Maverick McNealy makes use of a novel methodology so as to add swing pace.
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Welcome to Play Sensible, an everyday GOLF.com game-improvement column that can assist you change into a better, higher golfer.
Winter is the worst time of the 12 months for golfers in chilly climates. Temperatures are low, programs are closed and daylight is slim. It’s a golf-sicko’s worst nightmare.
For somebody like me who grew up in a year-round golf local weather, the transfer up north took some adjusting to. For the primary time in my life, golf had a real offseason.
I didn’t love the offseason at first, however I’ve since come to get pleasure from it. Not solely does the offseason enable me time to decompress from the season that was, but it surely additionally lets me make modifications in my sport in prep for the season forward.
That is a lot the identical method that the professionals take. However in the case of making some modifications, there are particular professionals that do issues a little however totally different than others.
Take current PGA Tour winner Maverick McNealy, for instance. In a current look on Smylie Kaufman’s podcast, McNealy revealed one of many methods he provides swing pace within the offseason is by heading to the ice.
Mav’s distinctive pace coaching
Everybody desires to swing the membership quicker, and there are quite a few methods to go about it. Some golfers get within the health club to bulk up a bit, whereas others use speed-training applications. Nonetheless, McNealy’s methodology for including swing pace is a bit totally different than most.
McNealy, a former No. 1-ranked newbie, grew up enjoying aggressive hockey in California, and he nonetheless makes certain to get loads of ice time throughout golf’s offseason. The reps on the ice don’t simply preserve him linked to his former sport, additionally they assist together with his golf sport.
“I simply shoot [hockey] pucks,” McNealy says. “Makes me quicker.”
McNealy estimates that if he will get a number of hours of ice time throughout every week, he’ll come again to the course with two to 3 additional miles per hour on his golf swing.
Very similar to the golf swing, the movement of taking pictures a hockey puck requires you to sequence your physique in a really particular method to generate energy. And whereas the hockey-shot movement is barely totally different than the golf swing, it does pressure you to make use of comparable muscle teams.
“It’s onerous to coach the best way your physique strikes in a health club,” he says. “Weights and stuff are typically very one dimensional. Getting all of the muscle teams to work collectively, synchronized collectively — like I used to be simply sore in random locations. I sort of simply wish to purchase a slide board and simply hearth pucks within the storage.”
