Having spent a considerable amount of time around golf ranges going back many, many years (no, the balls weren’t filled with feathers.) I wanted to offer some advice to you golfers getting ready for an active playing season. First, for that inaugural trip to the range, leave the “big dog” in the bag. There really is no need to unleash your ultimate 400cc driver on the first day. Try and build some tempo into your game, using short to mid irons; work on swing rhythm and don’t worry about the ball not going 350 yards straight away into the wind. The focus should be on establishing consistency into your swing pattern, muscle memory as it is often termed, which hopefully will translate into accuracy and better scores. Secondly, don’t hit your season allotment for practice balls all in one day. I can’t believe as a range operator that I’m saying this. Most of you have probably not swung a club for 3-4 months, take your time and work on basic swing drills and enjoy the moment. Hopefully the weather will be with us for a couple of weeks and the opportunities to groove a swing pattern will be plenty. On that note keep your fingers crossed. For the extremely avid golfer who prefers to hit 400-500 golf balls on their initial visit to the range, please bring your own Band-Aids.

Equally as important, do some basic stretching exercises as a pre-routine to swinging the club and hitting balls. Superior athletes, even golfers, use various routines to prepare themselves prior to the actual physical activity. Areas requiring special attention for golfers are the lower back, shoulders, and neck region. If you happen to be more of a power hitter, along the lines of a Sammy Sosa and /or Mark McGuire, please give yourself lots of room on the tee line. We would hate to see other golfers sucked into your wake as you do a Jason Zuback follow through.

Springtime is the perfect time to see a swing doctor or as we call them at the Riverside Golf Park and the Calgary Family Golf Center… teaching professionals. Our four teaching professionals are just that…. teachers. They take extreme pride in their ability to communicate with players of all skill levels, thus their client book consists of raw rookies to scratch golfers. Recognizing that no two golfers are perfectly alike , our golf facilities firmly believe, “we teach people, not systems”. Our teachers will not sell you a golf shirt nor book you a tee off time. However, they will provide you with the best golf instruction available built on many years of experience. Most definitely, quality golf instruction will improve your game. You will score better and we are quite confident that your enjoyment level will rise. Give us a call at the Calgary Family Golf Center (239-4450) or the Riverside Golf Park (278-9080).

Have a great and healthy season and look forward to seeing you at the Riverside Golf Park in the south or the Calgary Family Golf Centre in the north.