GOLBAL SPORTS NEWS

Most expensive sports tickets

2010-11-23T03:47:00.000-08:00

Super Bowl among most expensive sports tickets
There’s nothing like the feeling of rolling up to your local sports stadium, ticket in hand, to see your heroes up close and personal. However, those who simply must have the best seat in the house had better make sure the bank balance is hefty. Here’s a sampling of the most expensive sports tickets for the current season and into the spring of 2011. Note that these prices are a combination of both primary and secondary market pricing.

NFL
The Super Bowl carries the most expensive ticket prices and packages of any of the major professional sports. This season’s extravaganza, scheduled for Feb. 6, 2011 at Cowboys Stadium in Arlington, Texas, carries a whopping $9,000 price tag for premium seats in the “100 section,” which, by the way, are already sold out.Too steep? Then $1,500 gets you in the parking lot to tailgate (no stadium entrance included). But if you really want to impress your pals with a total NFL experience, a luxury suite for 25 – fully catered, of course – will only set you back about $200,000.

Speaking of the NFL, when the scheduling gods planned the 2010 season opener for the New Orleans Saints, they did one heck of a job. Not only were the defending Super Bowl champion Saints meeting the Minnesota Vikings (and sure-to-be Hall of Famer quarterback Brett Favre), it was a rematch of last season’s thrilling NFC Championship Game that saw New Orleans win on its way to the club’s first Super Bowl. It also drew the highest priced ticket of any team for the NFL regular season to date, at $575 (face value, no mark-up fee, no parking). To the delight of the sell-out crowd, the Saints won this one too, 14-9.

NBA
Here’s the perfect holiday present for the ultimate hoops fan: a courtside ticket to the Miami Heat-Los Angeles Lakers game on Dec. 25, 2010 at the Staples Center in L.A. The average price per ticket is the most expensive in the league at $893. But when a “regular” seat won’t do, you have options: The front row behind the visiting team’s bench costs over $6,000 for each seat (and you must buy four seats). But Miami’s LeBron James, the big-name draw, won’t be sitting much anyway. For a few bucks less ($5,000 each) you can get an unobstructed view of King James battling under the boards with Lakers star Kobe Bryant from center court.

Courtside seats for the NBA All-Star Game on Feb. 20, 2011 (also in L.A.) cost a bit more at $6,500, but you get to see all the league’s big stars lumber up and down the court.

NCAA Final Four

College hoops fans might just be the most enthusiastic of the whole bunch. They spend months following the teams, weeks mapping out their grids, and hours on end glued to the TV or internet telecasts. And the folks who organize the tournament know it. A seat in the lower tier of the championship game at Reliant Stadium in Houston, Texas, on April 4 will set you back on average about $3,500. (Mere mortals can sit in the nosebleed section for a modest $175.)

NHL
Professional hockey has fallen out of favor in recent years with American audiences, but the sport’s marquee game this season is the Winter Classic on Jan. 1, 2011, between the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Washington Capitals at Heinz Field. The annual outdoor game has been a huge success in the past, and this year’s edition should be no different. With the game already sold out, you can expect to shell out $300 – for the worst seats in the house. For club seats in the lower bowl you’re looking at a $3,000 price tag.

During the regular season, the Vancouver Canucks’ home game at Rogers Arena on Dec. 18 against the Toronto Maple Leafs (these two teams average the highest ticket prices in the league) will cost $900 for front row seats just off center ice. To compare, the New York Rangers and longtime rival Philadelphia Flyers face off at the storied Madison Square Garden in NYC on Jan. 16 for a paltry $295.

Major League Baseball

The 2010 season is over, but baseball junkies can already order tickets for the 2011 All-Star Game at Chase Field in Phoenix, Arizona, on July 12. But act fast! Box seats behind home plate are $3,600 each, and you must buy them in pairs; Dugout box seats are $1,800, and third-base box seats are $1,500 each.

Horse Racing

Not all fans are aficionados of sports that involve varied-sized balls. The Kentucky Derby is arguably the most renowned event in thoroughbred racing. Seating in “Millionaire’s Row” at Churchill Downs for the May 7, 2011, leg of the Triple Crown will set you back about $4,000 (must buy two or four seats). Mint julep, anyone?

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Matches schedule Calender,

2010-06-08T09:31:00.000-07:00

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Matches schedule Calender,

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Matches Group stage,

2010-06-08T08:56:00.000-07:00

2010 FIFA World Cup South Africa Matches Group stage,

2010 FIFA World Cup

2010-05-18T05:17:00.000-07:00

The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the 19th FIFA World Cup, the premier international football tournament. It is scheduled to take place between 11 June and 11 July 2010 in South Africa. The 2010 FIFA World Cup will be the culmination of a qualification process that began in August 2007 and involved 204 of the 208 FIFA national teams. As such, it matches the 2008 Summer Olympics as the sports event with the most competing nations.

This will be the first time that the tournament has been hosted by an African nation, after South Africa beat Morocco and Egypt in an all-African bidding process. This decision left the Oceania Football Confederation as the only confederation yet to host the FIFA World Cup. Italy are the defending champions. The draw for the finals took place on 4 December 2009 in Cape Town.

Venues
In 2005, the organisers released a provisional list of twelve venues to be used for the World Cup: Bloemfontein, Cape Town, Durban, Johannesburg (two venues), Kimberley, Nelspruit, Orkney, Polokwane, Port Elizabeth, Pretoria, and Rustenburg. This was narrowed down to ten venues which were officially announced by FIFA on 17 March 2006:

Cricinfo International Scores

2010-05-05T12:52:00.000-07:00

Cricinfo International Scores: "Get the latest scores of all the international cricket matches from Cricinfo. Add the Cricinfo International Scores widget now!"

Russian pairs medal streak

2010-02-16T04:37:00.000-08:00

For the first time since 1964, a Russian pair will not be atop the medal stand for pairs figure skating. In fact, the Russians were shut out of pairs medals completely, with the Chinese pairs of Xue Shen and Hongbo Zhao and Qing Pang and Jian Tong taking gold and silver, respectively, and Aliona Savchenko and Robin Szolkowy from Germany taking bronze.

The Russian teams began to fall apart early, with the young team of Vera Bazarova and Yuri Larionov falling on their first jump. In the next Russian couple's skate, Maria Mukhortova fell on her triple Salchow with her partner, Maxim Trankov.

The one pair left, Yuko Kavaguti (pictured above) and Alexander Smirnov, was Russia's last chance to keep a 12-Olympics streak going, but the pressure proved to be too much. Kavaguti put her hand down on their first throw, and the routine fell apart from there. Smirnov had a two-foot landing and then Kavaguti fell awkwardly on another throw. With the dominant performances by the Chinese teams and the difficulty-packed skate from the Germans, the Russians stood no chance. Kavaguti and Smirnov finished in fourth place.

