Welcome to A Quick Round. A weekly Q&A series that deconstructs the journey that golfers and entrepreneurs alike take on their road to success. Their achievements – as well as their trials and tribulations – serve to inspire us, and our goal is to pass that inspiration along to our readers.

Last week, we brought you Rhoback Activewear with Matt Loftus and team. This week, we are excited to officially introduce you to G&E contributor, Kenny Pallas. Kenny is bringing us a new perspective focused on fitness in the world of golf. Don’t neglect your core!

Hey Kenny – thanks for coming on. I know our readers are interested in learning more about the man behind the words. Let’s start with some basic background – where are you from?

I was born in St. Catharines, ON, Canada. Shortly thereafter, I moved to Scotland. My dad and grandfather were both professional football – well, soccer – players, but I didn’t inherit those genes. I have lived in Scotland almost all my life, except for some time I spent in jobs that have taken me to Canada, the U.S. and Luxembourg. I don’t have a family of my own… yet. I’m married to golf – much to my girlfriend’s dismay!

Hey, I’m not sure which relationship is more taxing on the soul. But to each his own! What is your professional background outside of golf?

My background is fairly unique. I spent twelve years at university studying immunology in Glasgow, Scotland. During this time, I earned my Ph.D. and used my spare time to compete as a professional golfer and write a golf blog.

I always have plenty of opinions on golfing matters. The blog got me headhunted to join a golf start-up called All Square. I worked for them for a year before moving back to the world of science and medicine. I am now in sales for a large scientific company selling kits to diagnose allergic and autoimmune diseases.

Wow – impressive! I was not expecting that. So, tell us a little more about your involvement with golf.

I have played golf for over twenty-five years! At the age of seven, I played a few holes with my dad and became utterly addicted. At first, it was the quality time with my dad, but my competitiveness took over, and I began to work on my game more and more.

It was always a dream of mine to compete as a professional golfer, and so I worked until I thought I was good enough. As a part-time pro, I competed in a number of mini-tour events, a satellite tour event in Europe and even tried my hand at qualifying for The Open and the U.S. Open. Unfortunately, my nerves go the better of me in most events, and I had to look at staying involved with golf another way. I have since learned great lessons on how to develop a mental toughness to get myself past those debilitating nerves I experienced.

So tell us about your blog, since it seems that is one way you have stayed heavily involved with golf.

The main focus of my blog is to help grow the game of golf. To this point, my articles have mainly been opinion pieces, but my love for fitness has taken over, and my blog will be starting to move into this area from now on. I think that golf fitness is still an under-resourced area, especially for average golfers, and it is an area that can really help your game. The industry in the U.S. is much more developed than it is here in the U.K., and I want to become known in this arena. Getting fit while improving our golf game is a win-win for all of us!

Hard to disagree. So, what techniques in particular do you believe in from a golf fitness perspective?

The most important aspect to golf fitness is injury prevention. If you can’t play because of injury, it’s all pointless. To ensure safe improvements in fitness, body weight exercises are a great, safe way to get started. I believe this has to be the foundation of any good fitness program for golfers. Using body weight work also means you don’t need a gym to get “golf fit.” No excuses!

After this, it’s time to start working on advanced techniques like kettle bell moves and Olympic lifting. Golfers are more athletic than ever, so we need to train in a different way to develop our bodies for the sport. The ability to shift serious weight isn’t just for the long drive guys anymore.

Are there any tools you recommend for golfers that want to focus on their fitness?

If I were to suggest a cost-effective toolbox for golfers, I’d say the essentials include:

  1. A yoga mat
  2. A foam roller
  3. Resistance bands
  4. A good pair of comfortable running shoes

These items will help you stay fit and flexible, reduce muscle soreness and keep you moving. You can buy everything on this list for under $100, and it will take your golf game to a new place entirely.

Awesome, great info. So, what is the greatest challenge you have faced thus far in your unique career?

I played in a charity basketball match, and ruing the warm-up, I ruptured my patella tendon. That injury still affects my golf three years on. However, injuries and setbacks are great for making you refocus and build mental strength. The injury affected my golf swing for well over a year but sparked my interest in golf fitness. The journey happens in weird, wonderful ways, so we just have to take it as it comes and make the best of it.

Absolutely. Always tough coming back from a serious injury. What has been your most rewarding moment?

The most rewarding moment I have had was when I was asked to caddie for Michael Jordan. I spent a week with the legend the week before the Ryder Cup at Gleneagles in 2014. Spending time with such a sporting icon taught me so much about the mental side of elite performance. This is a memory that will live with me forever, and the best part about it is that I was able to invite friends along to help out! The best moment was, he turned to me early in our first round together and said, “I’ve not holed a chip in a while Kenny boy.” I handed him his wedge, and he canned the pitch!

That’s incredible… So what is your vision for yourself looking into the future?

My vision for the future is to become someone that is known in golf fitness and as someone that has helped keen amateurs build a better foundation for their games. I play on creating a semi-tailored pre-season workout program that will help golfers prepare for the 2019 season. I want to make golf a more fun sport. Being able to play well is integral to that. My program will look at fitness, both physical and mental, and will propel golfers on their way to their best seasons ever. Details for this will go up on my Instagram account soon! (@kjpgolf)

We look forward to it! Let’s wrap up with some fun, rapid fire questions. If you could play 18 with anyone, who would it be?

Tiger.

Naturally. What’s your favorite club in the bag?

2-iron.

The old driving iron. What is your ultimate bucket list course?

That’s not rapid fire! If you twist my arm for an answer, I’d have to say Augusta National or Cypress Point.

Good picks. Thanks for taking the time with us, Kenny!