Chris Kirk is once again the golfer he was at the beginning of the last decade, when he achieved four of the six PGA victories that adorn his record. The Tennessee golfer relaunched his career last year with a victory in the Honda Classic (sponsored by Cognizant this season), ending dark years in which he took to drinking and lost the ability to compete, and last week He became the first champion of the year on the American circuit, winning the Sentry, the event that opens the season in Hawaii.
Chris Kirk, results
Kirk’s return to the elite is partly based on a rigorous work philosophy. Although this is a less demanding sport than others in the physical aspect, as demonstrated by some bellies that are usually seen in tournaments (which does not mean, no matter how many insist on the cliché, that it cannot be considered a sport, because if that is considered a criterion, neither would rugby or American football), more and more players are taking this facet of the game very seriously.
In Kirk’s case, he uses a personal trainer with the mission of keeping him in shape, and one of the methods chosen by him, revealed in a video published on the PGA’s social networks, is curious to say the least. Golf is a discipline that has certain similarities with baseball, starting with the fundamental premise: you have to hit a ball with a club.
This is where good maintenance of the upper body of the body, especially its extremities, becomes important. And to do this, Kirk uses an exercise learned from baseball pitchers. This consists of filling a bucket with a good amount of rice, dipping your hands in it and making continuous movements.
Thus, in the attempt to overcome the resistance of the grains, mobility and flexibility are worked on, the joints are toned… The best of all? Kirk’s coach says it as a joke: “There is no need to change the rice. That one must have been there for about 15 years”.
The rules of golf are relatively complicated compared to other sports because they are applied outdoors, close to nature and animals. Respect for the rules is a basic element in the game of golf, which, almost always based on the self-control and free conscience of the players, often sees distorted results, consciously at times, but often unconsciously or through carelessness, due to non-compliance on the part of many players of the game rules.