Tee Time at Work

Executives putting golf balls in their office is a favorite Hollywood stereotype, but admit it, after the harsh winter we had, many of you couldn’t wait to hit the links. And you probably soon discovered just how out of shape you, and your swing, actually were. New England 360 Fitness recently rolled out a six-week golf-conditioning program, which it brings directly to clients’ offices to help them improve their game.

Owner Karen Koutsavlis, who offers a variety of on-site small group training workouts to businesses, hopes convenience and the chance to best their colleagues on the greens will drum up new clients. “What do people do in the summer when they get together with colleagues? They meet on the golf course,” says Koutsavlis, a personal trainer who used to run exercise programs for the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston, and has operated her Auburn-based company for one year. “It’s a fun competition.” The golf class focuses on core strength and flexibility—important elements to a powerful swing.

She says when companies offer on-site wellness programs participation is usually low because it is not tailored to what employees want. Koutsavlis’s classes are different each time and are created based on a participant questionnaire. She runs six to seven classes a week at businesses around the state including Cityside Management in Manchester and Medicus in Windham. (About 75 percent of her programs are held at clients’ businesses.)

She brings equipment such as medicine balls and resistance bands, but also uses what’s at hand, such as a conference table for a barre-class (a ballet style workout). Her classes are usually offered at lunchtime or after work. Employers pay part of the bill, with employees splitting the rest, which she recommends to ensure accountability. Classes cost about $45 for a half-hour class for a group and are taught in six-week blocks at least once a week. She also offers nutrition and health-based “lunch and learns” to businesses, with lunch included. Classes generally include about 15 or 20 people.

Koutsavlis, who also offers private in-home training and teaches prenatal fitness and mommy-and-me classes, is the sole employee of her business and hopes to grow it to about 15 classes a week at businesses. “This is what I love doing, helping people find realistic solutions, showing them they can do something and make it fun,” she says. For more information, visit newengland360fitness.com.