The irony is that ice skating in China would not have hit this pinnacle without Russia. Yao Bin, the Chinese coach who handpicked Shen and Zhao to skate together, built the Chinese program by modeling it after the Russians'

Top-earning athletes at Winter Olympics Games....

2010-02-11T02:15:00.000-08:00

Last February energy-drink maker Red Bull built U.S. snowboarder Shaun White his own half-million-dollar half-pipe in the backcountry of Silverton, Colo. – so remote he needs a helicopter to shuttle him there. It was here where White invented the most dangerous trick in his repertoire: the double McTwist 1260, an inverted aerial in which he launches himself up off the side of a snow packed embankment and flips head over heels twice while spinning three-and-a-half times and holding his board.

The move helped him win gold at the Winter X Games in Aspen, Colo., and padded his status as an action sport superstar. He also padded his wallet with $40,000 in prize money. But compared to what he earns from sponsors, that was pocket change. Last year, 23-year-old White pocketed $7.5 million from the likes of snowboard-maker Burton, Red Bull, Target, goggle-maker Oakley, game-maker Ubisoft and AT&T, making him one of the highest-earning athletes appearing at the 2010 Winter Olympics in Vancouver.
Sharing that top honor is South Korea’s Kim Yu-Na, who is also making top dollar for her dynamic aerial skills – but on ice skates. Last year her triple-triple combination jumps helped her earn the titles of World Champion, Grand Prix Final Champion, and Four Continents Champion and brought her nearly $150,000 in prize money. They also helped the 19-year-old become a marketing darling in her home country, where she earned $7.5 million from sponsors like Hyundai Motor, Kookim Bank, Nike, Proctor & Gamble, just to name a few. Her Samsung Electronics “Yu-Na Haptic” style phone launched in May of last year broke a company record in December when unit sales broke the 1 million mark in less than seven months.

Our list of the highest-earning athletes of the Winter Olympic looks at earnings derived from prize money, endorsements, licensing income and bonuses for the 2009 calendar year and does not deduct for taxes or agents’ fees. All salaried professional athletes, specifically National Hockey League players, were excluded from the list.

In terms of earning potential, White and Yu-Na are typical Olympic athletes. They are dependent on sponsors, rather than competition prize money, to make a living in their sport. But the recent economic downturn has made it harder to turn gold medals into cash. Already at a disadvantage compared to most of their Summer Olympic siblings whose sports are more popular and marketable (think swimming’s Michael Phelps or gymnastics’ Mary Lou Retton), many Winter Olympian hopefuls have struggled with the loss of sponsors leading to the 2010 Vancouver games. Even White lost deals with American Express and Hewlett-Packard.

No Olympic hopefuls’ struggles have been more public than U.S. speedskating team. Its ability to even pay for practice ice time were put in serious peril in October when it lost its sponsor Dutch Bank DSB, who had a four-year agreement worth $350,000 a year including $50,000 for athlete performances. An unlikely lifeline came from the Comedy Central’s Stephen Colbert who raised $300,000 in donations online and whose Colbert Nation became the team’s official primary sponsor for the upcoming games. But the financial crisis the team faces is a problem that goes beyond just the Olympics. With no major sponsor lined up for next year, the team’s growth is in jeopardy.

Five-time Olympic medalist in short-track speed skating (and 2007 “Dancing With the Stars” champion) Apolo Anton Ohno has helped himself by negotiating his own marketing deals outside his team. For his efforts, the 27-year-old ranks No. 5 on our list having earned $1.5 million last year through endorsements with Coca-Cola, AT&T, Alaska Airlines and Proctor & Gamble. His most recent endorsement with Nestle has paired him in an advertising campaign with 2008 Beijing Olympic gold medal gymnast, Shawn Johnson.

Skiers too felt the economic pinch. Equipment supplier asked its athletes to take a fifty percent reduction in their agreed upon income, a move it said was necessary to stay afloat during the economic crisis. It prompted American Lindsey Vonn, two-time World Cup overall champion, to switch to equipment maker Head in a deal that lasts through 2014. Combined with her sponsorships from Red Bull, UnderArmour, Proctor & Gamble and recent addition Rolex, Vonn earned $2.5 million last year and another $350,000 in prize money, making her No. 3 on our list of highest earning Winter Olympians.

Then there is prolific and capricious skier Bode Miller, who recently rejoined the U.S. ski team and qualified for his third Olympics. He earned $1.3 million last year from sponsors including Nike, Head, and Superfund and in prize money on the World Cup circuit to rank No. 6 on our list. His way to deal with lagging sponsorship for Winter Olympians? Go after the Summer Olympians’ money. The 32-year-old recently announced he intends to compete in the U.S. Tennis Association’s newly created national playoff tournament in hopes of landing a spot in the U.S. Open in August.

The top five:

1t. Shaun White
1t. Kim Yu-Na
3. Lindsey Vonn
4. Ted Ligety
5. Apolo Anton Ohno

Kyle DeVan,From substitute teacher to protector of Peyton...

2010-02-02T07:27:00.000-08:00

At this time last year, Kyle DeVan's job was to stand in front of large groups of random children and somehow, make them behave and/or learn something.

This year, it's going to be his job to protect the most famous football player in the world, with about 100,000,000 people watching him do it.

The AP has the story Monday about DeVan, who has spent the last year of his life journeying from substitute teacher to Super Bowl starter. It's an amazing story. Out of the blue last year, he got a chance to play with the Boise Burn of arenafootball2, did that, and somehow the Colts noticed him and gave him a chance in training camp.

He made the most of it, earned a spot on the roster, ascended to a starting position, and here he is, protecting arguably the game's most valuable asset, Peyton Manning.

I'm just thrilled for everyone involved. I'm happy for DeVan, of course, because he didn't give up on his dreams, he kept working hard, and ended up at the pinnacle of his profession. That's incredible, and the substitute teachers of the world certainly deserve a break now and then.

And I'm happy for the kids in his old school district, too. Because when a child learns that it's a substitute teacher day, that child has a right to expect that they'll be able to get away with some wild stuff that day. But when you walk in and the substitute teacher is 6-foot-2, 306 pounds, that's just not fair. No one's going to want to throw spitballs at Mr. DeVan.

So it worked out for everyone, and DeVan provides Super Bowl XLIV a very solid good-guy story. Best of luck to him on Sunday.

Ryan Miller's Team U.S.A. goalie mask

2010-02-02T07:19:00.000-08:00

Ryan Miller is the goalie for the Buffalo Sabres, and this February he will be repping the United States to the fullest as the number one netman for the national team. And when I say he's repping the U.S. to the fullest, I mean it. Have a look at that mask.

