Before ‘Fore,’ try focusing on core

To improve a golf game, you can seek help from a golf pro, study Tiger Woods’ every move, or try Pilates. The exercise regimen, which focuses on core strength, may be the key to a better 18 holes, says Monica Clyde, author of “The Golfer’s Guide to Pilates” (Ulysses Press, 2006).

-- Jeannine Stein

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The Golfer’s Guide to Pilates: Pilates is a perfect complement to golf, because both are mind-body sports, says Clyde, the San Ramon-based founder and director of the Pilates for Golf Coach, a golf-fitness training program. Golf and Pilates, she says, are “all about focus,” and both also require “integrated movement, not isolating different parts of the body.”

The book’s beginning chapters detail the principles of Pilates, the anatomy of golf and how Pilates’ concentration on core strength can improve a golfer’s swing, as well as other aspects of the game. Numerous exercises (some pure Pilates, other Pilates-based) are described and illustrated with photos, and broken down into categories such as flexibility, stability and strength, and balance. It’s helpful but not essential to have had some Pilates experience, such as a mat class or one-on-one training. A variety of workout programs are also provided.

Clyde, who has extensive training in Pilates, started golfing about five years ago and found “how demanding it is on parts of our body where we lose movement,” such as the hip, shoulder and spine. It occurred to her that Pilates could enhance flexibility: “You have freedom in the joints because you have stability in the core,” she says, adding, “The more I started taking the swing into my core, the more I realized it protected my back.”

Price: $14.95, available at bookstores.