Ron Kaspriske

Music on the golf course, albeit much more accepted than it was a decade ago, still has its share of critics. Many clubs ban on-course use of bluetooth speakers, and it’s never a good idea to play a round with earbuds in. How can you hear someone yell “fore”? But setting aside the annoying aspects of hearing music on a golf course, especially when it’s a genre of music you don’t like, you might be wondering if it’s ever in violation of the Rules of Golf to listen while playing a round. Perhaps s…

Between your job, your house chores, your kids’ sports schedules, oh, and your desire to play as much golf as possible, it’s no wonder that one of the first things you eliminate from your weekly calendar is gym time. Golf Digest Certified Fitness Trainer Zach Gulley (above) gets it. A big part of his job is to make sure his clients get what they need to stay fit and ready for golf, but he also has to temper that focus by being cognizant of time constraints. With that in mind, his philosophy is t…

Let’s take a quick trip back to the 2010 PGA Championship. You might recall a “minor” rules incident on the 18th hole at Whistling Straits during Sunday’s final round when Dustin Johnson, in contention to win, was given a two-shot penalty for grounding his club in a bunker. If you don’t remember the incident, you might wonder how a professional golfer could make such a dumb decision. Well, let’s just say what constituted a “bunker” at Whistling Straits for that tournament and what a bunker looks…

A while back, after doing an exhaustive study of how elite players strike a ball on the turf, former pro golfer Bobby Clampett, now an instructor, found that the swing bottom of the best players is up to four inches in front of the ball! You read that right. Four inches. Their irons descend into the ball, strike it, then slice into the turf and keep heading downward for another couple of inches before ascending again. That’s why you see those carpet strips of grass flying when someone like Tiger…

Let’s start with a pet peeve. Whenever a golfer chooses to walk but others in the foursome take a cart, it’s always annoying when they hit shots and then race down the fairway to their golf balls, leaving you to trot along like the turtle in the race against the hare. If you accidentally hit that cart, they should apologize to you, not the other way around. OK, with that off our chest, let’s get to the rule that applies. It used to be that if you hit another player, his or her caddie, or his or…

You know that big bucket of balls you just hit? Not only was it probably a waste of $13 bucks if you’re trying to lower your scores, but all that punishment on your elbows can quickly turn into tendinitis. Whether it’s tennis elbow (lateral epicondylitis) on the outer part of the joint or golfers elbow (medial epicondylitis) on the inner part, that sharp, hot pain is not going to go away without some rest followed by some very specific exercises to prevent its return. There are tons of shoulder…

A study published in the science journal NeuroQuantology concluded that if you foam roll for less than 30 seconds on any particular muscle group, you’re pretty much wasting your time. In fact, the good stuff really doesn’t kick in until you’re rolling a spot for 90 seconds (three sets of 30 seconds). File that nugget away the next time you’re thinking of improving your mobility. Want to know more about foam rolling? Introducing Jill Miller. She’s a nationally known expert on yoga, breathing and…

You, or someone you work with, could be on Golf Digest’s list of the 50 Best Golf-Fitness Trainers in America. Here’s how

With plenty of match-play tournaments being staged at the professional, amateur and green-grass levels the next few months, the answer to this rules question seems more relevant than ever

Consider these Band-Aids for your game until you can find the time (and the willingness) to incorporate some golf exercises into your weekly schedule.