am thankful for any time I can spend with family....
I am not able to see my eldest son  Christian often enough but had some time to see him this Thanksgiving holiday.  It was a treat that his day off fell on the final day of the Charles Schwab cup and that luckily my niece Selene just happened to have 2 tickets to spare. Talk about blessings!

Harding Golf Club

The Charles Schwab Cup 2011 was  held at the Harding Golf Club in the San Francisco Bay Area which is next to the gorgeous Lake Merced.

View of Lake Merced by Harding GC

Christian Ignacio

No cameras allowed in the tournament.

18th Hole Harding GC

But IPhones were allowed :-)

Amazing photo quality from a phone don't you think?

I told you I gave you the right yardage.....

Adam Scott at the first day of the Australian Open.  Go Adam!

The stronger your core, the lower your score!

As people are getting more health conscious, fitness systems like Pilates are gaining more following.  Developed by Joseph Pilates in the 1920's, Pilates believes that lifestyle, posture, and inefficient breathing contributes to poor health, so it encourages alignment of the spine and strengthening of the abdominal muscles - both critical to a golfer's swing.

Proper balance in golf translates to a more powerful swing.  Spending long hours at the driving range and countless hours on your short game is great.  But if you work on strengthening your body, you can further reduce your handicap and prevent body aches and injuries.  Instead of purchasing a new club, it makes better sense to spend extra time getting in better physical shape.  But the big question remains: by strengthening my core, will I lower my score?

The only exercise i do regularly is walking on the golf course.  But as much as I avoid the gym, I would do anything to play better golf, so I was willing to try Pilates.  My golf pro can only do so much with my swing, but the fundamental cause of any swing defect is impaired physical condition, which may result in backswing sway, reverse pivot, chicken winging, and casting.  If I want to be stronger and more flexible, then I have ti do proper exercise.

My golf teammate at Forest Hills has been doing Pilates for years.  I sought her recommendation and was led to Carolyn Lim of the Balanced Body Studio.  Carol spearheaded the teaching of Pilates and Gyrokinesis - a methodology that allows you to work on your entire body through seven natural elements of spinal movement- in the country.  

Being quite apprehensive, I ask Carol to keep the lessons simple.  She assures, "Anyone can do Pilates!"  Then proceeds to demonstrate manageable moves anyone can indeed follow.

Golf is extraordinary in that the sport is not restricted by age.  Just ask my 80-year-old dad who beats my score regularly.  The same holds true for Pilates, because it is a low-impact activity.  So yes, it is highly possible that the stronger your core, the lower your score!

For a copy of the Pilates exercises demonstrated by Carol Lim, check out Impact Magazine in major bookstores and magazine stands.

Fore!

Happy Golf Halloween!

Happy Halloween to all! Here's hoping you had some free days to enjoy the fairways this long weekend.

Have you seen some of the golf themed halloween costumes?

                                        This one is called the Tiger Woods black eye costume.

                                                  Here's the Tiger Woods Halloween mask!

                                   Check out the Tiger Woods Halloween wanna be on the left....


                                   But my all time favorite are still  the PGA Golf Boys costume.....

                               Ben Crane, Hunter Mahan, Ricky Fowler and Bubba Watson.

                               Happy Trick or Treating!