It doesn't get much more American than Uncle Sam with a tattoo, about ready to layeth the smack down.

Designed by Warwick Mask & Equipment, Inc. in Port Huron, Mich., the mask features that fearsome Uncle Sam, along with Olympics logos, and patriotic sayings that aren't pictured but are probably pretty fearsome in their own right.

In addition to Miller's mask, the shop will be doing the Olympic masks for Russia's Evgeni Nabokov and the Czech Republic's Tomas Vokoun. They'll also be doing a custom guitar for Nickelback to use at the closing ceremonies, but let's not hold that against them.

Miller has been getting his masks from Warwick for years, dating to when he was a teenager. Because of this owner Gary Warwick, Sr. and painter Ray Bishop have the utmost respect for the goalie. Bishop told the Times Herald that Miller is "really good with ideas," and that he "will sketch stuff up even. He's not a bad artist himself."

Humbled Lesnar returns to UFC ...........

2010-01-21T08:06:00.000-08:00

As recently as early January, Brock Lesnar was convinced he needed surgery to deal with a case of diverticulitis – a condition that essentially left a hole in his intestine and put his career as Ultimate Fighting Championship heavyweight title holder in jeopardy. He might be out a year. Or it might be two. Or it might be forever.

Instead, a series of doctor’s visits and tests have revealed what both Lesnar and UFC president Dana White described as a “miracle.” The big guy is healed and ready to return to the Octagon this summer, probably against the winner of the fight between Frank Mir and Shane Carwin in March.

“Let’s be clear, I’m still the heavyweight champion,” Lesnar growled, in trademark fashion, on ESPN on Wednesday morning.

There couldn’t be better news for the UFC and fans of mixed martial arts. Lesnar isn’t just apparently well again (although really, who knows if there could be a setback or another episode), but his return to fighting brings back the sports’ biggest box office star.

Lesnar, 32, is a polarizing figure – or was until he got sick. You either loved his in-your-face ways or wanted someone to punch him in his face because of it. You were either one of the new fans that Lesnar drew in, perhaps from his days as a professional wrestler, or you resented them.

Either way, Lesnar was difficult to shift your eyes away from. A huge man who needs to cut weight to make the 265-pound limit, he was growing as a fighter and an intimidator during his brief career. His fights were thrilling and he headlined the hugely successful UFC 100, which did a reported 1.6 million pay per view buys.

His postfight tirade after his dominating victory over Mir at UFC 100, complete with flipping off the crowd and cussing out UFC sponsors, made him a tour de force. It didn’t mesh with his private life as a blue-collar, down home guy from South Dakota and Minnesota, yet Lesnar had learned how to sell fights during his days in the WWE.

The truth was, he just wanted to hang out in the woods with his family and emerge a couple times a year to beat the heck out of someone. And now, it seems, he can again.

“The doctors were dumbfounded,” Lesnar said. “They couldn’t find any signs of trouble.”

This was a long way from the fall, when illness and weakness caused Lesnar to sit out almost three weeks of training camp as he prepared to fight Carwin in a bout scheduled for November in Las Vegas. When I visited his training camp in October, he complained of being “dead in the ass.” Within weeks he couldn’t work out at all and when doctors couldn’t figure out the medical issue, Lesnar dropped out of the fight.

In an effort to fight depression, he went hunting in Canada where he had a painful diverticulitis attack.

“I felt like I got shot in the gut,” he said.

He wasn’t excited about his Canadian medical care, comparing it to “a third world country” where he couldn’t get any treatment. Finally Lesnar’s wife, Rena (better known as former pro wrestling star Sable), sprung him from the hospital, loaded him into a car and while Lesnar writhed in pain, drove “100 miles an hour” across the border and into North Dakota. He wound up MedCenter One, a hospital in Bismarck, N.D. There doctors were patient, didn’t immediately perform surgery and slowly nursed him back to some form of health.

“My wife saved my life,” he said.

Still, when he returned to the farm he owns outside Alexandria, Minn. he was down 40 pounds and facing an uncertain future. He got a second opinion at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minn. and heard the same thing – surgery. He changed his diet. He said he put his mind to healing. Dana White claimed Lesnar tried some holistic healing procedures. He began light workouts and focused on regaining some of his weight.

By the time Lesnar visited a doctor on January 5, he not only felt better, medical tests couldn’t find a problem. He kept returning for more and more tests. “Four of five different opinions,” Lesnar said, including one on Tuesday.

And now he’s focused on the future – returning to a sport where he found the peace of mind and quality of life that he’d been seeking since bailing on a multi-million dollar contract with the WWE.

“The doctor said, ‘You’ve got a lottery ticket,’ ” White said on ESPN.

Lesnar appeared fully aware of his good fortune. There is simply no way to know how long it will last or whether he is truly “healed.” A man built on bullying others inside the Octagon wore a look of fear as he described his recent medical journey and humility at his prognosis.

“I’ve got a different take on life,” Lesnar said. “When you have everything taken away, when you lay helplessly on a hospital bed … I’ve always been in control. For me to sit there for 30 days and not have control of anything … “

He went on to thank his wife, with whom he recently had a son. And his doctors. And the UFC. And anyone who thought of him while he was sick.

The powerhouse of a man who fans learned to hate because of his gruff ways at least sounded like a new guy.

Stands to reason, he’ll be just as wicked inside that Octagon though.

Vonn wins 3rd downhill in row, takes overall lead

2010-01-09T01:40:00.001-08:00

Nothing like a “stupid” comment about her weight to make Lindsey Vonn ski faster.

She won her third straight World Cup downhill Friday and regained the lead in the overall standings from Maria Riesch of Germany.

Austrian media this week reported that Vonn, the reigning downhill and overall champion, would have an advantage in speed events because she was carrying additional weight.

“Anytime people say stupid things in the media, it always makes me more motivated to try to ski faster,” Vonn said. “It’s obvious that I am an athlete and not an overweight person, so I thought it was pretty ridiculous. It just added fuel to the fire.”

Vonn raced down the Krummholz course in 1 minute, 38.84 seconds to beat Anja Paerson of Sweden by 0.35 seconds. Riesch, who led Vonn by five points in the overall standings before the race, took third, 0.39 behind the American.

“I really attacked today,” said Vonn, who is skiing with a bruised left arm after a crash in Lienz last month. “It’s a great feeling. Everything is so smooth. I can’t be more happy with my downhill season so far.”

Vonn was hampered by her injured arm while pushing off at the start, but she still posted the fastest first intermediate time. She has been unbeaten in downhill since February last year and hasn’t missed the podium in the discipline since February 2008.

