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I would!  With this sweepstakes, Nike Golf and GolfDigest magazine offer the chance to win the grand prize, which includes a list of prizes that reads like the storyline of my golf daydreams…

ONE THOUSAND GOLF BALLS.  ONE SWEEPSTAKES.  ONE HOLE PLAYED WITH THE NO. 1 PLAYER IN THE WORLD.  AND YOU COULD BE THE ONE WHO WINS.*

HOW? Between June 11 and August 10, 2007 buy boxes of NIKE ONE Platinum and NIKE ONE Black balls and look inside for one of the promotional colored balls NIKE Golf has randomly distributed across the U.S**. Find one, register it and you will be automatically entered in the Tee It Up with Tiger Woods sweepstakes.

At stake – a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to tee off with the No. 1 player in the world at Ginn Reunion Resort in Orlando, Fla., plus other grand prize perks, including:

• Airfare for one (1) winner from anywhere in the U.S. to Orlando, Fla.
• Two nights accommodations at Ginn Reunion Resort
• Participation in a Tiger Woods Golf Clinic
• 18-hole golf outing
• One hole played with Tiger Woods
• Dates of Trip: September 18-20, 2007

* Twenty-four (24) Grand Prizes will be awarded!

This probably won’t surprise anyone, but me, I’m dumbfounded!  I was playing pretty well early this spring in Scottsdale, even though I had a rough winter health-wise, during which I gained about 35 lbs since September, due to severely irritated hypoglycaemia which went undiagnosed until about 3 months ago. 

So even my hopes that I would lose weight by becoming a vegetarian (which didn’t last long) and focusing on a lot of tofu and brown rice (which, thanks to the amazing bowls at Fresh, are still included in the foods I crave), still caused me to gain weight because my body simply turned ALL carbs into fat.  Fun.  Well, I’ve learned the only way to control hypoglycaemia is a strict no-carb diet for at least two months, and limiting fat intake to almost nothing if you want to lose weight.  This is exactly the same diet as Atkins (if you don’t need or want to lose weight) or Dr. Bernstein (if you do want to lose weight). 

Since I wanted desperately to lose the weight I gained from my hypoglycaemic carb-binges, I invested in The Bernstein diet to help keep me on track and ensure I could get from the vitamins I would need while limiting my foods to no fat or carbs for at least two months (probably three to lose all the weight I need to).  As many of you know I’ve also had time off from my day job, so I’ve really been enjoying the nice weather to get out and golf at least once a week, I’ve been biking all over the city (so dangerous, but exhilarating too) and in 6 weeks have lost 25 pounds.  more…

The final set of Toronto Yoga For Golfers workshops open to the public are coming up in the next week – Wednesday, June 20th at downtown Kings Golf Academy (6:15 – 8:15pm) and two Saturday June 23 at InnerGolf (10am-12noon or 12:30-2:30pm).  If you want to attend, contact them directly to register since space is limited.
Included in the workshops are these warm-up drills recommended by Chima McLean, the Pro at KGA, to work along with your warm-up [yoga] stretches so you can bring your best game every round through the summer.

Drill #3 – Driving Range (3-5 minutes)
•          With your feet only a few inches apart and using a pitching or gap wedge, begin by swinging slowly, making small pitches to a target 40-50 yards away. The technique should have no lateral weight shift in either direction. It is a gentle turn of the body away from the target and gentle turn of the body to the target (the back heel should come up off the ground). Your arm swing should be approximately chest high back, to chest high thru, and include a full wrist hinge back and a re-hinge after impact, including a slight rotation of the forearms.
•          If you turn your back to the sun, make some swings with no ball and observe that the end of the backswing and finish positions with the arms will look a bit like a letter “L” and a reverse letter “L”.
•          Your goal here is to take some small divots to help ensure the descending blow needed with irons and also to acquire a sense of gentle acceleration on the thru swing, thereby building a sense of rhythm.
If you’re new to our blog, the Warm Up Drills you should start with (after yoga, of course) before you hit the driving range, are Drill #1 (click here) and Drill #2 (click here).

Happy golfing this weekend!

