Tee up a successful season   Although this article is about golf, it also addresses issues that can be applied to any activity that requires body and mind control.  Did you end last season with an injury? Did you cross your fingers and hope that the time off has resolved it? There is a way to ensure that you are ready. Welcome to Bowen Wellness, an effective, efficient, relaxing way to start playing the best golf of your life. Golfing requires not only physical control but a sublime connection between mind and body. First the body… The heart of the swing comes from the forward slide of the hips coordinated with the twist of the trunk. To develop the full power range from this action you must have a stable and correctly balanced base. All the positioning and leaning you do will weave a web of compensations if there are musculo-skeletal irregularities restricting you. Keep the battle with the little white ball and not with your own body. Here are a couple of simple tests to tell you where you are starting from… Stand up. Where do you feel the weight on the bottom of your feet? Is it on the heels or balls or maybe more on one foot than the other? There is a Bowen procedure that will put it equally over the arches where it belongs. Not only does this affect position but also it implies that a muscle (psoas), that does flexion of the trunk, is stuck in a mild contracted state. A muscle that is already holding tension will not work fluidly in its full range. Hip restrictions are the most common cause of low back pain, particularly in male golfers. I have had ice skaters tell me that they feel an improved sense of balance after this work.  Please replace all triple toe loop divots. Next, are your legs the same length?  This is an obvious advantage for correct balance.  Lie on your back with your ankle bones touching and have someone see if they meet at the same spot. This is known as an apparent leg length differential. It doesn’t mean that one leg is shorter, but that an anterior rotation of the hip has pulled the starting point higher. For years, through isometric resistance work, I have manually reset this problem.  Unfortunately, it would most often fall back out because the body had not reorganized itself around the process. With Bowen procedures the hip will correct itself and adjust out any other deviations. Then a simple set of six leg movements done daily before getting out of bed will keep it that way. This not only effects balance but improves circulation and nerve induction to the lower body. Proper weight distribution takes a lot of strain off of the knees and feet as well.  Golfers elbow is a condition that modern medicine defines as a RSI (repetitive strain injury).  Tom Bowen interpreted these injuries differently and successfully resolved them. His premise was that it is not the number of times an action is done but rather the structural or mechanical glitches in the body that predispose some people to damage while others have no problems.  A shoulder procedure that frees nerves in the neck and shoulder is first performed.  Then the elbow/wrist procedure puts the body into action reorganizing itself in this high impact area. Painless moves over specific areas activate the needed response.  This is a great preventative as well as a remedial care tool to keep in your bag if this flares up during the season. Whether it’s a sore neck, a bum knee, or an aching wrist, now is the time to address these issues before you sign up for bad habits that can quickly set in.  This holds true during the season also.  The sooner a problem is addressed the less it affects the whole system. Now the mind… Golf requires whole-brain thinking to maintain a fine balance of function.  The left-brain figures facts like distance, club selection, slope of green and wind. The right brain steps in to visualize the shot and communicates how to execute it. Try watching the ball until it stops; this gives the right brain valuable feedback. After the shot the player must reframe; that is mentally just enjoying the scenery and conversation until the next stroke. Ninety percent of tightening problems in the neck, shoulders and down the back are a direct result of frustration.  Yes, Golf is a game of deliberation, but equally important is the ability of an athlete to shut out the things that cause disruption. Bowen is a powerful balancer of the nervous system that promotes whole brain thinking and mental clarity. It is not only a great stress reducer during treatment but establishes control patterns that will play through on the course and in all aspects of your life. Start this season knowing that you have given yourself the best chance of having the time of your life. Consultations are always free but having a Bowen experience is the only way to understand and realize the power that is waiting within you. Return to Articles