Golf Fitness by Corey Taylor - Putt.com

As many of us watched the final round of the PGA Championship there were a lot of players who had to finish up third round of play that morning.  Walking 18 holes can be taxing, but playing 30-36 holes in the same day can be flat out exhausting.  Many people have asked me how much fitness really came in to play yesterday or was it a simple matter of mental toughness?  After pondering over that question, I will have to say both were a deciding factor in the outcome of this year’s final major.  If you looked at the players who finished in the top 10, they all were in great physical condition.  This played a major role in why these guys finished where they did.  Players over the years have watched Tiger’s body develop into a magic specimen.  His work ethic is unmatched on tour!  But not only does he beat balls until the cows come home, but the edge he has over his competitor is his physical fitness.  Knowing that you have worked harder than everyone else will give you that mental edge that every professional athlete is looking for.  A golfer who works on their complete game as well as their fitness level makes it harder for them to lose focus which feeds into mental toughness. At the tour level everyone has game, but what separates the men from the boys is focusing on having the complete package.  In my opinion Mental Toughness and Fitness go hand in hand and feed off each other!

Well today I arrived in good ole Akron,Ohio  for the World Golf Championship! I got a chance to walk the back nine with JB, Kenny, and Chad Campbell. All three of these guys were stripping the ball like crazy! Tomorrow I’ll start working with Aussie Brett Rumford and boy is he a player!!! I watched him practice bunker shots for an hour and he has the game to win this championship. I think even without Tiger this should be an interesting tournament to see who steps it up and takes charge. KP IS LOOKING GOOD AND IT’S TIME FOR JB TO GET BACK ON TRACK!

Next week at the WGC Bridgestone, XM Radio will air my first of many golf fitness tips of the week! I am really excited about the opportunity to share my knowledge and expertise through the airwaves. This will be a challenging task as well. My description of these exercises will have to be finely detailed for my audience to capture a mental image of these exercises. I also will post these exercises on Putt.com.  THIS YEAR HAS BEEN AMAZING!!! THANKS KP!!

Things have been at a fast moving pace at the Taylor household! My eleven month old son CJ just started walking and boy was i in for a surprise! For those of you who have been through this process I’m sure you  feel my pain! My track shoes have been on tight chasing my little guy around the house! It seems like yesterday that my wife and I brought CJ home…….Time flies when your having fun! I am back on tour this week working with Kenny Perry and Mark Hensby. Both Kenny and Mark are looking really fit! JB is at the British Open trying to get his game back on track! Winning a major could do that in a hurry! Kenny is hoping to shake the critics from him not playing in the British Open. I think a victory this week will silence the non-sense that Kenny has had to endure while in Milwaukee from the press.

This week I’m in Flint Michigan for the Buick Open working with Kenny Perry! Wednesday I walked inside the ropes with Kenny as he played the Pro AM! Thursday Kenny posted -3 for his round teeing off in the afternoon group. The conditions in the afternoon were completely different than the morning groups. Hearing from the players and caddies the greens got really bumpy as the day went on!

Since I’ve been gone some exciting things have happened. I join forces with Leah Wigger who plays on the Futures Tour and the LPGA! Leah qualified for the US Open which takes place this week in Minnesota. I spent a day with Leah this past week in Cincinnati for a futures tour event! I can assure you that she is focused and ready to make some noise.  Leah is Fourth on the Money list for the futures tour and looks to get her exempt card for next season. Three weeks ago I was in Columbus for the Memorial. I spent Wednesday inside the ropes with  Kenny Perry and Mark Hensby for their practice round. Kenny showed me a lot of love that week introducing me to a lot of people! I can’t thank Kenny enough for making me feel at home at the Tournament… I guess thats’ Kentucky love for ya… I also worked with JB Holmes  before and after his rounds! I’ve been to many Tour events this year, but after that week in Columbus, I finally felt like a part of the Tour! Thanks Kenny!!

I want to apologize to our frequent viewers of Putt.com who have sent me emails wondering when I was going to post another blog.  Well a little over a month later I’m back on Putt.com. A lot has changed since my last Blog… I lost my father in-law to a three year battle with Lung Cancer.  Joseph F. Demling aka ”Poppy” was one of my biggest fans when I entered the golf business. He remodeled a dingy old garage, turning it into a respectable golf training facility that I would be proud of! We spent countless hours talking about new clients and ways I could grow my busniess. Poppy and I also were big fans of the reality show the “Big Break” and spent many Tuesday nights watching it together.  I could  go on and on about special times and memories that we shared.  But one thing that Poppy made my wife and I promise him was that we teach our ten month old son CJ  to play the great game of golf.  See many of you don’t know that I married into a golf family, Louisville’s first family of golf.  My wife and many of her cousins played in college.  My wifes uncles are Pro Golfers.. one  who spent time on the PGA Tour in the 70’s  and now a trick shot artist and another who is a PGA professional at Long Run Golf Course in Louisville, KY. The game of golf runs deep and it’s up to us to honor Poppy and keep his dreams alive! Once again I want to  Thank You Poppy for all of your love and support,we know you’ll be watching down on us!

Cory Kaufman has been grinding his way through the Tarheel Tour this season looking to prove that he has the game to take him to the next level! Today at North Stone Country Club, Kaufman shot a 66 which puts him one shot out of the lead going in to the second day! I was just in Hilton Head working with Cory and after spending time with him I knew it was a matter of time before he stated posting these type of scores. He has the talent to play at the next level and if he keeps posting these scores it wont be long!

I just returned from Hilton Head,SC where I working with Cory Kaufman who plays on the Tarheel Tour and Nationwide. It was my first time to Hilton Head and was a great experience. I also got a chance to go over to the Heritage and spend some time with JB Holmes and his caddie and my good friend Brandon Parsons. I got the opportunity to play some of the most prestigious courses in the deep south…. Belfair and Colleton River. Cory and I spent Thursday through Saturday working-out and designing his new program. I also spent time with Cory while he took his lessons from his teacher Tim Cooke who teaches out of Long Cove Golf Club! It was great to see how focused he was this whole week  working on his game and fitness level!

This past weekend I had a meeting with the Brandi and Larry Koch of Hillshot golf.  They are wanting to team up with the Corey Taylor Golf Performance Institute and I gladly accepted! The Hillshot Trainer is a unique training tool that every driving range should have. The Hill Shot Golf trainer helps you master those intimidating uneven lies that all golfers struggle with. It takes tremendous balance and stability to play these shots. So that’s where I come into play!! Many players when trying to play Uphill, downhill and sidehill  lies lose their spine angle(posture) during impact. I’m adding a Hill to my facility to perform golf specific exercises. I spoke to Matt Killen the other day and he is interested in having a hill at his course. So next week a Hill will be delivered to Matt. Within the next month look for my new fitness videos using the Hillshot Trainer! If interested in a Hill checkout www.hillshotgolf.com ”It’s gonna be a great Year”