I consider myself to be a fairly flexible person and typically do some type of stretching each day. Then I went to Monarch Beach Golf Links to meet yoga instructor Shilah Sarkissian and learned about real stretching. I’m talking about the kind that makes you tilt your head from side to side wondering how a person gets in those pretzel-like poses. Ouch.
But then Sarkissian extolled the virtues of yoga on a person’s golf game, both mentally and physically. And before I could dismiss the talk as simply coming from a New Age-y, wheatgrass-drinking and ohm-chanting idealist, she told me about her upbringing in golf and passion for the game.
“My first job, ever in life, was in a back shop washing clubs and picking the range with a range picker,” she said, “My dad put a golf club in my hand just after I could walk. He managed golf courses, and the game became a family activity.”
Those courses and early rounds were primarily north of the border in Alberta, where she was born, and she continued to work in the golf industry, whether in the pro shop or with food and beverage, all the way through college. Now in Orange County and linked with the Monarch Beach Golf Academy and other ventures, Sarkissian is excited about the chance to spread the word – and stretch people’s spines – about the benefits of yoga and golf.
“Golf is really something that’s a mind-body connection. And yoga is a tradition and discipline that helps you become connected to the mind and the body, and you do that by releasing tension and being conscious of your breathing,” said Sarkissian, one of several people in our August issue with game-improvement tips. “Physically, yoga frees up areas to create more movement and a more fluid swing; emotionally, it helps with stress, helps you reset and stay relaxed in the present moment.”
The moment in time we were chatting was, to say the least, stress free as we did our photo shoot on the elevated fifth tee box at Monarch Beach while gazing at the coast on a crystal clear day. But even that serenity often isn’t enough to keep golfers – particularly males – from stressing out about their shots, swings and scores.
“Males have so much tension in their chest and shoulders, and the stress of normal activities and everyday life brings the shoulders forward, which causes poor posture whether you golf or not,” Sarkissian said. “Yoga is going to open your chest and shoulders and open the large muscle on top of your back – the trapezius – to help open space, which will allow you to rotate more easily. And once that feeling and openness works down your spine to your hips, it’ll become second nature and you don’t really have to think about it.”
So if you’ve never thought about yoga, perhaps you should. It couldn’t hurt, right?
MORE TO LEARN
Now that you’re stretched out, how about going deep with power driving tips or sinking more putts with a primer on AimPoint Express? We also have those in our August edition, with three-time long drive champion Frank Miller discussing ways to generate power and Black Gold instructor Sean Lanyi talking about the nuances of the putting system that’s starting to catch on. Also inside are Pelican Hill instructor Glenn Deck showing you how to feel more comfortable in the sand and Arroyo Trabuco instructor Michael Block discussing his theories on how to better hit every club in your bag.
Those, combined with our regular Lesson Tee features, are designed to make the game more enjoyable for readers. And if you implement some of the practices and end up beating your buddies on a regular basis, your secret is safe with us.
