Park Igls Medical Spa Resort: The expertise for pain-free golfing
With the first snowdrops, golf coaching programs are also springing up from the still hardy soil. There is talk of swing optimization, treatment of muscular imbalances, mental power, motivational techniques and activation of the subconscious - buzzwords that are more confusing than helpful. Of course, the ideal solution would be a completely individual program - tailored to your personal physical handicap. In my search for this ideal training opportunity, I found what I was looking for at the Parkhotel Igls near Innsbruck.
Holistic care, culinary pampering and a golfing boost
Let's start with the good news: if you check into the Park Igls Medical Spa Resort, you will find yourself in a multi-award-winning health center with a holistic medical approach. In other words, when I arrive here with my back, hip or knee pain, I undergo a health check that mercilessly reveals the truth about my current physical condition. Based on this anamnesis and diagnosis, the detailed program is then determined for me - tailored to my current individual needs and goals. The hotel also offers an alkaline-oriented and light diet that tastes so delicious and is filling despite the small portions. Moderate sports and conscious active regeneration are offered to optimize the metabolism, and soothing medical massages and baths are also designed to activate the body's self-healing powers. The various programs - from Detox, Immune Booster to Menpause Fit - are as balanced as they are sophisticated, and last year the hotel was voted number 1 in the "Spa in Europe" category. Another milestone in the hotel's 31-year success story.
Painless golf
If you consider that around 60% of all golfers can only play their favorite sport in pain , then I am not an isolated case. Hanni Gartner explains to me that this is due to incorrectly learned movement sequences or muscular imbalances. She is an experienced health trainer and also a golf therapist. Whether beginner or expert, older or younger player, everyone trains with her according to their personal training plan, based on their movement analysis and physical condition. And that's a good thing, because after a functional analysis, she sets out a personal training plan. This starts with daily pre-shot gymnastics with a mat, exercise ball and Therraband. This is called "golf-specific coordination and strength training". There is also a video with all the exercises as an ideal training pattern for the golf-free days at home and as perfect preparation for the new golf season. Then it's off to the hotel's own pitch & putt course in the hotel nature park and later to the two nearby golf courses, the GC Innsbruck-Igls with 18 holes and Olympia Golf Igls with 9 holes. Both with slight differences in altitude and a magnificent mountain panorama. I realize how enjoyable golf can be if you do everything right - with your golf swing!
I now have a week to train my strength, stamina and coordination and Hanni Gartner never tires of correcting mistakes, because it's difficult to correct the wrong technique later on.
My conclusion: Optimal for all those who are at the end of their golfing tether, who are struggling with aches and pains and are willing to start all over again or start "right". A pleasant bonus: you lose a little physical ballast along the way, which is known to free the soul and make you want to play golf again.
Fine cuisine that makes the pounds tumble
The fact that the hotel is also committed to modern Mayr cuisine is evident in Martin Sorg's fine cuisine. As head chef, he focuses not only on the health factor with the 8-step nutrition model , but above all on fresh, regional cuisine with organically valuable ingredients. The result is an alkaline-oriented gourmet vitality diet that is not only extremely tasty but also appealing to the eye. And if, like me, you want to lose a little weight, please do - after a week my waistline is 9 cm smaller. This is also thanks to the massages, baths, gymnastics and herbal teas, which taste so delicious that you can happily do without alcoholic drinks. Of course, the hotel itself plays a large part in this success thanks to its location in a park landscape. The 51 spacious, modern rooms and suites with terraces offer a fantastic view of the Titol mountains all around and the village of Igls itself is predestined due to its altitude above Innsbruck. Today, the Swiss Andrea Gnägi manages the "health center" with a lot of commitment and heart and passes this on to her empathetic employees.
Further information:
www.park-igls.at
Book tip:
www.park-igls.at/de/gesundheitsblog/buch-fxmayr-fuer-gourmets
Text & photos:
Elsa-Maria Honecker, Parkhotel Igls.
