As many adults have probably gotten back in the gym as part of their New Year’s resolution it’s a great time to get the kids interested in working out as well. It is never to early for a junior golfer to learn the basics of good nutrition and exercise. I wish I had learn these habits at an earlier age. I didn’t realize the importance of eating healthy and working out until I started my degree in Health and Exercise Science at Furman and we started working out as a golf team. It’s very hard to change bad habits, even to this day I still struggle with it. I love doing Crossfit and spin class, and I do my best to eat healthy when I can given my schedule but it’s still not easy.

Not only will learning these habits at a younger age help the junior golfers with their game and overall health now but it will also better prepare them for college golf. Workouts in college can be very intense, along with learning to make your own choices about what you eat every day. The sooner you can learn these skills the better the transition will be. I realize that not every family can afford to have their junior golfer go to a trainer or athlete performance gym every week but there are many ways to still work on improving in these areas. Below are a couple of good articles about junior golf fitness and nutrition.

http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2012-05/junior-golf-fitness

http://www.golfdigest.com/magazine/2012-05/five-exercises-for-junior-golfers

http://www.competitive-golfer.com/Nutrition-Hydration.html