Health, Fitness & Golf-Specific Performance Tips Now Available
I have been working with Pat Perez since the 2004 PGA TOUR Season. My role on Team Perez has been as Pat's on-Tour physical therapist.
Specifically, the focus of my program has been to help Pat manage the physical wear-n-tear issues that are encountered week-to-week out on tour.
The physical demands of playing professional golf are great and are specifically related to the frequent travel between event sites and the prolonged practice required to fine tune technique.
For a guy like Pat - who gives it his all with every swing - these stresses are even greater!
My specialties include golf-specific evaluation, soft tissue release, joint mobilization, instrument assisted manual therapy and active isolated stretching. Programming fits into three specific areas:
(1) Recovery - At the beginning of the week, the focus is removing any stresses from the previous event.
(2) Competition - Game day or tournament specific work. Our focus is proper preparation or warm-up before and recovery after each round.
(3) Preparation - This is a true team effort! This area of programming focuses on off-week and off-season services.
I am proud to have been asked to write this column at www.PatPerezGolf.com, giving insight into Pat's programming and life on Tour.
I will cover everything from basic training tips to in depth explanation about the techniques used by Double P.
Look for tips related to general fitness as well as golf-specific performance suggestions!
Hanging at my bud's house in San Diego this week. I was gonna drive back to Scottsdale, but I just can't handle 115 degrees right now - even IF it's a dry heat. SD has been sunny and between 80 and 90 depending on where we're hanging our or what we're doing. I think I'm gonna kick it here a few more days before trekking back to the desert.
My bud had last month's Maxim laying around and I stumbled across an article about cocktails and personal concoctions that readers sent in. The #2 cocktail - though hardly original - was the "John Daly."
It's basically an Arnold Palmer(Lemonade and Iced Tea) with a few shots of citrus vodka. Sounds like a pretty decent summertime beverage. Still, I can't believe this unoriginal concoction was #2. I'm guessing that's based on name recognition alone. Would it still be #2 if it were named the Jean Van de Velde? Who knows?
Regarding what I have going on, I wanted to head back out for the Buick Open next week - but the elbow just isn't ready. I definitely need to get back out there this year, I am just not sure when that'll be. I've tried a bunch of different things for the elbow. I've worked it out. I've seen a slew of doctors. The only thing I really haven't done is legitimately rest it for a good month. I just haven't had the patience, but the way things are right now - that's my only real option. Lay low. Don't work it out. Just ice, heat and rest.
In San Diego a few more days with the fellas. I'll write more later. Checked out a great band at my bud's Ali's club last weekend (4th&B) and bought a bunch of their CDs. I'll tell you more about them next time I chime in. -- P.P.
Hey Everyone. PP here. Checking in from San Diego. Had a great week out here and wanted to chime in from back home.
It's been pretty eventful these past few days. Hanging with some good buds, getting some down time with Mom, catching some live music and just enjoying the weather. Scottsdale is 'oven hot' this time a year, so it's great to be coastal in July.
Last Monday a bunch of us headed up to see Edwin McCain at the House of Blues in Anaheim. Edwin has some solid cuts on his new disc "Lost In America" and it's definitely worth checking out. We didn't end up synching up before or after the show. I think ol' E-Mac was blowing our crew off, so we're gonna have some words about that down the road. I'll let y'all know how that plays out.
Tuesday I headed down to Petco Park to check out the Padres/Philles. My bud Pat Burrell left us tickets and I got to head down on the field before the game. No time for batting practice this time around, but I got to see all the coaches and players I met when in Philly a few months back. The Phils pulled out the win and Burrell had a rough night - but I have no beef with my hometown team getting the "W".
Wednesday was Opening Day at Del Mar. We had a good crew thhat day and the weather was perfect. For those who've never been to Opening Day - it's an event. I went with some long time buds - as well as a few NBA guys (Luke Walton and Richard Jefferson) and Chargers' linebacker Shawne Merriman. That kid is a beast. It's downright scary. Not a surprise that he did what he did to Priest Holmes last season.
Thursday I lined up a round of golf at Del Mar Country Club for Darius Rucker, Mark Bryan and Dean Felber of Hootie and the Blowfish. I hit a few irons and hung out, but my elbow is killing me again - so I was mostly a spectator. Another perfect day and the guys really dug the course, so that was cool. From there, we headed down to Humphrey's By The Bay for their show that night.
Twenty-five years in San Diego and I never made it to Humphrey's. Don't ask me how that happened. For those who've never been, it's an outdoor venue right on the water. Boats can pull right up and check out the show. The stage is right in the middle of a bunch of old school hotels/condos, so anyone there can spill out to the balcony and check out the show.
My bud and I got to hang with the band before the show, hang around for the pre-show ritual (warming up backstage on the acoustics and a quick shot) and then took in the show. My bud who runs the website jammed with them on stage back in 2004, but I was on the road and missed it. He wound up strapping on Mark's vintage Fender Telecaster and playing the encore with them. I rolled up on stage as well and rocked out with the fellas.
