Helpful Golf Hint to Handle the Heat

life has gotten in the way of golf the past two weeks...and I just have to deal. I'll be back out there soon, and when I do I imagine it will be much harder given my bump is growing considerably.

In the mean time, I thought I would pass along a tip for handling the heat and staying hydrated AND to handle nausea related to pregnancy morning sickness. A fun double-whammy.

When the temperatures rise, it can be hard to keep up with the right amount of water one might need to keep hydration levels where they need to be. And with both pregnancies, I've dealt with a fair share of morning sickness. This second one has not been nearly as bad as my first, but both times around the same remedy worked wonders.

What's worked best for me for both issues might be a surprise: Pedialyte! Specifically, the Popsicle version has been my favorite, as it has satisfied the "cold, refreshing" element that I seek in the heat and doesn't have nearly the intense flavor as the liquid version.  Unlike sports drinks, Pedialyte doesn't have a lot of the unnecessary stuff since it's geared towards children. If you think about it, it makes sense to drink it as a sports drink alternative as it's designed to efficiently re-hydrate children when they get sick and lose fluids. I've even known college football players to chug the stuff during their summer two-a-days because it's way better than a sports drink. I encouraged my players to drink it on the course when we were anticipating extreme heat, especially on our 36-hole days. Of course, some preferred to put it in a nondescript water bottle than to let their competitors know they were drinking a beverage meant for babies with diarrhea. College kids, amirite?

So on days when I know I'll be at risk of losing a lot of water in the heat, or when I've had to quell some nausea before heading off to the course, I'll grab one in lieu of a glass of hot coffee or tea in the morning with breakfast. It tends to keep my energy level up a little bit as the day heats up mid round, because I load up on electrolytes early. On very hot days I come home and have one after. Works wonders for me!

Hope that is a helpful hint for anyone looking to ward of dehydration! Have fun this weekend and I hope everyone who gets to play has a great round!

This is not a sponsored post, all opinions are my own. I am not qualified to make medical advice and this post should not be considered expert medical opinion. I earn nothing through links posted.

Round Reflections: Getting There! And Six Tips For Playing in the Rain

I only three putted once today, and  it showed in my score! Six stroke improvement, even in the rainy conditions today (my hands were getting pruny!). I hit two greens officially, but I was barely off the green two other times out of the nine holes, so I'm feeling pretty good about how that's coming along, too. And I had some amazing wedge play, especially one lob shot on a tough downhill slope on the eighth with a 60-degree wedge. It had a lovely backward spin, bounced lightly three times, and stopped 5 feet from the hole. Perfecto. 

I switched back from my old(er)-school Ping blade putter to my Odyssey Two-Ball putter and I'm very happy with how that felt today. I thought I had better feel with the Ping in terms of knowing whether I hit it square, but the weight of the Two-Ball helps me feel like I can accelerate through the stroke better, which helped on longer putts today.

There was a 90% chance of rain today, and fortunately the nastier stuff on the radar didn't come our way. But it did rain a constant flow of heavy drops which was a challenge.

If you prepare, playing in the rain can actually be fun. Here are some of my tips for playing in the rain:

1. If you haven't yet, invest in the highest quality golf rain gear you can afford. A suit (pants and jacket) is preferred in my opinion but at minimum a jacket is a must.  I wore my Nike Storm-FIT suit and stayed completely dry. Golf rain jackets are designed to accommodate your swing rather than constrict it, and the fabrics do the job. Try several on at a golf retailer to see what you like and consider it a 5-10 year investment!

2. Towels, towels, towels. I like to use the super-absorbent kind that are sold for detailing cars. Assume that you might need a fresh towel every 3-5 holes depending on the rain. Keep the fresh towels in a gallon zip-lock bag in your bag so they don't get wet before you need them.

3. Keep your grips dry! This is what the towels are good for, obviously. It might feel tedious, but it's SO important. Have a towel when you select the club, keep it handy through your pre-shot routine, and wipe it down once more after. Wet grips slip in your hands during your swing which can open or shut the club face at impact. (I heard my dad's voice over and over today telling me to "keep your grips dry." He was always loading my bag with more towels before high school tournaments!)

4. Fresh gloves at the ready. Again, to prevent the club from slipping. Keep these in a zip lock or protective case (some brands are sold with plastic sleeves to store them in) as well. An errant shot on the fifth hole due to a wet glove forced me to scramble from the trees 50 yards from the green today (resulting in a bogey) but as soon as I put on the new glove I was good to go.

