A casual player of the game of golf could claim that hitting a golf ball isn’t all that difficult. Babe Ruth, the legendary baseball player, observed, “It took me 17 years to get 3,000 hits in baseball, but I did it in one afternoon on the golf course.”
Even with the ball teed up and begging to be hit, many of us know what it’s like to whiff on a swing or dig a trench under the ball, sending a clod of grass and dirt flying down the fairway while the ball dribbles a few inches to the side. And when one does manage to hit the ball, it’s anybody’s guess where it’s going to land — most likely anywhere other than he fairway.
“Consistently striking a golf ball such that it will land where you want it to land is difficult to do,” said Kirkwood Community College Head Coach Darin Pint of the national runner-up Eagles golf team. “To play the game well from start to finish, golfers must possess explosive strength, agility and stamina.”
Most golfers ride electric carts. Some walk with wheeled push-pull carts. A few lucky ones have someone to lug around their bags for them. And then there are the golfers who carry their bags over their shoulders, as do members of the Kirkwood golf team.
A well-equipped golf bag weighs about 30 pounds including clubs and accessories. Add three more pounds if the bag is wet. Considering that a typical 18-hole golf course is about 3.75 miles long, that’s if one manages to keep to the fairways. It can get a lot longer if driving into the rough or spending much time searching for lost balls.
A decent golfer who walks the course carrying their bag can burn up to 1,400 calories per 18-hole round. That’s roughly equivalent to the calories burned during two hours of pedaling a bike at 20 mph or swimming laps at the pool. Now add 90-degree temperatures and high humidity and you’ve got a serious workout.
Nate Offerman, a Kirkwood sophomore who played prep golf for Beckman, said the team develops strength and stamina through a weekly workout routine. “We hit the weight room three days a week following a lifting program developed by Coach Pint,” Offerman explained. “We also come together for yoga and stretching on Tuesdays and for cardio workouts on Thursdays.”
Offerman said the players sharpen their agility through regular drilling on the school’s golf simulator.
Pint said the team uses a dual radar system called Trackman, which tracks metrics that are important to the golfers.
The team also utilizes an indoor putting green along with movable mats so the players can sharpen their chipping skills. “The green also serves as an opportunity to get some competition going between the players,” said Pint.
When players were asked if they use a professional golfer to augment their training, Leo Burger, a sophomore from Johannesburg, South Africa, said he relies on his teammates.
Offerman volunteered that he’ll sometimes see his pro if there’s something that’s not quite right with his game, but he said his teammates are his most important resource. “Normally, we all just help each other to get better,” he said.
The Eagles’ golf season begins at the Columbia Country Club for the Columbia Invite in Columbia, Mo., on March 10.
