Golf Workout Program Because Golfers Need to Train Like Golfers!

Golf Specific Training Not only are we going to train for excellence in the skills of the game of golf, but part of playing golf well is training our bodies to be able to consistently perform at a high level. This presentation will give us a better understanding of why we need to have a golf specific mind-set when it comes to weight training/exercising. What does this look like? 1. Weight Training 2. Nutrition (different presentation) 3. Mental Game (different presentation)

Weight Training When we talk about weight training that is specific to golfers, what things come to mind? Are we doing bench press? Are we emphasizing cardio? How much time do we need to dedicate to weight-training? Do we need to vary how we go about weight-training during different parts of the year? These are just a few of the questions that we will answer in this presentation, but first, let’s make things simple… 1. The first thing that everyone needs to know is that conditioning our bodies specifically for golf is CRUCIAL in consistently competing at a high level. Since golfers rely on muscle memory more than any other athletes (in my opinion), we need to put our bodies in a state where they can achieve at a high level consistently. For example: If a golfer has poor shoulder stability (they are weak in areas of the shoulders that allow them to be stable throughout the golf swing), can that golfer expect to play well in a multiple day tournament? Will muscle fatigue set in so soon that there next day of competitive play suffers because their bodies are not up to the challenge? Absolutely. Therefore, we need to be deliberate about how we go about training our bodies for golf. Not only do we have to work hard, but we have to be smart about how we work.

Weight Training: Identifying Needs of Golfers When Tiger came onto the scene, he introduced something that soon became mainstream (not that it didn’t exist before in the likes of Gary Player, Tom Lehman, Greg Norman, etc.); namely, that working out is imperative to playing golf a high level. Not only did Tiger make playing golf at the highest levels WAY more competitive, he also showed us that to compete CONSISTENTLY our bodies have to be in top physical condition. People are playing in more tournaments, serious players are going to places where they can play golf year round, courses are becoming longer and more difficult. All of these factors contribute to the undeniable truth that as golfers we need to train our bodies. So how do we go about doing that? Well, there are a few areas that golfers like to focus on…

Weight Training: Identifying Needs of Golfers 1. Mobility: Essential for allowing golfers to get into certain positions in the golf swing. If your body or certain parts of your body are not very mobile then you might not be able to swing efficiently. For example, if you have tightness in your pecs, you could potentially have problems releasing the club effectively. Similarly, if you have tightness in your hips/hip-flexors then you could have trouble with separation between the torso and lower body. The examples are numerous, but the fact remains that to play golf well we need to have our bodies mobile. Golf specific stretching and compound exercises that focus on mobility will have a crucial role in our golf training, especially in the beginning.

Weight Training: Identifying Needs of Golfers 2. Stability: This is probably the most under-rated aspect of physical conditioning for every sport, but especially for golf. Sports like football and basketball, most people think, rely almost exclusively on raw strength. Although strength is important for these sports, some of the most dynamic athletes in the NFL and NBA have exceptional muscular stability; namely, that they don’t just generate power, but they can control the power they create. This is what ultimately separates them from the rest. A specific example for golf is something that I alluded to earlier in the presentation… Take a golfer’s back swing. Now, there are many factors to consider when evaluating the position to which the golfer has the club at the top of the swing (arm length, plane of swing, hand/wrist interaction with the club, etc.). However, one thing that we need to look at for the sake of consistency is the stability of the golfer’s shoulders. If the shoulders are weak then that could lead to inconsistencies in where the club is at the top (when you get tired you could start to take the club across the line/plane at the top or you could allow the club to drop too far to the inside at the start of the downswing). Once we have muscular stability then we can focus on what is considered to be the fun part of weight training which is...

Weight Training: Identifying Needs of Golfers 3. Strength/Power/Speed: I put these three terms as somewhat interchangeable because simply saying “strength” isn’t as appropriately indicative to golf as I would like it to be. For example, you could bench press 300 lbs., but that might actually hurt your golf game (tightness from over- enlarged muscles, etc.). Therefore, we need to understand that strength is used in golf mainly to achieve consistent power and speed in the golf swing. Golfers are obsessed nowadays with club head speed and carry distance, but they only really try understand those two things from two flawed principles; namely, that more strength means you can swing faster and if you can swing faster then the ball will fly further. This couldn’t be further from the truth. We will analyze in great detail the factors that are associated with hitting the ball further in a different presentation so let’s take the speed/carry stuff to the side for now and go back to strength. Ultimately, we want you to develop strength, not just for power or speed, but because of the fact that stronger muscles are muscles that do not tire out as easily and they are muscles that, when we start to generate a lot of speed or power, can control those things; hitting a ball 300+ yds can be fun, but not if every 3rd shot it’s going 300+ yds O.B. The analogy that, “it’s a marathon, not a sprint” can definitely be applied here. Golf is an endurance game that requires us to perform at a high level for a long period of time (4-7 hrs/day for multiple days in a row sometimes). Therefore, if we can make our muscles stronger then the problems of fatigue will have less of an influence on our game, thus allowing us to play more consistently at a higher level.

So….Now What? This is the point where I need to make something clear. I do not claim to be an expert in golf fitness! It is true that during my times of professional golf, I got to work with some of the worlds best golf strength and conditioning coaches (namely, Damon Goddard who works with the likes of Jordan Spieth, Martin Flores, etc.), but I also want to acknowledge that every single golfer is an individual with specific needs. Therefore, I highly encourage all of you that are serious about playing at a high level to employ the services of a golf specific fitness coach. I would be more than happy to connect you with Damon since I have known and worked with him for almost 10 years, but ultimately I just want you all to receive individualized instruction when it comes to your personal fitness identity. With that being said, I can also say that I have enough knowledge to incorporate golf exercises into our training regimen that will, after time, show significant results in your golf game!

So….Now What? Moving forward: We will be meeting together to get a general idea of where your weaknesses are. If you are going to consult with a personal fitness instructor then I will gladly talk with them about what you need to be doing in practice, but if not then I will be creating workout programs that will get us all working toward more golf specific bodily performance.