Vonn plans to study tape of her run to avoid minor mistakes and “hopefully have an even cleaner run” in Saturday’s race.

“It’s not a really difficult downhill here, only if visibility is poor,” she said. “In the lower part, the course gets more technically demanding.”

Vonn leads with 694 points and Riesch has 659, both well ahead of the field. Austria’s Kathrin Zettel is third at 569 but doesn’t ski downhills.

Riesch, whose first World Cup victory came on this course six years ago, wasn’t too disappointed by losing her lead.

“I think you should be happy with any podium finish,” she said. “I had no perfect run, though my skis were really fast.”

This was Paerson’s first top-three finish since last February.

“I was aware that we would go a lot faster than in training,” she said. “I had to fight and I am happy that I managed to do so well.”

Dominque Gisin of Switzerland looked set for a top-five finish before crashing. She got up immediately with no apparent injuries. Maria Holaus of Austria broke her right ankle during pre-race warmups and will miss the rest of the season.

Friday’s race replaced the downhill that was canceled in Val d’Isere, France, in December. Another women’s downhill in Haus im Ennstal is set for Saturday, followed by a super-G on Sunday.

Alabama claimed a first U.S. college football

2010-01-08T11:55:00.000-08:00

Alabama claimed a first U.S. college football title since 1992 when they defeated Texas 37-21 in the BCS championship game at the Rose Bowl on Thursday.

Alabama wore the Longhorns down with a punishing running game led by Heisman Trophy winner Mark Ingram to take a 24-6 halftime lead over Texas, who lost All-American quarterback Colt McCoy on the team's first possession with a shoulder injury.

The Crimson Tide played conservatively in the second half, the Texas defense stiffened and freshman quarterback Gary Gilbert began connecting with receiver Jordan Shipley as the Big 12 champions drew within 24-21 with 6:15 left in the game.

With three minutes remaining, Eryk Anders blitzed from the blindside and forced Gilbert to fumble deep in Texas territory and Alabama recovered at the three.

Ingram bulled his way into the endzone for his second touchdown of the game to give Alabama some breathing space at 31-21.

Alabama, who entered the game with an identical 13-0 record to Texas, capped a fine performance with another touchdown after picking off a Gilbert pass.

Ingram, who gained 116 yards on 22 carries and scored two touchdowns, was named offensive player of the game.

Giant lineman Marcell Dareus, who sent McCoy to the sidelines with a crunching hit and rambled 28 yards into the endzone after intercepting a botched shovel pass in the closing seconds of the first half, was honored on the defensive side.

Alabama coach Nick Saban became the first coach to win the BCS championship with two different teams, having won the crown with Louisiana State University (LSU) six years ago.

"We had to play for 60 minutes," Saban told reporters.

"Championship teams are going to be able to come back and they did which speaks to the character of their team. They did a great job of coming back and I was proud of the way our guys bounced back in the fourth quarter."

CRIPPLING BLOW

Texas coach Mack Brown said the Dareus interception return at the end of the first half was a crippling blow. "The last play of the first half was an absolute killer," Brown said.

Despite that tack-on score, the Longhorns made a game of it in the second half.

"I told them I was really proud of them, I was proud of their fight and their toughness. We just had too many turnovers," Brown added after failing in his bid to claim a second national championship in five years for the Longhorns.

Texas took a 6-0 lead in the first quarter, turning a pair of Alabama turnovers into field goals by Hunter Lawrence.

Alabama, which was burned by an intercepted pass on a fake punt, settled into running the football and with McCoy sidelined, took control of the game.

Ingram stormed across from two yards out to give the Crimson Tide a 7-6 lead. His freshman colleague Trent Richardson burst through the middle and sprinted untouched for a 49-yard touchdown that made it 14-6.

A field goal by Leigh Tiffin and the pick-six by Dareus padded the cushion at halftime.

Gilbert, who was 1-for-10 for negative four yards throwing the ball in the first half, played with more assurance in the second half and began connecting with Shipley on routes over the middle.

He tossed a 44-yard touchdown pass to Shipley to make it 24-13, then hit him with a 28-yard scoring strike and added a two-point conversion to move within a field goal at 24-21.

Shipley finished with 10 catches for 122 yards.

Richardson scored a late touchdown and ended the game with 109 yards rushing on 19 carries for Alabama.

Brittney Griner and No. 5 Baylor put on a show

2010-01-04T00:11:00.000-08:00

Brittney Griner and No. 5 Baylor put on a show—at the expense of Texas State.

Griner dunked twice, set the school record for blocked shots in a season and the Bears nearly set an NCAA record for fewest points allowed in a 99-18 thrashing of Texas State on Saturday night.

“We would have beat a lot of teams tonight,” Baylor coach Kim Mulkey said. “I don’t care who we would have played tonight, this basketball team was ready to play.”

Griner scored 26 points and became the second player to dunk more than once in a women’s college game. Tennessee’s Candace Parker had two dunks against Army on March 19, 2005.

Griner also had eight rebounds and three blocked shots to help Mulkey get her 250th win. The blocks gave Griner the Baylor record for blocks in a season with 87, just 14 games in.

“I’m not sure when she finishes her four years, anybody will come close to her shot-block record,” Mulkey said.

The Bobcats had only five points on 2 for 32 shooting at halftime, setting a Baylor record by an opponent.

Baylor just missed out on the NCAA Division I records for fewest points allowed in a half and game. Florida State surrendered three points in the first half against Savannah State on Nov. 23, 2003, and TCU yielded 16 points against Texas Southern on Dec. 30, 2002 to set the mark for a game involving two Division I schools.

Diamond Ford led Texas State (4-7) with seven points.

Griner got the second dunk of her career on the first basket in the second half. On a fast break, Kelli Griffin passed across the lane to Melissa Jones, who dumped the ball off to a trailing Griner. Griner took the pass and threw it down strongly with two hands, giving Baylor a 49-5 lead with 19:36 left in the game.

“The one in transition, we just didn’t match up,” Texas State coach Suzanne Fox said. “If it was anybody else, it wouldn’t have been a dunk. It would have been a layup.”

With 17:53 remaining, Griner, standing on the baseline, took a pass and made a one-handed dunk.

“There’s not anyone, especially in our Southland league, comparable to Brittney Griner. There’s not, in very many places in the country, (a player) comparable to her,” Fox said. “You really can’t emulate how she’s going to distort things on the offensive and defensive end. You just can’t emulate that in a practice setting. So that’s a challenge for us.”

