Minnesota Golfer Article by Jon Roe

“Getting Fit for Better Golf   (Summer 2013)“

Attempts to invigorate the game of golf have taken many forms in recent years.  From Tee It Forward to Flogton (Not Golf, backwards) to Get Golf Ready, all kinds of solutions, remedies and elixirs have been concocted to grow the number of players and stimulate revenue streams.  Another program has been espoused by Dave Cahill, whose name is familiar to many Minnesota golfers as a former club professional at numerous state venues over the last three decades.  After stints at Fargo Country Club,Worthington Golf Club, St. CloudCountry Club, Chaska TownCourse and Black Bear, Cahill decided to take a fork in the road.“I have always wanted to be a teacher,” Cahill, 58, says. “I did teach elementary school right after I got out of college. But I needed a summer job, and I got hired at the Fargo Country Club. I really enjoyed the job.   A couple of years later, I moved to Jamestown, and I got to give lessons. I really enjoyed that.” Cahill was hooked. He became a golf professional, joining his brother, Bob, the professional at Pokegema Golf Club in Grand Rapids. Then he became a teaching version of the traveling salesman, with stops at four courses over the next two decades and even a visit to Oregon for an instructor’s post. When Chaska Town Course opened, Cahill became the director of golf.  But working behind the counter in the golf shop was not his niche. “I wanted to just keep teaching the game,” Cahill says. “I saw an ad for a teaching job at Cimarron Golf Resort in Palm Springs, and I applied for it.” Cahill has been in Palm Springs for three winter seasons.  In the last two years, he also has returned to Minnesota to give lessons at Logger’s Trail and Sawmill. His business, Cahillgolf, with son Mike supplying the knowledge of the Internet, has also expanded to giving lessons at the three courses designed by Pete Dye at Paiute in Las Vegas. “At a golf school at Paiute I met Dr. Ken Kochman,” Cahill says. “He’s a health coach, and he has developed a program that fits with golf really well. It incorporates diet, exercise, sleep, and even works on attempts to develop a healthier brain. It really got my attention. “I work with a lot of middle-age players, and a lot of them are either out of shape or overweight or obese. They all want to play better, and most of them want to hit the ball farther. But that requires being able to move your body faster – turning your hips and shoulders. They can’t do it.” In essence, what Cahill wants to promote is instead of playing golf to get healthy, get healthy to play golf. And he knows of what he speaks. “I got on the program, and I lost 50 pounds over a period of four months,” Cahill says. “I feel better, I can move faster through the ball, and I gained 20 yards on my drives. “Being overweight or obese is one of the major health problems we have,” Cahill adds. “We’ve got all these baby boomers coming along, and they’re going to have plenty of recreational time. What’s better than walking around a golf course? Golf is a game you can play until you’re 80 or older. Name another sport like that. And getting in better shape, even if they don’t keep playing golf, isn’t a bad idea, anyway.” Whether the potential pupil is fit or not, Cahill will be more than happy to offer advice on how to be a better player. What the players wants to accomplish will help determine Cahill’s advice. “those who get in to the program can expect to lose from 20 to 30 pounds in the first month,” Cahill says. “And just getting the exercise of walking can be beneficial to the person who plays golf, too. Whoever said golf is a good walk spoiled didn’t know what they were talking about.” Getting Fit for Better Golf Want to make golf more fun? Get in shape by playing the game. By Jon Roe