With us today is coach and trainer for the master in swimming in San Diego, California. Kevin Koskellas’ points about golf and swimming are so true. I found this out while rehabbing from back surgery. I also found the same action Kevin mentions when I began playing golf again after back surgery. I like his insight and makes great points.

Recently, I have taken up golf, and I can’t help but notice the similarities between learning golf and learning swimming. Both are finesse sports that require large amounts of concentration and practice to get right, and it is unnecessary (and ill-advised) to gain great amounts of strength to make major improvements in either sport. Let’s look at some specific ways golf is like swimming:

1. It Starts with Head Position. In golf, you must keep your head still and look straight at the ball while you swing in order to make contact. In swimming, you must keep your head still and look straight down at the bottom of the pool while you rotate in order to get the most out of your stroke.

2. Concentration is Key. The moment you start thinking about more than one thing when you are about to hit the ball is the moment that something goes wrong. If I get 2 tips on my golf swing and I think about both of them the next time I tee up, I tend to have an underwhelming result! The same goes for doing the swimming drills. As a coach, if I give a swimmer several things to think about, inevitably, nothing will go right. The idea is to concentrate on one aspect, practice it, master it, and move on.

3. The Fewer Strokes, The Better. When improving your score in golf, you want to take fewer strokes to get the ball in the hole. To improve your swim (especially open water), you want to take fewer strokes per length, in order to utilize your energy for the entire swim or triathlon.

4. Follow Through is Important. When you hit the ball, it is important that you follow through all the way with your club. In freestyle swimming, to get the most out of your stroke, you must extend your arm and glide.

5. Power Comes from the Core. Your arms and legs themselves do not need to be incredibly powerful to have success in either sport. With both sports, the power comes from the core- abdominal muscles, lower back, and hips. Legs are used more for stabilization than to propel you forward in swimming. Legs in golf are also used more for stabilization, rather than for more powerful strokes.

Both sports can also be frustrating, but with practice, patience, and persistence, swimming and golf can both present you with a meditative-like form of exercise that I have found to be both fulfilling and fun!

About the author: Kevin coaches masters and triathlete swimmers in San Diego, CA. He operates the website www.TriSwimCoach.com, a resource for future or current triathletes needing help with the swim. The site features a free email newsletter offering tips and articles on triathlon swimming. Kevin has also written an electronic book titled ‘The Complete Guide to Triathlon Swimming’ which is sold on his website www.triswimcoach.com in downloadable form.

That shot put the pressure on Padraig Harrington (Paddy).

Paddy as they call him on tour, had the next shot, and it hit the green and landed next to the bleachers.

Was Paddy TigerIzed Again?

The shot Harrington had to make on 16 would make an amateurs legs rattle. You have water on the other side of the green, it Sunday and the greens…their quick. He chooses a 56 degree wedge and swings…it sprays…hits the green and right into the water.

That led to a triple bogey and the eventual win, and Tigers 70th tour victory. He was also the first to win 7 times at the same course in tour history.

All three had a total score of 215 going into the mens individual playoff.

At the par five after three strokes all three players were on the green in regulation, and after the first putts occurred, one birdie from Garcia and individual championship crown was taken.

Cameron and Goulding would share second place together.

Another excellent showing at the Pacific West men’s golf championships.

Dixie  State  as a team placed third with a +26 score of 890 after the three-day championship competition.

Amateur’s golf continues to turn page after page excitement and fun from local in St. George.