Golf Practice Isn’t Important If

2009-12-25T09:26:00.000-08:00

Golf practice can only help your game if your body can do what you ask of it on the range. Does that make sense? How often have you taken time out of your day to go to the range for golf practice only to leave more frustrated than when you did when you first got there?

Now come on…be honest! Every amateur golfer has experienced this more times than we can count.

Why is this?

Because our body can’t perform a mechanically sound swing when it is physically weak and tight. Picture the last time you hit a bucket of balls. Out of the whole bucket, how many swings really felt good, and the ball did what you wanted it to do?

I’ll bet you can count them on less than one hand. Or maybe I’m being harsh, and you can count them on less than 2 hands.

Either way, this is a common occurrence during a golf practice session.

Don’t get me wrong…golf practice is critical in improving your golf swing and overall game…but you first need to work on the “machine”, to be able to make the most out of your time during your golf practice.

Let’s look at the positive side!

You take my advice and start improving your golf specific strength and flexibility. It doesn’t take 2 hours a day in a gym to accomplish this. All of my programs, dvds and books incorporate affordable equipment that can be done in your home or even office.

The result?

The next time you plan a golf practice…it goes fantastic! You’re hitting more balls the way you want to. You’re enjoying your golf practice not getting frustrated. You even buy a new range card because you’re on a new high from such an awesome golf practice session.

That’s called Total Golf Performance!

You’ll soon be dominating your foursome and they’ll all want to know your “secret”.

Take this approach to your golf improvement and get a maximum return from your golf practice.

Golf Instruction - The Right Way to Get your Game Going

2009-12-25T09:23:00.000-08:00

Unless you are born a natural golf player, you will need golf instruction if you expect to improve your game. Employing a professional golf pro can help you target the weaknesses in your swing and diagnose your hooks. A professional golfer will be able to share with you some of the secrets of the trade and show you simple mind games that will help you focus better, before and after every shot you take on course.

Even the best amateur golfers out there, although they probably don't want to admit it, take tutoring from the pros. Natural born athletes like the Michael Jordan’s and Michael Schmidt’s of the world need help from the pros every once in a while to improve their game by pointing out the slight faults in their back swings or how they look up in their short game. Even the elite of golfers seek out advice from those who are considered the gurus for golf instruction when they are in a decline or losing distance on their drives.

In other words, it isn't a bad thing that you want golf lessons. That is exactly what the golf pros are for. That is the reason why they have trained hard and become certified by the PGA. It isn't easy to be certified as a golf pro. It takes years of hard work, studying and training to obtain that qualification. Part of their learning process is to learn how to, not only teach golf but to plan a club tournament, deal with club members and even run the club shop. Even after they have qualified as a golf pro, they still enrol in the occasional seminar or course to brush up on new teaching techniques.

Of course, golf instruction is a crucial aspect of this training and their work. This is the reason, after all, why English and Scottish golfer first came to America at the start of the twentieth century. Several decades after they had established the PGA to spread the word of golf and teach Americans how to play, golf is now played and taught all over the world. Those Scottish and English players sure made tough competition for themselves.

SMU dominates Nevada in return to.........

2009-12-25T09:03:00.000-08:00

SMU is back from the dead.

Freshman Kyle Padron threw for an SMU-record 460 yards, leading the Mustangs to a 45-10 victory over Nevada in the Hawaii Bowl on Thursday night—SMU’s first postseason appearance in 25 years.

It was a triumphant return to the postseason and paradise for the Mustangs and second-year coach June Jones, who left Hawaii after nine seasons and has revived a dreadful SMU program hit hard by the NCAA death penalty.

“What it means to me, it just feels good to be home,” said Jones, 16-1 at Aloha Stadium since 2006 and 4-1 in Hawaii Bowls.

SMU fans chanted “Thank you, June!” in the fourth quarter, but it was his young quarterback who shone and earned the MVP award.

“I wouldn’t say the Pony Express, but it brings back a lot of boosters and a lot of the alumni to know we have a football team again,” Padron said after breaking Mike Romo’s school record of 450 yards passing against North Texas in 1989.

It was chaos in the SMU locker room where players were dancing, chanting and screaming. Players couldn’t even hear Jones’ speech.

“I’m sure he said something great,” linebacker Chase Kennemer said.

The Mustangs were motivated by the fact that 91 percent of America picked them to lose online.

The 18-year-old Padron, who was 32 of 41 and completed two touchdown passes, was confident and composed on the biggest stage of his young career.

“I was kind of chucking the ball everywhere,” Padron said. “Lot of big gaps today and it was fun.”

He earned the starting job after Bo Levi Mitchell was injured in the seventh game of the season and was largely unknown coming out of Southlake Carroll in Texas, which produced quarterbacks Chase Daniel and Greg McElroy.

Despite the tiny crowd at the game, people are paying attention to Padron— and SMU.

After going 1-11 the previous two years, the Mustangs (8-5) have their most victories since their last postseason game—also in Hawaii when SMU beat Notre Dame 27-20 in the 1984 Aloha Bowl to finish 10-2.

The 12-point underdogs dominated from the opening bell, jumping out to a 17-0 lead in the first quarter and building a 38-0 advantage by the third.

Padron had 303 yards passing in the first half alone, breaking SMU’s bowl record of 281 yards by Chuck Hixson in the 1968 Astro-Bluebonnet Bowl.

Padron’s 17- and 2-yard touchdown passes in second quarter gave SMU a 31-0 lead at the half and had the Wolf Pack searching for answers. The 17-yarder was to Emmanuel Sanders, who had seven catches for 124 yards.

Sanders finished his career as SMU’s career leader in receptions, touchdown catches and yards.

Shawnbrey McNeal added 63 yards rushing and three touchdowns, including two in the first quarter. He also had seven catches for 53 yards.

The loss was the fourth straight in the postseason for the Wolf Pack (8-5), whose No. 1 rushing offense in the nation was grounded. But it was the Nevada defense that looked as if it was left behind feeding Wheel-of-Fortune machines in Reno.

“They outplayed us, they outcoached us, they did an excellent job,” Nevada coach Chris Ault said. “We were never involved for whatever reason.”

While SMU racked up 534 yards of offense, Nevada had held to just 314, including 137 yards rushing. The Wolf Pack averaged 362.3 yards rushing during the regular season and is the first team in NCAA history to have three 1,000-yard rushers. But Nevada was without two of them in running backs Vai Taua and Luke Lippincott.

Taua was ruled academically ineligible and Lippincott was sidelined with a toe injury.

The Mustangs wasted no time getting on the scoreboard and attacking Nevada’s anemic pass defense, ranked second worst in the nation.

On the second play of the game, Padron found a wide-open Cole Beasley near midfield. Beasley was dragged down from behind at the Nevada 9 for a gain of 71 yards. It was the longest pass in SMU bowl history, breaking Doak Walker’s 53-yard pass to Paul Page in the 1948 Cotton Bowl.