5.  Fresh socks, again in a zip lock bag, to change at the turn. Dry feet are happy feet, and happy feet play good golf.  I didn't actually need to do this today as it was only nine holes, but any time I plan to walk 18 in the rain I do. 

6.  Have fun! In my case, a day golfing in the rain beats a morning inside changing diapers. Of course, don't play in lightning or severe rain (even if the Good Lord would never disrupt the best game of your life). But part of the joy of golf is connecting to nature in any of her conditions, something which I only am really realizing now that I'm playing for fun again.

Next week, I hope to be back at it but I'm going to have to find a sitter since my neighbor will be out of town. Fingers crossed that I'll be able to find someone!

At-Home Practice: Equipment that works for me (and what doesn't)

  When I made the decision to commit myself to playing regularly this year, I knew that at-home practice would be key to my success and enjoyment. Financially and logistically, there's not much I can do to get to a "real" course daily. Right now, I make time to practice during the 1-2 hours I get to myself while the little one naps. Today I'll share with you what I've found that works for me as well as what gaps I believe I still need to fill in to get the best golf practice possible at home.

Disclaimer: I was not asked to review these items by any of the companies listed. I have no affiliation with them. I purchased them with my own money after doing my own consumer research. The links provided are not affiliate links; I will not earn anything from readers purchasing the items or even visiting the links. These opinions are entirely my own, and are just that: opinions. 

I chose to go with the SKLZ brand of golf training tools. In my last season coaching the college team, we invested in a number of their items and I found that they held up very well the course of a year, even with 20 athletes sharing them and using them 3-5 times a week. So I felt confident in the investment, and didn't really shop around too much for comparable brands.

Our deck is spacious, leaving enough room for full swings with a net. I picked the 6x6 foot Quickster Net, which assembles and disassembles in mere minutes. For someone of my height (5'6") and strength level (slow-to-medium swing speed), it's more than adequate for taking hits with wiffle balls. If I weren't in a town home with the windows of my neighbor's homes around me, I would totally try to stake it down and hit with real balls, but the practice balls work fine. I purchased them several years ago and they can be found at many major retailers. On a side note about practice balls, I wouldn't over think them. If you use the net, you won't get to see how they fly anyway. SKLZ makes nifty foam ones that we used which were nice because they had lines you could aim with and they held up very well, but I'm doing just fine with my wiffle ball version.

SKLZ 6x6 Quickster Net (image: SKLZ.com)

Next, I purchased the Glide Pad for my hitting surface. What I like about the Glide Pad is that it is designed to give a little to simulate what it is like to hit a divot off real grass. My players loved this because it doesn't feel like the mats you hit off of at driving ranges, and those with wrist or elbow injuries didn't need to hold back. My only gripe is that to use it, you must grip down a little on your clubs because the mat is a little higher than the ground. SKLZ makes a Stance Trainer that allows you to stand at the proper height for the Glide Pad, but I passed.

SKLZ Glide Pad (image: SKLZ.com)

For putting, I bought the Accelorator Pro Compact putting mat. This is a smaller version than the one my team used, which had a nifty little ball return. But, I like this one better. It feels a little more durable, and honestly how often will I putt completely straight flat putts outside of 3 feet anyway?

SKLZ Accelorator Pro Compact (image: Amazon.com)

The last thing I bought was a three-pack of Eye Line's Ball of Steel. Five times the weight of regular golf balls, these are fantastic for drilling in the feel of accelerating through the ball with a square face. I love the feedback it gives and how quickly I can correct errors myself.

Eye Line Golf Ball of Steel (image: Amazon.com)

I'm happy with these tools and how quickly I can get going after little one hits the hay, but my practice does have some inadequacies. These include:

1. Proper chipping practice. I feel like chipping to a net or basket is good for drilling proper impact, but honestly you really need to see how balls land and react on greens to develop your feel. Chipping is such an essential scoring skill!
2. Bunker practice. Again, nothing compares to the feel of sand beneath the club head.
3. Long putts. Not to be super repetitive, but its hard to replicate the feel of lagging a breaking putt on a real green. SKLZ does make a long putting mat to try to answer this problem and I used it with the team, but we never really liked it and it is pretty bulky to store and takes a little longer to set up. I also don't think it's as durable as their other products.

So there you have it, a run-down of the bare necessities of my home golf practice set-up. It all fits easily in the corner of a closet when not in use, and should last me several years so the cost will be worth it over time.

Do you have any at-home practice tool that has been essential to your game? Share with us!