Page 62 - Sun Rays March 2013

62 | SUNRAYS MARCH 2013 ONLINE: SCTXCA.ORG
The single most important thing to do
before a round of golf is to stretch.
You shouldn’t swing a club with tight
muscles.
Hold all of the stretches described below
for at least 20 seconds.
Before you leave home
Double knees to the chest
Lie on your back with your neck support-
ed. Flex your knees and slide your feet
toward your buttocks. Grasp behind your
thighs, and pull your knees toward your
chest and shoulders and elevate your
hips off the floor. Hold for the stretch.
Re-extend your legs slowly one at a time.
At the course
Deltoids and triceps stretch.
Roll your towel. Hold it by each end in
your hands, place your right hand behind
your head and your left hand at the small
of your back. Gently pull down with your
left hand until you feel a tug in your
right shoulder and triceps. Then gently
pull up with your right hand until you
feel a tug in you left shoulder. Switch
hands and repeat.
Rhomboids and Trapezius stretch
(upper back)
Stand with your fingers interwoven and
your arms extended in front of you. Turn
your palms outward and extend your
arms farther forward until you feel a
gentle tug in your upper back. Hold for
the stretch.
Chest Stretch
Stand with your fingers interwoven be-
hind your back near the belt. Extend
your arms up and behind you until you
feel gentle tug in your shoulders and
chest. Hold for the stretch.
Seated Spinal Twist
Sit up straight in your cart with both
feet on the floor. Keeping your feet on
the floor, rotate your legs to one side and
your upper body to the other side. Hold
for the stretch.
Caroline Rosenbaum, our Sun City Fit-
ness Director, was kind enough to find
John Rutan, one of the professional train-
ers here, to give us tips on warm ups
and strengthening exercises. Here are
John’s suggestions for your use to play
better golf.
Strength Training Exercises
A Personal Trainer can show you a few
basic exercises for each of the three im-
portant muscle groups for golfers. It is
important to learn to execute the exer-
cises properly to avoid injury.
Begin with the trunk/core muscles.
These are important for two reasons;
many golfers experience lower back prob-
lems caused by weak erector spine mus-
cles in the lower back. Trunk muscles
play a key role in the transfer of power
from the large hip and thigh muscles
to the club-swinging muscles of the up-
per body.
The second group of muscles golfers
should strengthen is those of the thighs
and hips, because weight transfer and
hip thrust are critical components of
powerful golf drives.
The third group of muscles that con-
tribute to driving power includes the
chest muscles, upper back muscles and
the shoulder muscles. It is important
to maintain strength in these muscles
in order to prevent shoulder and joint
injuries.
A 30- or 60-minute session with any one
of our Sun City Texas Personal Trainers
can get you started on a training routine
that fits your needs.
Continued on page 64
The Sun City Texas WGA-18 Hole
Group plays on Tuesdays. If you
are interested in joining please
contact Terry Howarth at 512-
925-8370, or Elaine Seibold at
512-869-5455.
2013 Major Tournaments
Eclectic Tournament –
April 8 and 9
President’s Cup – May 6 and 7
Match Play Tournament –
June 10, 11 and 18
Member/Member Tournament –
September 9 and 10
Club Championship –
October 7, 8 and 10
Aces of Aces Tournament –
November 12
Congratulations to Kay Atkins
for her HOLE in ONE on Sunday,
January 20, at CC on hole #5!
WGA 18-Hole Group
Submitted by Elaine Mason
Golf Warm-up and workout
Submitted by the Sun City Golf Committee
GOLF
MGA News
Submitted by John Leek, Chairman, MGA Handicap Committee
Fair handicapping depends upon full and
accurate information regarding a player’s
potential scoring ability as reflected by
a complete scoring record. The MGA
Handicap Committee is in the process of
developing a system that will compare the
Chelsea tee sheet bookings to the GHIN
score postings. The Committee is very
optimistic that this system will provide
a valuable tool in monitoring player score
postings. Every player is responsible for
returning all acceptable scores.
There is some confusion within the MGA
concerning exactly what constitutes an
acceptable score. The USGA Handicap
System defines the acceptability of scores
to post (Sec 5-1, pg 27 of the “2012-2015
USGA Handicap System”). Not all ac-
ceptable scores represent the traditional
completion of 18 holes of golf. One such
circumstance encountered in our MGA
competitions concerns unfinished holes
and conceded strokes.
A player who starts, but does not com-
plete a hole or is conceded a stroke must
record for handicap purposes the most
likely score. The most likely score may
not exceed the player’s Equitable Stroke
Control limit. This most likely score
should be preceded by an “X”.
There is no limit to the number of un-
finished holes a player may have in a
round, provided that failure to finish is