5 Ways Physical Training can Improve your Golf Game

By Brandon Monin, MS, CSCS, TPI GFI

For years it was believed by golfers at all levels that weight training and physically preparing for golf wasn’t effective.  There are many misconceptions that are associated with weight training or physical preparation such as it will “bulk you up” or you make you less flexible and negatively impact your technique.  Despite what many believe or what you have heard, there have been many research studies done in the last few years on elite level golfers that show that these misconceptions are all wrong.

Golf is a very physically demanding sport that requires consistent precision within the complexity of the swing, as well as the ability to generate explosive power through a wide range of motion.  The golf swing uses the entire body to transfer power to the ball to propel the ball far and accurate.  Many of the top players in the world such as Tiger Woods credit their commitment to physical preparation as one of the major reasons for their success.  Golf is now a sport where physical training is an integral component to play at a high level consistently and without injury.

Specific Physical Training

There are several physical functions that need to be addressed in a training program.  These include balance, posture, flexibility, core strength, peripheral strength, power, and cardiovascular function.  Improving these physical functions can help improve several aspects of your golf game such as club head speed, drive distance, putting distance, stamina, and longevity.

5 Benefits of Specific Physical Training for Golf:

1.     Increase Club Head Speed

 Three main factors affect club head speed: Muscular force, the range of motion of the swing or flexibility, and the coordination of all the movements in a swing required to hit the ball.  A proper training program will increase these factors therefore increasing the club head speed and allowing for more distance on your shots.

2.     Increase Drive Distance

 An increase in club head speed will ultimately increase your distance off the tee while keeping accuracy.  Several studies have proven this showing an increase of as much as 9 meters in just six weeks of training.

3.     Increase Putting Distance and Accuracy

 With an increase of power, core stability, and balance putting distance and accuracy can be improved.

4.     Increase Stamina (endurance, power endurance)

 This is vital to a golfer’s performance over the entire 18 holes.  The golf swing requires a very high power output that occurs 30-40 times during 18 holes of golf.  An untrained golfer will fatigue decreasing one’s performance.  For those who choose to walk the course improving endurance could lead to a significant decrease in handicap.  Physical training can improve the golfer’s stamina (endurance) or more specifically power endurance which makes it possible to hit the last drive of the day, or the last chip of the day with the same amount of force and power, and accuracy (control) as the first one of the day.

5.     Increase Longevity

 A proper physical training (exercise) program will decrease the risk of injury in both junior and senior golfers, and consequently decrease the amount of time away from the sport.  Injuries occur more often in senior golfers due to the natural decrease in the physical functions such as flexibility and mobility.  A proper exercise program will delay these decreases in senior golfers and allow them to play well into their later decades.

As you can see a proper exercise program can improve your golf game and lower your handicap.  So forget about the negative stories you’ve heard and remember the facts.  Physical preparation for golfers is proven to be effective by not only solid scientific research but also thousands of golfers who chose not to believe the common misconceptions.  So whether you’re young or old, a recreational or serious golfer, starting a proper exercise program could get you over the hump and lower your handicap.  Besides the benefits on the course the health benefits from exercising are an added bonus.

Finish First Sports Performance will be offering a FREE TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Golf Fitness Evaluation at the Robert Morris University (RMU) Golf Dome on January 21, 2012 from 1pm – 3pm.  Space is limited so register early at the customer service desk at the dome or by calling 866-468-2231 x820.  For more information visit http://www.finishfirstsports.com/golf-fitness.html