I am looking forward to watching this documentary tonight; I hope it will give some insight on exactly how contaminated our Canadian meat is, rather than the US-centric versions of Franken-meat described in books like Fast Food Nation (which I highly recommend everyone read, since it just gets you to reconsider what you put in your mouth, and why…)
Still, a lot of people assume that as a yoga instructor I MUST be vegetarian, but I am not…  Being vegetarian was something I did for a short while immediately after reading Fast Food Nation when I was shell-shocked by how contaminated the meat we eat daily often is (and I had food poisoning twice last summer!)…  But I really do believe as humans, we are meant to eat a wide variety of foods, both plants and animals.  We have our place in the food chain, as does every other species.  In spite of that – not all meat is the same, and unfortunately it is becoming apparent that the most easy-to-obtain & afford meat is the most dangerous…  It has changed the way I grocery shop & what type of meats I will eat, the better for my health.
Ultimately, it’s better to KNOW and make an informed decision about how you choose to fuel your body & activities, eh?

BY DARLA CARTER | THE COURIER-JOURNAL

Last year, after Marty Storch, 43, failed to warm up before a round at CrossWinds Golf Course in Bowling Green, Ky., he tore a muscle in his rib area and ended up having to quit golf for six to eight weeks.

Golf injuries range from shoulder and lower back pain to elbow and knee problems, said Frank B. Kelly, an orthopedic surgeon in Macon, Ga., who chairs the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons’ communications cabinet…

Click here to read the entire article.

For anyone looking for her, for a beginner’s introduction to the game for this year that doesn’t require ANY previous knowledge of the game, a lot of time or money AND it takes place early in the golf season, in a non-intimidating environment where you can also meet other beginner golfer ladies to play with later, I think the Maple Leaf Women’s Learn To Play clinics could be for you; all necessary info is available through the OGA website.  Once you’re confident enough in your own game, see what it’s like golfing with him… you might just surprise yourself!

I recently decided to break my habit of arriving to the course with only 15 minutes or less to warm up, since I did it all last season and consistently did not go through a proper swing or stretch warm up and found that I was always 3 or 4 holes in before I’d take a second to stretch & breathe, and finally start to make a few shots that would actually go towards the target in the way I’d hoped. 

For the Yoga For Golfers Workshops, I really wanted to be sure it contained valuable information for golfers to use when you arrive at the course – so I asked Chima McLean, CPGA Teaching Pro of Downtown Toronto’s King’s Golf Academy to develop his top-5 recommended warm-up drills for golfers to use when they only have a few minutes to get ready for the 1st tee.

According to Chima, definitely START your warm-up on the putting green and if you have made the time, work up from putting & chipping to progress through your clubs up to the practice range, first with irons and then finally drivers.

Here is Chima’s first set of drills… Think about printing them out so you can try them this weekend and let me know if you see any difference (they definitely helped my putting & chipping on Monday, when I only had a minute to warm-up my putter/wedge!)

“Remember to plan your pre-round time carefully. If time is limited, do as many of the following drills as possible, in the order they are listed, and, only AFTER your Yoga warm-up has been completed.  If you only have time for the Yoga practice, then it takes priority, because it will warm up your body, balance your mind prepare you for anything during your round!

Drill #1 – Putting green (5-7 minutes)

- Start by taking 4 balls and hit 8 to 12 putts in the 3’–4’ range.  Pick a hole that is relatively flat (one Pace=3’). This will help your alignment and build your confidence at holing putts. more…

Wow, being unemployed is tough!  Ever since I started looking for a new full-time position, I have also been taking full advantage of the lovely spring weather and golfing as much as I can… This morning will be my 4th round in 8 days (my 12th of the season).  I know this is too much and I should probably aim for a practise session every third day as opposed to playing a round.  But the good news to report is I AM keeping score and showing dramatic improvements in my putting (YAY!), chipping and iron play…

What’s been most amazing to me is how much of a dramatic effect I find from the food & drink I have while playing a round.  I’ve really begun to understand, from experience, how keeping a balanced blood-sugar level throughout the round keeps my mind sharp, body calm and with sufficient energy through the round.

What you eat while playing REALLY makes a big difference!  I’ve been developing the habit of bringing fresh fruits (plums) and veggies (frozen raw soy beans/edamame) onto the course with me, drinking a LOT of water, using Emergen-C in my water as mineral & vitamin replenishment.  I also specifically avoid all caffeine, sugar, starches, alcohol (they would cause my blood sugar to spike and then drop, leaving me sluggish and mentally foggy after eating).  If you absolutely must have chocolate, beer or fried foods, I recommend you save it for after the round – you can even have your friends pay, since you’ll have beat them at every hole!

I am excited to share with everyone the details of these tried & tested food theories, as well as the CPGA Pro warm-up drills (I get to try them out myself this morning!) with everyone who attends the workshop at KGA in downtown Toronto on Wednesday.
Happy Golfing, Everyone!