What do we mean by golf fitness?

For many, golf fitness is something that is often associated with the likes of Tiger Woods and more recently Rory McIlroy; relatively small guys turned big (well muscular!!). These two guys are viewed as ‘the’ faces of golf fitness and represent the change in perception of the modern golfer from pot-bellied, middle aged men pottering around a field to young, professional and exceptionally fit athletes firing a ball 300+ yards around a golf course. The change in the sport due to the emergence of fitness within the game has been massive.

With many professional golfers now turning to a fitness trainer and team, there is still a number of misconceptions amongst the regular amateurs as to what ‘golf fitness’ actually entails. With the bulking up of the likes of Tiger Woods and the recent video of Rory lifting huge barbells, many believe that it’s hitting the heavy weights in the gym and pounding the biceps and traps that will achieve them more strength and power off the tee – they couldn’t be more wrong.

Integrated Movement Systems

Initially golf fitness is about the improvement of integrated movement systems, far from the isolation exercises of bicep curls, leg presses and bench presses. Before we can get stronger and more powerful we need to ensure that we are moving correctly and efficiently. Even McIlroy’s first step into achieving his current fitness prowess started with a visit to TPI co-founder and chiropractor, Dr Greg Rose.

Due to the high speed and rotation of his swing, his back was struggling to keep up and hold on to it and this was leading to lots of pain during and after his rounds. He sought Dr Greg Rose’s help on the basis that he needed to get his body to use the correct muscles for stabilisation and movement during his swing, thus preventing injury and allowing him to achieve the best out of his body. Tiger Woods learnt that lesson a little too late and after suffering with back and knee injuries over the past few years, he has now instructed a fellow TPI certified Coach Chris Como to instruct on his swing and physical capabilities since surgery.

The aim of better movement is to ensure that the correct muscles are engaged and are serving the purpose they are meant for. All too often in my clients initial screens we identify muscle imbalances where muscles that should provide mobility are tight and short; and muscles that should provide stability are stretched and weak. This is in most part due to the sedentary lifestyles that we now live, and it is the removal of these imbalances that we must correct foremost.

How can we effectively improve our golf swing, which relies so much on how our body works together as a unit, without firstly correcting our functional movement patterns?

Disassociation

One of the key benefits to improving our integrated movement functionality is our ability to better disassociate our lower and upper body. Forget the bench presses and bicep curls, we generate more distance and power by improving the ability to rotate our hips and torso, whilst using our core and glutes to stabilise and control the movement. Through specific stretches, whole body exercises and stability work we have significantly improved our golfers distance off the tee by up to 20 yards – and not one weight has been lifted!

Too many amateurs resort to using their arms and hands in the golf swing because their body is just not capable of making the correct movements. This consequently leads to inconsistency in ball striking as well as a loss of distance and power. By training our bodies to function as they were built to we are inadvertently preparing ourselves to swing the golf club better and with more ease.

Power of Posture

Posture is another area that is key to achieving an efficient and consistent golf swing. Many people suffer from bad posture, whether it is kyphosis (excessive rounding of the shoulders and upper back) or lordosis (exaggerated curve of the lumbar spine) – some people can actually suffer from both. Poor posture is bad for your health as it puts excessive strain on the spine and surrounding areas which can potentially lead to pain and injury.

But relative to your golf swing it can cause limited rotation, inability to set up correctly to the golf ball and also loss of posture throughout the golf swing. All these areas can impact your ability to play your best golf and stand in the way of your improvement.

Posture is a key focal point in golf fitness and significant emphasis is placed on attaining a neutral spine with all our golfers which significantly then enables them to move and function better, play golf more athletically and prevents long-term injury and pain.

Where to Start?

If you are thinking of joining the golf professionals by jumping on the golf fitness bandwagon, firstly think about what you are trying to achieve in your golf swing. Remember general fitness training will not necessarily improve your golf performance and in some ways could potentially hinder your improvement. Please read one of my earlier articles , ‘Why general fitness can be detrimental to your golf game’ January 2015.

Apply your goals to your workout and make sure that what you do in the gym will reflect the movement required to swing better on the golf course.

If you would like more information on golf fitness or you would like to discuss a golf fitness plan specific to you, please contact me on rachael@dynamic-golf.co.uk.

Alternatively you can visit our website www.dynamic-golf.co.uk, and you can also find us on Twitter @dynamic_golf and facebook dynamicgolfuk.