Golf Fitness by Corey Taylor - Putt.com

Chris Baker is a grinder! A man whose mental toughness has really been challenged. You see “Bake” has played in three Monday qualifiers for the Nationwide Tour and missed all three by one shot! To top it off this past week he missed his US Open qualifier by one shot on a course he has player dozens of times. So to say the least “Bake” was way overdue for a victory and it came yesterday at the Hooters Tour Event in Evansville, IN. Chris carded a 66-67-63-61 to post a solid 27 under par. The Iowa State Alum came to Evansville Guns blazing as he lit up the Quail Crossing Golf Course! Many of you may have never heard of “Bake,” but believe me this isn’t the last…he has game!! Not to mention his Performance Coach isn’t too shabby himself!! Ha ha…hey it’s my blog, so I can plug myself whenever I want!!! On a serious note, I am very proud and pleased with the maturity and progress Chris has made over the year. One thing about him that Ido know is that he never makes the same mistake twice. That’s why I am a firm believer he will play on the PGA Tour someday!

Another days work for me in Arizona as I am here working with Futures Tour player Sara “no h” Brown. For those of you who aren’t familiar with Sara she is a solid player who graduated from Michigan State last spring. She spent last summer playing on the Futures Tour finishing 22nd on the money list! This year Sara will play a full season with lofty goals and hoping to catapult her career to the LPGA Tour! I can’t wait to get back home to see my beautiful wife Amy and my little man CJ!! I get the chance to be home for a couple of weeks before the Florida swing and then I start living out of a suitcase!

The FBR Open is one of my favorite tournaments for many reasons! You can’t beat the excitement and atmosphere that this tourney brings, not only at the 16th hole. Mmmmm those mojo pies are the best!!! It’s like no other PGA Tour event. 2008 was my first visit to the FBR and I felt like I was at a football game…actually I felt pretty comfortable! For those of you who haven’t experienced this tournament, you have to add it to your bucket list for sure. Another reason why I love this tournament is that for the past two years, a client of mine has won. As many of you know, Kenny Perry won two weeks ago in a playoff over Charlie Hoffman. Unfortunately I wasn’t there to see this victory since I was in Orlando at the PGA Show. I did talk to KP a few days ago as he was enjoying his off week in Franklin, KY with his family!

I just returned from the PGA Show to Iceland! NO not really, but Louisville, KY is looking pretty darn close with 3inches of ice covering every part of  Kentuckiana. So arriving in Louisville in shorts was a huge NO NO, but I survived. My trip was strictly business. I had three goals while at the PGA show: #1 To add a player or two to my already deep stable. #2 To pick up another sponsor for the 2009 season . #3 Spend time with my cousin, Crystal Horton who is the VP of Sales for LaCoste. I am going to start working with former Michigan State star, Sara Brown. Sara and I met last year at the PGA Show. She will play on the Futures Tour this year , but has the game to play on the LPGA Tour. I will update you on Sara’s success this year as she moves closer to her goal of competing on Tour. I also met LPGA and former Big Break contestant Kristy McPherson. Kristy and I talked briefly about me being out on tour with Leah Wigger and if she wanted a trainer on tour that I would work with her! Now its back to work at my golf performance institute. I am happy to be home with my wife and son! They are my world and being on the road can be a challenge!

Once again I’ve been away from my blog duties and I promise this is the last time that I will be away as long as I have been. Many things have happened since I’ve be absent. My LPGA player Leah Wigger earned her tour card during a playoff in Q-school. Well deserved for a player who is so determined and focused on making an impact on the Ladies Tour. We have spent the last three months working hard in the gym, focusing on lower body stability which has helped her become more efficient getting on her left side. Teaming up with Leah’s coach Candie Comer has really helped me become a better golf fitness instructor. University of Kentucky star Mallory Blackwelder has joined my stable of talented players that I have had the pleasure of working with. Mal is the daughter of Worth Blackwelder, the caddie for Julie Inkster and former tour player Myra Blackwelder (Mal’s mom). Mallory is ready to take her game to the next level and has added me to her team. Now that her team is complete don’t be surprised to see Mallory at the top of the leaderboard contending in every tournament she enters!(The preacherman has spoken)

Last week I got the chance to experience what every person should… a trip to Disney World! As a child my wife spent many summers traveling to Disney World. She was so excited for me and our 1yr old son CJ to have such an experience as she did as a kid. We spent five days hopping from park to park. I have to admit that Animal Kingdom was my favorite.  I also got the chance to play golf at the Magnolia Course at Disney. My cousin and I enjoyed a great round of golf at a course that was preparing for a PGA event. The rough was ridiculously high and i cant tell you how many balls i lost! The highlight was teeing off on 18 with the grandstands sitting behind the green! I had my best drive of the day a 305yd bomb, but left my approach shot short! I can’t wait for our next family trip back to Disney!

This past PGA season has been a roller-coaster for me! Being a rookie and trying to understand the ways of the tour has definitely been a journey! I spent sixteen weeks on tour trying to prove myself to tour players as well as other trainers! I didn’t even know until the WGC at Firestone that I have access to the fitness trailer. I was just used to hauling all of my equipment around. I got fired and hired at TPC Boston…man that was a mess, but it turned out pretty good in the end! KP told me that you’ve got to have tough skin if your going to survive on tour. I just think it’s the way that some guys on tour handle things that really upsets me. And I thought I had tough skin from playing pro ball…… I’ve been told a couple of times ”bring your playbook coach wants to see you!!!” For those of you who don’t know what that means; its means your no longer employed! I’m still in the process of finding a couple more guys to work with for next season. In the meantime I am back in Louisville, KY training locals clients and giving local and national presentations on Golf Fitness. I’m going to give the tour life another try for 2009… I’ve been working with AK and I hope that relationship continues to grow! I pray that I become a permanent part of his team! If so, then this journey is far from over!

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!!