Hung with the fellas late night and had a blast. We're trying to negotiate getting them to play my charity tourney next January - the week of the Buick Invitational at Torrey Pines. More on that in the coming weeks. We're looking to book them and Edwin for a private show the the Sunday before the Buick and the charit tourney would be that Monday.
Friday night we all hit my bud Ali's club in downtown San Diego, 4th&B. Theivery Corporation played and tore it up. Great show.
Laying low the rest of the weekend and then sticking around San Diego for a few more day. My girl is in Austria studying abroad and I'm having a blast with friends and family here.
More to come this week. Just wanted to check in and let everyone know all is well.
PatPerezGolf.com wants to give a big time shout out to one Mike Perez on this lovely Friday afternoon.
Heading into Saturday, the junior Perez is at -12 (one stroke off the lead) after firing 66-66 on Thursday and Friday at the Scholarship America Showdown at Somerby.
Single P went six under on Friday - with birdies on 1, 2, 4, 6, 11 & 14 - and remained bogey-free on the day. Thursday's round was made up of five birdies, one eagle, a bogey and ten pars. Saturday's tee time will be announced shortly. To follow Single P online this weekend, click here.
Mike Perez currently has conditional status on the Nationwide Tour and stated he plans on playing "possibly 6 out of the next 10 events."
His fast start at Somerby is to be expected. Perez breezed through the first two stages of Qualifying School in 2005, but suffered a neck injury days before Final Stage. A few strong finishes in the next few Nationwide events could be just what the doctor ordered.
When PatPerezGolf.com contacted Single P today after his round of 66, he asked that we make sure and give all the glory to hair metal icons Cinderella and Tesla.
Days before heading out on the road for this Nationwide event, the younger Perez caught both bands on back to back nights, at home in Scottsdale. An accomplished guitarist and a lover of music, Single P mentioned that seeing both bands really fired him up.
So how does a Nationwide Tour player with conditional status and only one event under his belt in 2006 fire back-to-back rounds of 66 in his first tourney since late April?
"I'm being patient and I'm trusting my shots. I'm sick of being at home. This is where I want to be; out here and competing. Not getting caught up in the day to day," said Perez.
"After so much time away from competitive golf, I just appreciate being out here right now. I learned the hard way that 'my way' doesn't work. I'm focused now. I'm ready to get it done."
Perez mentioned that he hit 14 of 14 fairways on Friday and "something like 16 of 18 greens." He attributes his fast start to a 3/4 shot.
"Instead of hitting it full, everything has been a 3/4 shot. When I'm not hitting my irons great, I take the extra club. I have better control and it allows me to cover the ball better. This week it's been my 'go to' shot, " said Perez.
Saturday's tee time is yet to be announced, but Single P mentioned that he believes the final pairing will go off sometime around 2:00pm CT.
Michael Owen checking in. Just got back from Silvis, Illinois where I was this week for the John Deere Classic. I'm working with both the boys - PP, Leggo and Fishy. Great to have the gang all back together again.
This week marks a special week in PP's career. In 1993, a then17-year old Patrick Perez won the Junior World Tournament at Torrey Pines, by beating many future Tour stars -- including a guy named Tiger.
This victory put PP on the national stage. During our practice round in Moline, PP played with my two horses -- Leggo (Ian Leggatt) and Fishy (Todd Fischer). Chris Riley - another past Junior World Champion - was in the mix as well.
The two San Diego Junior Golf prodigys were reminscing about their early days. A few thousand miles away - at Torrey Pines - TAIII's son TA IV was playing his very first round at Junior World. TAIII was giving us updates throughout the day, as we were all interested in IV's progress.
Unfortunately, TA IV didn't play as well as he can - however, I did watch him play 15 holes on Thursday after I returned. Let me tell you, it's in the genes. TA IV has a TON of game. He birdied the very difficult par4 12th, hitting an increditble second shot from over 220 yards - to within a couple feet of the pin. It was a shot TAIII, PP, Fish and Leggo all would've been very proud to hit.
PP opened with a 70 yesterday. Great to see him battle back from +3 on the front nine. He kept his composure, grinded it out, got back to fundamentals and pulled out a hard fought round of 70. Hopefully today he'll pick up where he left off.
SILVIS, Ill. - Double P found himself in a pinch, +3 at the turn on Thursday. After eighteen he was sitting pretty at -1; thanks to some near perfect golf and four birdies on the back nine.
Perez bogeyed holes 1, 7 and 8 - with six pars on the front nine. On #10 (par 5), Perez carded his first birdie of the day. He picked up steam from there, with birdies on 12, 16 and 17. The one-under finish has Double P t-70 entering Friday's round.
The story this morning in Silvis, Ill. was fog. Lots of it. Play was delayed up to two hours in some cases. When asked if the weather was to blame, Perez shook it off.
