20 Easy Things You Can Do To Insure A Great Day Of Golf

The Night Before
1. Prepare your clubs the night before. Clean the grooves in the irons and wash and wipe the heads and the grips on all your clubs.

2. Make sure you have enough balls and tees, and pack a spare glove.

3. Clean your shoes and make sure all the spikes are tight.

4. Lay out the clothes you will wear the next day. Choose clothes that you will feel great in.

5. Put your cleaned clubs, bag and pull cart (if using one) near the door or in the garage next to the car.

6. Don’t have a late night meal of coffee to insure a good nights sleep

Game Day
7. Get up early in plenty of time to get showered, dressed and at the course at least 45 minutes prior to your tee off time.

8. Take a good hot shower to warm up your body, especially your legs.

9. While in the hot shower, stretch your arms to the ceiling, then stretch down and vigorously scrub your legs, while gently stretching your hamstrings.

10. When toweling off, use the towel to act as a stretching strap to move and invigorate your entire body. Stretch down to wipe your feet and legs (again, the hamstrings).

11. Get dressed and feel like a PGA Tour Pro as you prepare to leave.

12. While in the car, play music or a CD that will keep you calm, not charged up talk radio or Heavy Metal music.

13. Grip the steering wheel hard for 5 seconds then relax. Repeat 10 times. You can also use a SqueasyBall or a tennis ball to warm up your grip.

14. Park a little way away from the clubhouse so you can get in a short warm up walk.

15. If possible...avoid too much coffee so you can stay calm and “mello”.

16. If there is a practice range, get a small bucket of balls and head to it at least 30 minutes before your scheduled tee time.

17. Do some stretching exercises (see www.golfgym.com for recommendations). Swing a weighted club if you have one.

18. Start with your wedge. Set up every shot as if you were hitting to a specific target. Use a full follow through on every shot. Move up your irons then hit just a few drivers, swinging easy and smoothly.

19. Take a few deep breaths in...hold...then exhale as you head to the first tee to meet your buddies.

20. Now, tee up that shiny new ball, step back, choose your target, make a firm decision, get in a good golf posture and smoothly rip one right down the middle holding a great finish position.

OK...there’s 21...Have the best time you ever had on a golf course.
Yes, you can do it!!

The GolfGym Team

Balance - How's Yours?

As golfers, we all know that balance is a major component in performing a good golf swing. It's a given.

Therefore, it is important to recognize your own capabilities as related to balance and whether or not you need to work on yours. If you find it difficult to hold a good follow through posture, then you have a balance issue. It could be as simple as you having too much weight on your toes in your set up position (a common problem). With just a little effort, you will improve your balance which will in turn improve your swing and enhance your enjoyment of the game.

Here is a simple assessment/exercise you can perform that will immediately tell you how your balance stacks up.

Start by standing up straight with your hands at your side and your palms facing forward. Then raise your right leg, balancing on your left leg, so your foot is about 6" - 8" off the floor. For some, this in itself is a difficult position to hold for any length of time. Try to hold this position for 10 - 15 seconds. You may have to make a few attempts at this just to get the "feel" and awareness signalling your brain to help you balance. Don't be discouraged. With just a few attempts, you should be able to hold for 10 seconds or so.

Now, lift your left leg in the same manner and notice the difference...because there will be a difference. All of us have a strong side. You will pick that up right away.

Here is a helpful tip: Before lifting your leg, pick out a spot on the floor about 6 - 8 feet in front of you and focus on that spot while balancing on one leg or the other.

There are two ways to add a degree of difficulty to this exercise:

1. As you are balancing on either leg, bring your gaze upward towards the ceiling and off that spot on the floor in front of you. Wow! That makes for a different feeling.
2. Again, as you balance on either leg...close your eyes. For most of you attempting this for the first time, it will be difficult to hold this position for more than a few seconds, if that.

You can perform these balance exercises in bare feet, golf or in athletic shoes. Either way you will feel your body and brain working hard to keep you upright for as long as possible.

Here is Tom Pernice in the PGA Tour Fitness Trailer performing a more advanced version of this exercise.

Good luck with this exercise. Sticking to it will definitely help your balance.

The GolfGym Team

Seven Days In Utopia

The new golf movie "Seven Days In Utopia" is out in theaters and, in my opinion, is the most realistic golf movie ever made. Robert Duval hits only one shot in the movie, but Lucas Black, from the movie, "Friday Night Lights" is a very good golfer and has a great swing.

The message in the movie is about inspiration and significance in life through golf. There is a religious tone, but not overwhelming.

Description: "Seven Days in Utopia" starring Robert Duvall, Lucas Black, and Melissa Leo. The story revolves around a young pro golfer, Luke Chisolm (Lucas Black) who has a major meltdown in a tour tournament and ends up in Utopia where he meets seasoned pro, Johnny (Robert Duvall) who helps him improve his golf game as well as his life. While the major tour events were filmed at Boot Ranch in Fredericksburg, Utopia and its golf course is where Luke "finds his game."

The story will warm your heart and has an ending like no other movie I have ever seen.

Rickie Fowler, Stewart Cink and K.J. Choi are also in the movie.

The GolfGym Team

Where In The World Is Joey D?

First, there was "Where's Waldo", then "Where in the World is Carmen San Diego" and now it is "Where in the World is Coach Joey D"?


Yes, it has been a little over two months since we posted anything on the GolfGym/Joey D blog. I, Ken Pierce, take full responsibility for the lack of communication.

We have been concentrating on a new website and a few other exciting opportunities and have completely dropped the ball on bringing you information through this blog on Joey, The GolfGym Academy and all the players with whom Joey worked who have been playing incredibly well this year. We couldn't be happier for them.

Time sort of stops here in South Florida during the summer, because most of the recreational golfers are back in their Northern homes waiting for Thanksgiving so they might return to Florida and the great weather which the fall season brings. Joey and I have played a few rounds in the heat and believe me.....it is hot.

Joey has been busy working with some of the pros who call the Jupiter area home. We have been cheering them on from the sidelines. Since Joey decided to spend more time at home with his family and not on the road, he has been able to help more amateur golfers get to know their golf bodies much, much better.

Joey's book, "Fix Your Body, Fix Your Swing" is now available as a Kindle eBook and is available at Amazon.com.

The website should be up and running in about 2 weeks and will offer more information, videos and interactive activities. We will let you know when that happens.

Congrats to Chez Reavie for some great play last week. Your time is coming Chez.

All the best.
The GolfGym Team