Describe the characteristics of a runner’s body type...football

player...basketball player...women’s softball player...

Now answer the above question using a golfer  as your subject...

Was #2 a little more difficult than #1? Maybe you even chuckled

a little because you know golfers come in all shapes, sizes,

genders, and ages. In the past, golf has been viewed as a

relaxing way the “inactive population” spend a day. It’s a perfect

sport with little athletic ability needed and no grueling off-season

and pre-season training. That is most likely why golf has recently

become one of America’s favorite pastimes (if you can spend the

time). Well, paradigms are a-changin! Ask anyone on the street

now about the best golfers and the names of Palmer, Nicklaus, Player, Trevino, Mickelson, Duvall, or Tiger will almost always be mentioned. These men (and many women, too) are leading not only the pack of baby boomers passing 50 this year, but the younger generations as well when it comes to staying fit to succeed in this sport.

General Exercise—an area of the game often ignored by amateurs.
Most non-professionals rush from workto their cars, show up at the course, take their clubs out of the     t trunk, hop on a motorized cart to the tee, and start swinging! This can be very dangerous!

Forever looking for that magical move that takes strokes off your score probably leads you straight to the driving range to hit a few hundred golf balls. Sure! Practice makes perfect, right? Any Arizona Diamondback or Phoenix Sun would agree that throwing pitches or shooting baskets repetitively improves consistency. The difference is that other sports have required serious off-season and pre-season training drills to help prevent mid-season injuries for years. Now golfers are catching on!

What’s the bottom line?

The goals of any golfer are:

-Increase range of motion in the golf swing —- improved  flexibility

allows a complete backswing and extended follow through. Add

control and power to the golf swing —- well trained muscles

increase control and ability to generate more club head

speed -Improve energy and endurance levels —- muscular

control and mental focus will improve which enable full

concentration on every shot Reduce chance of injuries on the

golf course through stretching and identifying uncomfortable

movements.

Swing Analysis

The leg and hip muscles (quadriceps, hamstrings, and gluteals) are responsible for power production and initiate the golf swing..

The midsection muscles (erector spinae, abdominals, and obliques) transfer force from the legs to the torso to accelerate even more.

The torso muscles (pectorals, latissimus dorsi, and deltoids) produce the actual swing action and play critical role in club head speed.

The arm muscles (biceps, triceps, and forearm flexors/extensors) are responsible for club control and largely determine club head accuracy.

Now that you know that, here’s what you do ...
When beginning to train for golf or any sport, there are three phases of conditioning:

Off-Season:

Three strength training sessions per week for general base and

core strengthening, as well as for muscle control is sufficient.

During the off season months is the best time to focus on

overall muscle strength and enhance golf driving power.

Examples of exercises include: Leg Press, Leg Curl, Leg

Extension, Push ups, Pullovers, Lateral Raises, Bicep curl,

Tricep extension and abdominal crunches.

Pre-Season:

Once you have a strong base and balance of muscle, you can

maintain by reducing your total body strength training sessions to twice per week. Now is the time to develop sport specific skills utilizing tiny, but key muscles such as low back and rotator cuff musculature.

A Free weight program with lighter weight and more repetitions might include: Back extensions, trunk rotations, abduction/adduction of legs and arms, internal/external rotation of shoulder girdle, wrist flexion/extension.

In-Season:

Practice the sport! To prevent injury after long activity days with

many rounds,    you must rehabilitate those sport specific muscles.

As with Off and Pre-season training, stretching all muscle groups

before and after play will aid in not only a successful golf swing with

a larger range of motion, but movement control and balance as well.

 A loss of balance can reduce a backswing or completely change

the swing plane and, thus, the shot outcome.

The basic flexibility exercises that address the muscle-joint actions

most relevant to golfers are standing or seated hamstring, lower

back, and upper back and shoulder stretches.

There are many “free weighted” and inexpensive pieces of equipment that can be very valuable when training muscles specifically for golf. Examples include SPRI Exer-Tubes, Stability balls, Medicine Balls, and “The Golf Gym” tubing system developed by Gary Player himself. For price information, call SPRI Products, Inc. at 1-800-222-7774.

If you are an avid golfer and still not convinced that a little extra training can actually improve the power behind your golf game... remember Happy Gilmore? A Golf Pro had to step in and fine tune his golfing skills, but the muscle behind that drive came from Hockey Training!

As with any exercise or fitness program you start, it is always wise to obtain the professional services of a certified personal trainer for guidance on correct form when performing any exercises.

More Golf Fitness!