"It is what it is. We had rain last week and this week it's fog. You get all kinds of weather out here and you just have to deal with it. "
Another underlying theme this week comes in the form of Michelle Wie - who is again attempting to make a cut at a PGA Tour event. Her bid should most likely fall short as she saw 'double hockey sticks' in the form of a +6 round of 77. She'll need the round of her career on Friday if she expects to play this weekend.
As for Perez, the Friday tee time is set for 1:25pm CT and he's eager to get back out there, picking up where he left off on Thursday.
"Everything started clicking on the back nine today. Chipping, putting - everything just sort of fell into place. Hopefully we'll see more of the same tomorrow."
Click here to follow Double P's second round scoring online.
Hey Everyone. PP checking in from the road. We're in glorious Silvis, Illinois this week for the John Deere Classic.
I made my return last week at the Cialis Western. For those of you who watched last weekend, I started out pretty well going 69-69 into the weekend. It was my lowest round since Saturday at THE PLAYERS back in March. I had only played three competitive rounds of golf in about three months and I definitely expect my game to be rustier. I was pretty fired up going into the weekend.
I ended up going 70-79, but I can live with that... this time. Nothing went right out there on Sunday and I guess something like that could be expected after such a long lay off. I took a lot from the Thursday through Saturday rounds and I spent this week working on my short game. All in all, I was glad to make the cut last week and it's good to be back out here again.
Looking forward to the John Deere this week. Played my Tuesday practice round with my boy Fishy (Todd Fischer) as well as Ian Leggatt and Chris Riley, who I've known since the Junior Golf days back in San Diego.
There was a Junior World theme going on this week and Riley and I both won Junior World back in the day. While we're gearing up for this week's event, my good Tour bud Tommy Armour III is back in my hometown for Junior World, supporting his son Tommy Armour IV this week. Get it done, IV.
Played the Pro Am today and laying low tonight as I have a 8:32am CT tee time (moved to 10:32am CT due to weather - ed. note) tomorrow. I'm in a group with another old school San Diego bud, Charley "Sandman" Hoffman. We should have some fun out there tomorrow. No complaints with the early tee time. There's a casino boat next to the hotel and I need to stay away from that place. Let's just say in the past, the cards haven't been all that kind to me.
Hoping to pick up where I left off last Saturday. I'm not playing the BC Open or British Open next week. Same with Milwaukee the following week, so I need to make it happen these next few days.
I'm physically feeling pretty good right now. A little pain the elbow today, but getting that worked out with my back guy Jeff Banaszak on the road up to twice a day right now. In the next few weeks Jeff is going to start a column on my site - offering up golf related stretches, exercise tips and he'll explain what he's been doing to get me back in playing shape. Make sure to check it out in the coming weeks.
Going to make most of the time off next week. My bud Pat Burrell and the Phillies will be in San Diego taking on my Padres for a three game home stand. I haven't seen the Padres in person since last season, so I'm really looking forward to a few games back home. Planning on staying downtown and hanging with Burrell a bit after the games. A lot of new stuff has opened up in the Gaslamp Quarter downtown, so I'll get a chance to check all that out.
Edwin McCain is out west this week, are are my boys Hootie & the Blowfish. I've been trying to track down Darius for a while to talk to the guys about getting involved with a charity tourney I'm on board with next year. I definitely want them playing in it - as well as Edwin - so getting out to both of those shows to catch up with the guys and convince them to get back to San Diego next January for the tourney. As soon as we get something locked down with the charity tournament and concert, I'll let everyone know.
Baseball, two concerts and Opening Day at Del Mar next week. Looking forward to next week, but right now it's all about the John Deere Classic.
See you out there at Deere Run tomorrow. -- Double P
Michael Owen checking in from the road. It's been a while since PP was back out here with us - and safe to say, we missed him. Fishy, TAIII, JD - we all missed having PP and H (Pat's caddy) out here for the Tuesday practice round as well as the weekly tourney.
Today's was PP's first day back and he was more than excited to get to the course. We worked extensively on his alignment and he has a tendency to aim to the right. When someone like Pat hasn't played in a while, it is VERY important to work on the fundamentals. We played 18 holes on Tuesday with Fish, JD joined us for his customary 9-hole Tuesday Practice Round. PP played very well. Right now it's just a matter of sharpening his game, due to a lack of weekly competitive action. In fact, he was driving the ball as long as JD - which is NEVER a bad thing.
In the last few weeks, PP has become a bit of a soccer fan - with all this World Cup action we've watched. We checked out the end of the Germany v. Italy semi-final with our Adidas guy (Bjoern Kreutzer) - who being German, was going CRAZY... but two late Italian goals ruined his day. PP was rooting for the German team as some of his guys from Athlete's Performance over in Scottsdale have worked with the German squad the past few months.
We'll see where the rest of the World Cup action goes - as well as PP's round on Thursday. I predict good things for the kid as he is fired up and ready to play this week.
I have been working with Pat Perez since the 2004 PGA TOUR Season. My role on Team Perez has been as Pat's on-Tour physical therapist.
