Over the course of time I have tried various remedies to cure pain and stiffness. Ailments suffered both on and off of the course. The facts are just that. I’m getting old(er) and ever since the morning of my 36th birthday when I pulled my hamstring climbing out of bed it’s been a tough go. Years of playing sports (most notably as a hockey goaltender) has wreaked havoc in my elder years. Oh the joints and inflammation. Has this scenario ever happened to you?

Rocco Mediate… Looking sore (Photo Credit:injuryrehab.com.au)

It’s the wee hours of the morning and your alarm goes off sounding the beginning the start of another beautiful day. The birds are chirping as you sip on your coffee (or other elixir) and as you finish reading the latest headlines your attention shifts focus to your 7 a.m. tee time. You shave, shower or whatever the case may be and you put on your golf apparel. After placing your golf bag in the trunk you head to the course. You;re envisioning the round… birdie start of course. Arriving at the course you check in and head to the range. You start stretching and uh-oh your stiffer than that tall oak tree by the first tee. You make your first swing and you feel like your body just broke in half. Could be a long round.

I know that I’ve been in that situation and it has been all too often. A while back I was asked by Mary Beth Lacy of golf marketing firm Mary Beth Lacy Inc. to check out a product from one of her clients. A product that can assist with those periods of time when your body isn’t feeling quite up to snuff. Introducing SwingOil. The tagline for the brand is “Get Loose… Swing Smooth”. SwingOil is the brainchild of creator Tom Healy who also happens to be the COO of the brand. Mr. Healy is an avid golfer and as I learned at the 2017 PGA Show also has a background in packaged consumer goods (Vitamin Water… a favorite of mine).  Mr. Healy had a goal of providing a product for golfer to help golfers. About the product.

SwingOil is a golf supplement (I also used it for driving long trips) that is a beverage that comes in a 3 oz pouch. They key to the product are the 7 ingredients that composes the recipe. Each ingredient in SwingOil is specifically for helping certain ailments (or limitations). For example, there is Glucosamine and Chondroitin Sulfate. The two of these ingredients can be found in pill or caplet form at pharmacies etc. These two elements are known for their “lubing”. Turmeric is another of the ingredients and as far as I’m concerned it is the proverbial “star”. Turmeric is known for its anti-inflammatory properties. For a brief time I was using turmeric as a daily supplement and I have to say that it seemed to help. Taurine can be found in many “energy drinks”. Taurine is a better alternative to caffeine and is low-calorie and sugar-free. Citrulline Malate is present in SwingOil. While I admit I have no idea what it is or does exactly it has to do with recovery. All I can do is paraphrase what it says in the write-up at www.swingoil.com about the ingredient. “You love the game too much to take days to recover. Be glad this is in here”. As we all know the ability to focus while playing golf can sometimes waver. This is where Ginseng Extract enters the fray. Rounding out the ingredients is Rhodiola Rosea Extract. This ingredient comes from a plant from the Arctic. Rhodiola Rosea is known for it’s anti-fatigue properties during stressful occasions. SwingOil comes in three flavors. Lemon-Lime, Orange and Strawberry-Banana.

My initial testing of SwingOil was a live-fire exercise on the floor of the PGA Show. I met Mr. Healy at the SwingOil booth and after talking at length with him I helped myself to a couple of samples. The first flavor that I tried was Orange. Not knowing what to expect from both flavor and sweetness I tore open my pouch and ingested the beverage supplement. I was impressed on both accounts. the taste was fantastic with no bitter aftertaste. Also, the sweetness was definitely not overpowering as the glycemic index isn’t nearly as high as it is with some other products on the market. While I’m talking about the nutritional information a little bit it’s also worth noting that each pouch is only 45 calories. One concern that I had moving forward with this exercise was “placebo effect” taking place. In a nutshell placebo effect is when you have something that says it will help you… say sleep. Unbeknownst to you what you took was merely a sugar pill. Just because it said it would help you… your brain made you think it was working. By the time I had my first pouch I was already in significant pain. As I continued to walk the floor for various meetings i noticed that I wasn’t quite as sore. Was I merely loosening up or was the SwingOil working? I wasn’t too sure so I started fresh the following morning. I started out my day by sipping a Lemon-Lime pouch and again the drink was very tasty. Mr. Healy wanted to get the flavors “right” and so far he was 2/2. I walked the floor stopping at the Demo Range to make a swing or two along the way. Again there seemed to be positive things happening. Alertness, less pain and a little less hobbling around. As the day wore on I reached into my bag and tried the third of the three flavors. In the past I have hated every drink that I’ve tried that was Strawberry-Banana. It always seems to taste off and bitter or something. Not the case with this product. The taste was “top of the shelf”. As the show concluded and I continued to ingest SwingOil I came upon the conclusion that there might be something to this product.

The testing found its way on the road back home from Florida. The drive is about 21 hours on the road not including pit stops so stiffness and fatigue are a killer. On the way home I decided to occasionally drink a SwingOil to keep me loose and focused. The results were positive once again. I seemed to have made the drive in less pain than on the way home. Florida sun or SwingOil? Something helped me.

So Mary Beth Lacy arranged for a sample pack to be shipped to me so I could try it on the course. This was the biggest part of the testing that I wanted to test out. I attended a Cobra Golf Demo Day and included a SwingOil testing at the same time. As I got out of the car I grabbed a SwingOil out of the trunk. I ripped and sipped. Initial swings with wedge were somewhat tight but then I seemed to start loosening up. I was certain that it was the SwingOil. Consequently before every range session or round I have had a SwingOil and each time I found that the “said” benefits seemed to be true. On one occasion I had a SwingOil before and during my round. It was a tidy 72 that I shot which has been my best round to date this year with having only played 8 rounds. Coincidence?

It is my conclusion that SwingOil does what it claims to do. It really does seem to help with staying loose, swelling and focus. Perhaps there is a reason why former World #1 golfer Jason Day swears by SwingOil as do a host of guys on PGA Tour Champions. There’s something to it and it. Actually more like 7 things. For the record my favorite is Orange much like Mr.Healy. Which reminds me… Mr. Healy recommends freezing a pouch and then drinking it like it’s a slushie. It’s fantastic when you do! Personally, I would love to see a Blue Raspberry or Grape flavor. Give it a try.

Until The Next Tee!!