A new golfer wellness program on P.E.I. can't guarantee a better score, but promises to get you ready to play 18 holes without hurting yourself.

As soon as the snow disappears Island golf courses will start opening, and while golfers are anxious to hit the course they might not be physically ready after a long winter of relative inactivity.

"We are just interested in helping some recreational golfers stay on the green for longer," said Allison St. Pierre, wellness co-ordinator at Now n Zen Wellness in Stratford, P.E.I., and Reactive Health in Charlottetown, who launched the program this week.

'Some aches and pains'

St. Pierre said she'd noticed many Islanders seeking therapy after hitting the golf course in spring.

'Our first and foremost goal is injury or aches and pain prevention, but it can definitely help to do a bit of pre-season training,' says clinical kinesiologist Allison St. Pierre. (Submitted by Allison St. Pierre)

"There are quite a few people who tend to be a little more stagnant in the winter. You want to be inside nice and warm and then we go out and do 18 holes for the first time that year and there can be some aches and pains associated with that," she said.

To ease golfers into the season the program starts with a mobility assessment.

The program also tracks client's golf game goals and the things they wish to avoid, St. Pierre said.

"The last three-and-a-half weeks we start incorporating some really good strengthening and stability exercises."

Offers help conditioning

An injury golfers commonly report at the start of the season is stiffness in their upper back when they go for that first big swing. They also report pain on the outside of their hips and ankles, St. Pierre said.

"We actually have a golf pro from Fox Meadow for the very last session where we are actually going out to Fox Meadow and he is going to talk about golfing mechanics specifically."

The program will probably help improve participants' games a little bit, St. Pierre said — their online brochure says it will help participants hit the ball further and straighter with less effort in their swing — but it doesn't claim to turn out elite golfers.

"Our first and foremost goal is injury or aches and pain prevention — but it can definitely help to do a bit of pre-season training," St. Pierre said.

The golf wellness program costs $290 plus tax.

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