McNeal scored on the next play.

The Mustangs got the ball back on the next series by stopping the Wolf Pack on fourth-and-2.

Padron then connected with Sanders for a 58-yard gain, setting up McNeal’s 1-yard TD that put SMU up 14-0 less than 6 1/2 minutes into the game.

After completing a 53-yard pass to Aldrick Robinson in the third that setup a 3-yard TD run by Zach line, Padron looked at Jones and just shook his head in disbelief. Robinson finished with nine catches for 176 yards.

Meanwhile, Nevada quarterback Colin Kaepernick couldn’t get anything going on the ground or through the air. Kaepernick, who rushed for 1,160 yards in the regular season, had just 23 yards rushing on 13 carries.

“That game was embarrassing on a lot of different levels. We just have to look at the film and try to regroup for next year,” said Kaepernick, who was 15 of 29 for 177 yards. He threw a 10-yard TD pass with a minute left in the game.

“They did a nice job basically of taking away the consistency of our offense,” Ault said. “We never got in rhythm. There’s no question, we just played very, very poorly.”

Golf Injury Prevention

2009-12-25T05:21:00.000-08:00

A golf injury is one of the most common issues with all amateur golfers. But having adequate strength and flexibility of muscles and joints and participating in effective training technique, can also prevent a golf injury.

Well-conditioned limbs and joints that are under control when the stresses of the swing are encountered will greatly reduce risk of a golf injury.

If your body motion is out of control when you execute the swing, the muscles and tendons have little room for error. The result is likely a tear or strained tendon or ligament…keeping you off the course indefinitely.

The golf swing is a complicated movement (skill). In order to maximize your distance and power, you must have a high level of flexibility (range of motion) and force in the joints involved. This would include the shoulders, back and hips.

And when looking at the areas of a golf injury, the above mentioned areas are at the top of the list. Go figure!

Keep in mind that with an above average level of strength and flexibility and swing technique, you will not only reduce the occurrence of a golf injury, but also enhance the quality of your game.

Many golfers think they are generally healthy and able to play a round of golf without a golf injury…however, I have heard and read dozens of times where a golfer gets injured on the course…swinging a golf club. Has that happened to you or a golfing buddy?

Somewhere I read a statistic from 10 years ago. There was over 39,000 golf injuries treated in emergency rooms back in 1995! Wow! That’s unbelievable! How about all the injuries that weren’t reported or that were treated by the golfer himself? Or how about the chronic golf injuries the golfer ‘lives with’ just to be able to play golf?

These are numbers from 10 years ago! I wonder what they are now? I’m here to tell you golf is a physical sport and without the proper training, you’ll be added to that number mentioned above.

I don’t think it’s a tough sell to say that participating in a golf strength and flexibility program will help you avoid a golf injury.

Golfing where dinosaurs roamed

2009-12-25T05:20:00.000-08:00

Golfing where dinosaurs once roamed? Not many golf courses can boast a claim like that, at least not many championship courses.

Squaw Valley Golf Course is built upon ground inhabited by dinosaurs millions of years ago and is located in Glen Rose, Texas (www.glenrosearea.com), which is affectionately known as the Gateway to the Hill Country, but Squaw Valley Golf Course is best known for its two challenging and acclaimed courses.

Squaw Valley Golf Course is a 36-hole municipal golf course owned by Somervell County. The club is known as one of the top facilities in the state and as “One of the Top 5 Municipal Courses in Texas” by the Dallas Morning News and is managed by golf pro Duff Cunningham. Additionally, Squaw Valley Golf Course has been given a 4-star rating by the golfing industry authority, Golf Digest. The course is comprised of two challenging, yet different, 18-hole courses- Apache Links and Comanche Lakes.

Apache Links, opened in 1992, is the older of the two courses. It was designed by Jeffrey Bauer and GolfScapes, Inc and, per its name, is a links-style course. It's front nine has open fairways, while its back nine is characterized by narrow fairways that are tree lined and undulating. There is also a variety of water hazards that come into play on many of the 18 holes. Apache Links is a par 72 course with a total of 7063 yards.

Comanche Lakes is a new course, opened for play in 2001, and was designed by John Colligan. It is an 18-hole par 72 courses that is described as target style, which is an excellent complement to the open fairways of Apache Links. This course will challenge any golfer’s accuracy with over 100 bunkers and many water hazards throughout the 7000 total yards.

The differences in the courses are also reflected in the types of grass used on each. Apache links is composed of 419 Bermuda for the fairways and Bent on the greens, which makes it a more popular course in the winter. Comanche Lakes has TifSport Bermuda for its fairways and TifEagle for the greens and is the course of choice in the summer months; however, both courses can be played year-round.

Along with attracting avid golfers, Squaw Valley Golf Course has also attributed to the number of retirees that are moving to the Glen Rose area. Both Marilyn Phillips of Sunrise Properties and Hank Jones of Century 21 Quad J Realty have noticed an increase in retirees moving to Glen Rose and cite the increased recognition and acclaim the course has received in the past few years as a big reason why. The fact that the Comanche Lakes course is ranked in the top 10 in the Dallas Morning News list of “Top 25 Mid-Priced Courses” also supports the claim that the Squaw Valley appeals to retirees, since often times they are on fixed budgets.

Squaw Valley Golf Course is a full service golf club. Included at the club is a full practice facility with putting greens, short game practice areas and a driving range. Private and group lessons are also available as well as tournament arrangements.

Weekday fees are $38 and weekend and holiday rack rates are $48, which includes green fee and cart rental. Discounts are given to Senior Citizens, Juniors and tee times after 3:00 PM. Squaw Valley Golf Course has also negotiated a Stay and Play package with Dinosaur Valley Inn and Suites in Glen Rose that includes a one-night stay at the Award Winning hotel and a round of golf on either course. The hotel has a 3-Diamond rating from AAA and has received 2 “Best of The Best” Awards from Best Western International, most recently in October 2005.

