From the Westchester WAG magazine
Ultimate Golfing Comes to Westchester

By Jennifer Basso

It’s no secret that Westchester County is home to dozens of great golf courses, both public and private. (After all, the PGA Tour hasn’t been through here for 41 consecutive years for the dependable weather!) We’re basically obsessed with the sport. This is a place where tee times are coveted and hours devoted to the pursuit of that perfect swing. Shaving a few strokes off that handicap or adding a few yards to our drive matter—and we’re gaga for any iron, guru, or gadget that promises to help. So get ready to salivate over three new services that are literally game-changing for area golfers: a golf academy featuring a big-name pro, a service that custom-fits golf clubs, and a fitness program that trains your body for better performance in your favorite sport.

The Right Instruction
If you’re serious about improving your game and want valuable, long-lasting results, head over to Doral Arrowwood in Rye Brook and sign up for a lesson at the Mitchell Spearman Golf Academy. Spearman, one of the world’s most esteemed golf instructors (he’s one of Golf Magazine’s “Top 100 instructors”), has been called a “swing mechanic” for his uncanny ability to find and fix even the subtlest of flaws. Programs at the academy build a solid foundation for each player and bring them to the next level. The Mitchell Spearman Junior Golf Academy is a first in our area and provides year-round lessons for kids ages 8 to 16. The monthly academy membership is $995 and includes offerings such as full swing instruction, short game skills tests, personalized practice plans, and computer video analysis with Mitchell. Adult programs include a weekend golf retreat for $1,395, which offers on-course instruction, personalized drills, and a take-home CD. A half-day group session is $250 and a one hour individual session will cost $140; both sessions also offer personalized drills and a take-home CD. By providing computer video analysis for all sessions, players can receive instant results on areas needing improvement.
The Right Equipment
If you want to tee off like Tiger Woods, you want the same club he’s using, right? Not necessarily, say the experts at Hot Stix Golf. What you really want is the golf club that’s right for you. Choosing the right club can correct a faulty golf swing or make a good swing even better. Always slicing right? Not getting enough loft on the ball? It might not be your form that’s to blame—it could be the lie of the clubhead. A recent addition to Doral Arrowwood, Hot Stix Golf measures a player’s “Swing DNA” with high-tech equipment and then recommends the ideal driver, putter, fairway wood, wedge, or iron to complement it. If you’re not in the market for new clubs, they will retro-fit your existing ones themselves. Hot Stix Golf will be available at Doral Arrowwood through Labor Day.

The Right Training
When Tiger Woods started conquering the golf world more than a decade ago, the game transformed from a “hobby” to a genuine sport. Working with his own personal trainer, Woods concentrated on improving his balance, control, endurance, and speed. Now golfers worldwide are realizing that, like any other sport, physical conditioning contributes greatly to performance. Five Iron Fitness, newly opened in downtown White Plains, uses a variety of state-of-the-art equipment such as slide boards, stretch trainers, a Matrix bench, squat racks, cardio equipment, and a Pilates Reformer for one-on-one training sessions. The studio’s owner, Anthony Renna, a Titleist-certified golf fitness instructor, believes that players who feel fitter and stronger will better enjoy the game. The studio focuses on five fundamental elements of training: mobility, stability, strength, power, and energy. Memberships are not required for use of the facility. The studio is open Monday through Saturday. Renna also provides an online program through the Titleist Performance Institute that comes complete with videos, photos, and a calendar. For more information, visit www.FiveIronFitness.com
Captions: Top to bottom: Mitchell Spearman, one of the world's top golf instructors, shows a golfer how a few minor tweaks can yield big results; Anthony Renna, a Titleist-certified golf fitness instructor, trains a golfer at Five Iron Fitness in White Plains

From The Journal News, July 19, 2008

Business in the Burbs: Five Iron Fitness opens in downtown White Plains

Weekend golfers who are more interested in the athletics of the sport than the socializing in the clubhouse are the target audience for a new fitness studio geared to golfers.

Five Iron Fitness, owned and operated by golf fitness instructor Anthony Renna of Rye Brook, combines golf fitness and instruction.

The studio is located within Motion Golf at 188 E. Post Road in White Plains.

Renna instructs clients in using a wide range of fitness equipment - from dumbbells and medicine balls to treadmills and Pilates machines - to improve their fitness on the golf course by improving mobility, stability, strength, power and energy. The goal, he said, is to make golfers into better athletes.

One client, Craig Thomas, the professional at the Metropolis Country Club in White Plains, said today's pros on tour are more fit than their predecessors 15 to 25 years ago and that weekend players can also help their game by upping their fitness level.

Renna has been involved in the sport for more than 25 years. He grew up in Harrison and caddied as a 12-year-old at the Century Country Club in Purchase.

Renna also started a Web site for golf fitness products (www.GolfFitnessProducts.net) and a blog discussing issues in golf fitness (www.bettergolfwithfitness.com.)

From the White Plains Times, August 7, 2008

Five Iron Fitness

In late June, Anthony Renna, a Level 2 Titleist-certified golf fitness instructor, opened his new golf fitness facility, Five Iron Fitness, in White Plains (inside Motion Golf). Renna is also a National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA)-certified strength and conditioning specialist and USA Weightlifting (USAW) sports performance coach. He also has two golf fitness Web sites (golffitnessproducts.net and bettergolfwithfitness.com) with free information,
devoted to golf fitness. Located inside Motion Golf, a golf teaching facility with advanced swing analysis software, Five Iron Fitness is divided into three sections: a warmup/cardio area, a fitness area and a Pilates Reformer studio. As Renna points out, “It’s not just for golfers,” adding he trains people who are non-golfers and are looking to get into shape.
“What’s happening in golf right now,” Renna said, “is a combination of golf instruction, shot making, course management and swing mechanics. It’s the mental game, club fitting, and fitness. It’s what Titleist calls ‘the hexagon of golf instruction.’” A “well rounded, integrated approach” to the game is what Renna aims to impart upon his clients. “A lot of swing faults,” he said, “are due to physical limitations.” Five Iron Fitness’ own fitness equipment includes traditional strengthening equipment such as dumbbells and medicine balls along with treadmills and Pilates machines. “When people come in here, they’re first given a physical assessment,” Renna said, “and I’ll look at their asymmetries, imbalances

and weaknesses and that’s what I’ll try to attack.” The relaxed atmosphere is conducive to proper concentration, an attribute that can be very helpful in achieving great results while exercising, and one Renna fosters. Additionally, Renna regularly trains several local golf pros, including Craig Thomas from Metropolis Country Club, which has led to Renna helping them work out some of their clients’ physical problems on the course.
Photo credits: Paula Markowitz Wittlin