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GolfRx: December 2007

One of the components to building a solid golf swing that has been over looked is the physical condition of a golfer. In the past, a player’s physical condition was not looked at as a part of a players development. Ever since Tiger Woods has come along, physical conditioning has been a major part of a player’s development and performance.

Because of this, a physical evaluation of a golfer is becoming a part of the overall evaluation of golfers when assessing their needs for improvement. Not only is this important to golf-swing performance but also to injury prevention.

When I evaluate a player’s swing I see faults that are directly related to a lack of the player’s strength or mobility. Titleist Performance Institute (TPI), part of Titleist Golf, has put together a program that specifically addresses a player’s physical condition and its relationship to the swing. The workshop to become a TPI certified golf fitness instructor helped me with organizing and matching up swing faults to the player’s body and then prescribing exercises for the individual.

TPI has developed a physical screening that involves a series of tests to identify a player’s limitations that may lead to swing faults. So not only can you look at the swing and predict where a player may have strength or mobility problem, but also through a series of tests predict what swing faults a player may have. Once you determine a player’s limitations you can prescribe exercises for that particular player.

I have always looked at golf conditioning in two ways; golf-specific as well as golfer specific. General conditioning is great, golfspecific conditioning that targets a certain area related to the golf swing is great, but player-specific conditioning that is for that individual player is the BEST. For most of us our busy lifestyles do not afford us much time to spend on conditioning. However, if you have a few specific exercises that fit your swing faults, you will be able to find the time during the offseason to do them.

Taking a break in the offseason can be the start of bad swing habits when you pick up a club in the spring. When we take a swing our bodies tend to move into positions of least resistance and into positions of strength. After a long break the flexibility and strength we may have had from swinging a golf club all summer may be lost. The start of the season can mean the start of bad habits as the body compensates for the lack of mobility and or strength. Restriction in trunk rotation or tight hip flexors may be the cause of a sway or over use of the arms and hands in the swing.

Many of the exercises that the TPI use to correct a players limitations resemble many of the yoga postures that you find in any yoga class. There is no wonder why I have played my best golf during periods of time when I was able to make it to yoga class on a regular basis. Even when I am not able to get to a class I will do my four or five postures at home that are specific to helping my swing.

Here are three exercises that you can do at home and the related areas of the golf set-up or swing they will help.

Quadruped Pelvic Tilts (Cats and Dogs)

Start in the quadruped position (all-fours) with your arms and thighs perpendicular to the floor. Without bending your elbows, try to lower (swayback) your spine creating the dog position (Fig. 1); and then lift or arch your back up creating the cat position (Fig. 2). Repeat this back and forth and then find the middle or neutral position. Hold this position with the abdominal muscles engaged for two breaths. Repeat several times.

This will help a player’s ability to move and control the pelvis during the swing. This is important for optimal power transfer from the lower body to the upper body during the swing. The cat and dogs exercise will also help a player improve their posture in the set-up position by making it easier to tilt forward from the pelvis and keep a neutral spin position at the same time. This will help a player in making a proper rotation in the back swing as well as helping a player stay in posture during the forward swing. The player who feels that they can’t stay down on the ball in the follow-through will benefit from this exercise.

Two Hip Rotation Exercises

Hip Circles – Start by stabilizing your core in the quadruped (all-fours) position. Try to have a feeling of strength in the core to prevent any movement from the spine. Slowly start to make circles with your right hip, try to create the biggest range of motion possible without losing your stable spin. Repeat on the left side.

Pigeon – From an all-fours position bring your right knee forward just inside your right hand, move your right foot toward your left hand in a bent position and extend your left leg back (Fig. 3). Bring your torso down into a forward bend over your right leg. Let the weight of your body rest on your leg (Fig.4). Repeat on the left side.

These two hip exercises will help in internal and external hip rotation. This is important in both coiling and loading into the hips on the back swing and bracing into and rotating around the hips on the downswing. Anytime there are restrictions in the hips’ range of motion there will be the potential for excessive lateral motion (sway and slide) in the golf swing.

I hope these exercises get you started with your golf-conditioning program. Maybe that bad habit you have been fighting in your golf swing is due to the lack of mobility or strength more so than lack of practice. Find out what is important to improving your swing and just maybe your swing improvements will come from improved physical condition rather from hitting balls at the range.

Have a happy holiday season!

Any questions or suggestions for future article topics please contact me at: joep@carlsgolfland.com.