Golfing Tips for Beginners

2009-12-25T05:19:00.001-08:00

Golf can start an afternoon hobby and turn into a real passion as you get more involved with it. Learning how to play golf is not difficult and going through all the initial steps is actually fun and rewarding. Here are a few golfing tips that will help you start of on the right foot and turn into a real golfer:

Don’t go for the shiniest, most expensive set of golf clubs. As a beginner you will miss a lot of the subtleties of professional golf equipment, so it’s not worth spending thousands of dollars on the latest technology and golf club models. Start with a cheaper set of clubs, maybe even a used one. A good golf set would have a putter, two woods and five irons. The irons are usually the odd numbers, such as 3, 5, 7 and 9 plus a wedge. If you want to experience different club types without actually purchasing them you can always rent a set from the golf course. As in most cases, beginners play their first golf rounds with a more experienced friend – you can also borrow some clubs from them.
Getting golf lessons

Golf coaches are a better alternative than friends when it comes to teaching you how to properly play golf. However, if you are just starting golf for the fun of the game, a friend might be a good tutor initially. The only problem with friends teaching you how to golf is that they do not have the necessary skills to explain all the complexities of the movements, swings and strategies. A golf coach is experienced in getting you complicated terms in plain English. You can sign up for golf lessons at most golf courses, and this is a good investment if you have a competitive nature and a few friends that doubt your golfing skills. While costs can range from $20 to $50 per hour, you can also get a group booking that will save you some money.
Golf for fun

Golfing Products… And What you Need To Know Before Purchasing

2009-12-25T05:17:00.001-08:00

In recent years, there has been a dramatic rise in the number of golfing products available in the market. Most notably golfing products that are supposed to dramatically improve one’s game, virtually overnight.

Smart entrepreneurs have cashed in on the fact that almost every golfer is constantly looking for a way to improve their game and reduce their handicap.

The result is that so many golfing products have flooded the market and the results have been predictable. You will come across many golfers who have garages filled with golfing products that did not help them in any way to improve on their game.

Although golfing products can be very useful in helping a golfer’s game, the problem is being able to find the right one for you. There are a few questions that you should ask yourself before going for any golfing product.

Does the golf product address a certain weakness in your game? It is important for you to understand what specific golf weakness in your game that the golfing product you wish to purchase addresses.

It is not a good idea to go for just any improvement golfing product without being very specific as to what your objectives is.

The other key question to ask is if the golfing product involves exercise to strengthen and condition muscles that you require to correct your golf weakness? If your golfing product does not do this, then chances are very high that it will be a dud.

It is also useful to take advice from the experts concerning the particular golfing product or products that you would like to go for. With the rise of the World Wide Web, there is plenty of expert advice available online for free.

All you need to know is where to find it. So there should be no excuse for failing to seek expert counsel on the golf products you intend to purchase.

Golf flexibility Training Will Eliminate Tension In Your Golf Swing

2009-12-25T05:16:00.000-08:00

Golf flexibility training has come a long way. There are many more golf flexibility training stretches that can greatly impact your golf swing. Simple golf stretches, that done daily will give you a huge return on investment (your time).

There is a big difference between ‘general’ flexibility training and golf flexibility training. Just take a look at the positions the body is in during the golf swing and you’ll see many potential golf stretches you can come up with on your own.

The most common area a golfer should apply golf flexibility training is the backswing, impact and follow through.

You might be saying, “well that’s the whole swing”.

Yes…you might think so, but I’m talking about creating a golf flexibility training program that incorporates golf stretches specifically for those positions of the swing. As mentioned earlier, just take a look at the position your body is in at the top of your backswing; impact; and follow through into your finish.

There are your stretches!

It’s not rocket science to come up with golf training programs regarding both flexibility and strength. You’ve just got to use your creative side and keep the golf swing in mind when devising these golf training programs.

Tension is the biggest “killer” in the golf swing…bar none!

Most amateurs, if not all of them (us) have tension in our golf swings. Tension robs you of power. This is a known fact! A tense muscle is a slow muscle. A slow muscle produces minimal speed and ultimately power.

The key to a powerful golf swing is minimal tension and effort equals maximum distance AND accuracy.

One quick way to improve this is with a consistent golf flexibility training program done daily. This doesn’t entail 60 minutes of your time and dozens of stretches. I’m talking about 6-8 key golf flexibility training stretches taking up no more than 15 minutes per day.

Can you handle that?

I know you can. If your golf performance is important to you, you’ll make the time to get the results!

And when you step onto that course and start making effortless golf swings that go farther and straighter than ever before, you’ll know it was well worth doing your golf flexibility training.

Golf Flexibility Is A Key Component For Senior Golfers

2009-12-25T05:15:00.001-08:00

Golf flexibility is a common term among senior golfers. Most senior golfers know they have a declining level of golf flexibility and distance. But why then do most of them not participate in a golf flexibility program?

If you are in this group of golfers, do you walk off the course frustrated with your performance? Are you dissatisfied with your driving distance? Do you seem to have a hard time repeating a good swing for 18 holes?

The answer is right in front of you!

It is a known fact to hit the ball maximum yardage you need a certain level of golf flexibility that will generate clubhead speed and power at impact. This level is such that a golfer can rotate approximately 90 degrees with his upper body, and only 45 degrees with his lower body creating the “x-factor” for top level distances.

It is impossible to do this at a certain age unless you maintain a consistent golf flexibility routine in your daily activities. Muscles that are not used (and/or stretched) lose elasticity and the ability to produce power.

Along with this loss of elasticity is a rapid decline in strength. The results are subpar performances and a lower level of enjoyment of the game. This is why we see so many golfers quitting the game.

Golf flexibility doesn’t have to be a complicated issue. You don’t need fancy, expensive equipment to do an effective routine that will produce the results you want. But you do have to be aware of your specific limitations and what areas you should focus on to maximum your time investment.

Doing a golf fitness evaluation to determine your weak areas is crucial. You’ve got to have some idea of what is keeping you from a better game. Once you determine your personal limitations, you can do some simple golf flexibility exercises to greatly improve this situation.

It’s amazing to see how quickly the senior golfer can see improvement. I’ve seen some dramatic numbers with the golfers of my membership site and customers of my dvds and manual. The emails I receive are so motivating; I ask permission to insert them on my websites as success stories.

The human body is a machine! Treat it nicely and it will do what you want. Mistreat it and the result is ugly. The “use-it-or-lose-it” phrase is a good one. That is exactly how the body responds. With stimulus (exercise) the body responds positively. Without it the decline is rapid.

If you’re a senior golfer, participate regularly in a program of golf flexibility.

Golf Fitness Helps Generate More Speed in Your Swing

2009-12-25T05:13:00.002-08:00

The golfing industry speaks about clubhead speed constantly. We see advertised in the golf magazines all the time. We hear about it on the Golf Channel endlessly

Clubhead speed is more a result of what you do with the golf club than an entity of its own. A driver is not going to generate clubhead speed on its’ own! Someone has to swing it!

Clubhead speed is contingent upon swing speed. Swing speed is directly related to the person swinging the golf club. So the question to really ask is:

How Do I Develop Huge Gains in My Swing Speed?

Another term directly related to swing speed and clubhead speed is power.

