Sunday morning Yoga on the Range series follows mindful yoga with focused golf lesson
By David Young
For a relaxing getaway this summer, duffers and yogis can find their flow with a little combination of yoga and golf?
Yoga on the Range
8-10:30 a.m. select Sundays, June 9 to Aug. 18
Collindale Golf Academy, 1441 E. Horsetooth Road, Fort Collins
Cost is $20
The physical and mental health benefits of both sports are self-evident, so combining them just makes sense. Yoga helps you focus on being in the moment, breathing and flexibility, all of which are highly beneficial to elevating your golf game.
Collindale Golf Course in Fort Collins has tapped into this unique combination with Yoga on the Range, a Sunday morning yoga class followed by a golf clinic on the driving range.
Stretch & Swing
The class was started during the COVID-19 pandemic, when indoor activities such as yoga were prohibited, but outside sports such as golf were seeing a massive increase in popularity. Earl Gerlach, PGA director of instruction at Collindale Golf Academy, partnered with CorePower Yoga Instructor Lauren Diel to create Yoga on the Range, which has been going strong ever since.
“With both yoga and golf, you have to move your body and there are many, many benefits to both, but golf is a motion that requires stability and mobility,” Gerlach said. “There are parts of you moving and others that are stable. Being able to move your body efficiently is hugely helpful.”
During the summer, about 20 people come out each week for $20 a session to do a vinyasa classic style flow yoga class. Afterward, Gerlach provides all the golf equipment needed to hit some golf balls on the range, as he is available to provide some insights and instruction.
“I tailor it a bit towards golf with some twists and different poses that help with playing golf,” Diel said. “It is for all levels. There are different pose options for people too and we make sure that people know to listen to their body.”
Brunch & Golf
The majority of the class tends to be more yoga-focused, but Gerlach is trying to add more golfers to the class. He is a big proponent of yoga as a tool to improve your golf game.
After the Yoga on the Range, participants can enjoy a mimosa and brunch at C.B. & Potts, which is attached to the Collindale clubhouse, or play a round of 9 or 18 holes at Collindale, which is a U.S. Open qualifying course.
One of the major appeals of Yoga on the Range is the opportunity to get to be outside on the fresh-cut grass for a yoga class.
“It is amazing. I usually teach in a hot room, which I always love, but being outside is amazing. We do it early enough to beat the heat,” Diel said. “It’s fun to feel your bare feet in the grass and get to move around.”
In addition to the physical benefits of the class, Gerlach notes that yoga can improve a golfer's mental game as well.
“It is also the mind for me,” he said. “With yoga, by the end of the class, it helps you stay calm and focused. The heart rate, high perseverance, and level of awareness are improving, helping through tough moments — that is golf.”