NOW THAT YOU'VE HUNG UP YOUR CLUBS FOR THE WINTER, IT'S TIME TO BETTER YOUR GAME
Bob Forman
Director, The Golf Fitness Academy
Certified Golf Fitness Instructor
The colder weather is settling in and golfers around the country are paring back or hanging up the clubs for the winter. What a great time of year to better your game!
As the shorter, colder days don’t allow for much golf, they do provide ample time to knock out those anatomical deficiencies that are negatively impacting your game and causing those nagging aches and pains. The “off-season” also affords you plenty of time to progress that base workout, or the one you’ve been doing forever, to one that will enhance golf-specific strength, balance, power, and speed. Come spring, your game could have a whole new feel.
First and foremost, though, you need to identify what those anatomical deficiencies are. A physical (re)assessment with a TPI certified golf fitness instructor is your best bet. With this valuable information in hand, a customized, time-efficient exercise program can be designed to target your specific problem areas and maximize your outcomes.
Without this anatomical road map you’re basically flying blind and could, without your knowledge, have a deleterious influence on swing mechanics and injury potential. Any golf fitness program that does not offer a physical screen should send up a red flag and be avoided.
Working with an experienced golf fitness instructor will ensure proper exercise program design, technique, and progression, essential for safe, optimal results. If already exercising, the instructor can critique your current program and make recommendations as to what to keep and what to modify, if necessary, based on your physical findings.
Side bar: In this regard, it is imperative that a flexibility component be incorporated and maintained in the exercise program. All too often, this component is neglected and/or not fully appreciated as to what it offers, and overlooked for more cardio and strength training time. If you want to play better, healthier golf, you must absolutely, positively, without a doubt, stretch!
Once the weaker links have been isolated and a corrective program has been underway for a short period, the exercise program can and should be progressed. This is where the fun begins and the added benefits realized take your game to a new level. It also keeps the workouts fresh and interesting, enhancing compliance and both the golf and health outcomes.
Transitioning up to various training techniques such as complex circuits, where you combine strength and speed exercises, focuses on specific muscle systems which promote game improvement components such as clubhead speed. As we all know, greater clubhead speed equates to increased ball speed and that means more yards down the fairway.
You need to crawl before you walk and then walk before you run, however, and staying consistent with your exercise program will lay the foundation for progression. Your certified golf fitness instructor will have the expertise as to how much and how often, and should be able to offer a diverse menu of workout options. Winter’s shorter, colder days will provide the time to make some of those transitions.
A word of advice: As you partake and progress in your exercise program, make sure you swing a golf club every now and then. Otherwise you might be in for a surprise come springtime with your new found flexibility and strength.
Also, keep in mind that a golf fitness program should be a year-round program. Your instructor can help you taper back, if you so desire, come golf season.
For information about golf fitness assessment and training go to http://www.golfitcarolina.com/golf-fitness-program.html