More Power = More Swing Speed = More Clubhead Speed

Bottom line is we are looking to increasing the power outputs of your golf swing. This will allow for an increase in swing speed. An increase in swing speed translates to more clubhead speed.

So how do we increase the power in our golf swing?

Two aspects require tuning and development of you wish to improve the power in your golf swing.

§ Number One: Improve Your Swing Mechanics

§ Number Two: Improve Your Body

Developing optimal swing mechanics is the first part of the equation to great power.

The golf swing is one of the most difficult, finite, and complex athletic movements performed. As a result, it requires time spent on the refinement of the movements involved.

Any athletic movement, the golf swing included, can be performed efficiently or inefficiently.

An efficient golf swing allows for the highest percentage of power generated by the golfer to be translated into the club, and delivered into the golf ball. An inefficient golf swing decreases the amount of power delivered to golf swing.

Efficient Golf Swing Mechanics = High Power Outputs

Inefficient Golf Swing Mechanics = Low Power Outputs

A pretty simple equation if you think about it.

Now how do you develop efficient golf swing mechanics?

Through a process of proper instruction, proper practice, and time. The body can learn either the correct or incorrect way to swing a golf club. In order to learn the correct way to swing a golf club, proper instruction is required.

Secondly, the body learns through repetition. In order to learn efficient golf swing mechanics it is necessary to practice the correct way to swing. Finally, this process takes time.

The body will not learn how swing a golf club correctly in a day. It takes consistent time spent on the swing.

Putting it in math terms, the equation for efficient golf swing mechanics is:

Proper Instruction + Proper Practice + Time = Efficient Golf Swing Mechanics

Unfortunately, efficient golf swing mechanics is only one-half of the equation to increasing clubhead speed, swing speed, and power.

The second half is your body.

The golf club cannot develop power on its own. It is a combination of developing efficient golf swing mechanics and a body that can generate power.

A Body that can Generate Power = Increased Clubhead Speed

Your body swings the club through the mechanics of the golf swing. In order to perform this efficiently and powerfully requires the development of certain disciplines within your body.

Generating power in the golf swing requires your body to be:

§ Flexible

§ Strong

§ Powerful

The development of these three disciplines within your body allows the foundation to swing the golf club with more power.

If your body is inflexible, weak, and powerless, generating clubhead speed will be very difficult, let alone performing the mechanics of the golf swing correctly. How do you develop such a body for the golf swing?

Quite simply by implementing a golf fitness program. A golf fitness program will develop the required flexibility, strength, and power required of the golf swing.

It comes down to this equation:

Efficient Golf Swing Mechanics + A Flexible, Strong, & Powerful Body = Increased Clubhead Speed

Put in place a plan to develop efficient golf swing mechanics and a powerful body. The swing speed and clubhead speed you desire can be a reality. Remember; proper instruction, practice, time, and golf fitness training are the keys to more power, more swing speed, and more clubhead speed.

Golf Fitness Equipment For Your In-Home Program

2009-12-25T05:13:00.001-08:00

Golf fitness equipment can be a variety of pieces; but what truly is golf fitness equipment?

You’d be surprised to find out it is not expensive; and is not necessarily in a gym or health club either.

Yes…there are golf “machines” for stretching and strength building that are well over one thousand dollars, but are definitely not needed.

When you think of the golf swing, it’s a dynamic movement completed in space with your ‘whole’ body. So any kind of training or golf fitness equipment should be able to accommodate this.

I've designed all my programs, dvds and books to utilize the below equipment for one reason. Convenience. Which will save you time to do what you really want to do. Play golf!

For starters, a pair of hand weights (dumbbells) are inexpensive, portable and can be used for dozens of golf-specific exercises. They don’t have to be heavy or cumbersome. You’d be surprised what a 5 to 8 pound pair of dumbbells can accomplish with the right golf exercises.

Next on the list of golf fitness equipment is tubing. You may have seen it in articles, on the television or in a catalog. Exercise tubing is extremely portable, very inexpensive and also can be used to mimic many phases of the golf swing, but with resistance.

I personally use exercise tubing in all of my programs, with all of my personal clients and in my own golf workouts. It can give you one heck of a workout if you have the right resistance. These bands come in varying tensions from light to extra heavy.

Another piece of golf fitness equipment is a stability ball. It’s the big ‘beach ball’ looking thing that is used in offices to sit on, in many exercise classes, at most health clubs and all of the physical therapy clinics.

Why? Because again it’s portable, inexpensive and very versatile. Doing golf exercises on the ball incorporate core stabilization, balance and stability. All important factors in a mechanically sound golf swing.

And the last piece of golf fitness equipment is a weighted medicine ball is the . You might remember them from several decades ago as the big leather balls that the old fitness fanatics used to improve strength and power.

Well now they’re back! They are used in every sport-specific strength program in existence. You can do so many sport-like movements with them and they weigh as much as 20 pounds, so you can imagine the benefit from a power standpoint.

I have a couple of my ‘bread-and-butter’ exercises I use in all my programs that incorporate the weighted medicine ball and they are very effective.

So there you have it! Three or four pieces of inexpensive and portable golf fitness equipment.

Golf Fitness DVD: Improve Your Game In Your Living Room

2009-12-25T05:12:00.001-08:00

Plugging in a golf fitness dvd is a great alternative to relying on yourself for motivation and consistency. The dvd craze has caught on with golfers of all ages and abilities. Golf instruction dvds have been very popular, but now golf fitness dvds are coming into their own.

I have personally looked at all the golf fitness dvds. There are some okay ones and some not so okay ones.

What you would hope for in a golf fitness dvd is several things. 1. Very simple and easy demonstrations of every golf fitness exercise. This is separate from the workout component of the golf fitness dvd. 2. You would also want a user-friendly menu to be able to move around quickly and easily.

3. And what I think is the most important component is the golf fitness workout itself. I mean ‘plug-and-play’. You should be able to insert the golf fitness dvd and have the golf fitness trainer take you through the entire workout from start to finish. Just as if he were there with you.

This is the key to a successful golf fitness dvd and program. One that will motivate you to do it over and over again. The only way to success is “consistency”. If you don’t do it regularly you won’t see the results you were hoping for.

Also, a credible golf fitness dvd should be based on your current level of fitness. Not a ‘one-size fits all’ dvd. If your starting point is a little lower, then a golf fitness dvd that is more challenging will only promote you to fail.

On the other hand, if you are an experienced exerciser, you want a golf fitness dvd that is more challenging than a beginner (novice) one. One that will challenge your core stabilization, balance, coordination and muscular endurance.

I know this sounds like a lot to think about, but making the right choice will dictate the ultimate success of your program. So make sure to pick the appropriate golf fitness dvd.