Don't be a Tiger

I, for one, thoroughly enjoyed the Masters.
Tiger was notable by his absence however because of his ongoing back problem. Back pain is probably the thing that keeps me in work. Just about everyone will experience back problems at some point in their lives. Is the spine poorly designed? Why does it go wrong so frequently? Is it all down to poor lifting technique? If we look at the figures, the jobs which have the most days lost to back pain are occupational drivers. Second on the list are office workers. Manual workers are further down.

The key factor doesn't seem to be lifting, it's sitting. Sitting doesn't just increase the pressure on your back while you're sat, it also makes changes to your body which means people who sit a lot can't get comfortable standing either. If understanding back pain was easy, we would all be pain free. It's complicated, but over the next few weeks I'll try to show you some of the things that we can do to give our backs a better chance. And hopefully keep you on the course. Unlike Tiger.

MDGA update

It's becoming a regular occurrence when a Stamford associate features in the weekly Manchester Alliance golf tour. This week we visited Hazel Grove golf club, blessed with sunshine and low wind we had perfect golfing conditions. Sadly to say my form has stooped since Christmas time and it therefore isn't myself that I'm writing about. However, not for the usual names that feature in my newsletter. Paul Traynor is what you're expecting to read, but this isn't the case either. Dan Fox and his partner in Crime Steve Finan managed a top 3, posting an impressive 42 points. They were pushed into 3rd place by yet another pairing from Stamford, Mike Hewitt & Steve Moores on a card playoff who also carded 42 points.

It wasn't a pretty ending for the pair as they managed to make complications down their final hole posting no points.

If that didn't leave a bitter taste, learning 43 points had their name on the Leo Feeney trophy was a tough one to swallow. Focusing on the positives though, I had the pleasure of partnering the pair.

Both contributed a great card and a win is just around the corner, I'm sure. 




Today my custom fitting knowledge was put to the test by the elite. I once had to put my skills to work in front of a PGA examiner, and the pressure felt pretty intense. Today brought all those feelings back, as European tour player Matthew Nixon wanted his new Callaway setup customising to suit his game.

Matt had been experiencing significant distance differences between irons and wanted to double check his lie angles suited his game. The outcome was very interesting, and following a 3 hour session of tweaking lofts & lie angles, Matt felt comfortable his distances (otherwise known as gapping) are now consistent. 

  

From all at Stamford Golf Club we wish Matt a successful season on Challenge & European tour.