1. Coordination drills
Can you remember the first time you had a swing of a golf club? It probably felt strange, difficult and it likely looked ‘out of sync’. This has a big part to do with your coordination.
Professional golfers are always working on this. You can see this on the range with different swing gadgets or you can see this in the gym with different exercises. For example one exercise I like my clients to do is a backswing whilst keeping the hips stable. This movement is coordinating the movement of the lower body and upper body.
With poor coordination comes poor sequencing , with poor sequencing comes poor power and consistency.
(image: Golf Monthly)
2. Balance training
Having a strong foundation of balance is paramount in a good golf swing. You will rarely see a professional golfer lose their footing, but on your local course this can be a daily sighting.
Being stable over the golf ball obviously lends itself to better ball striking and better distance. I often see players trying to hit the golf ball as hard as possible, only to come off balance and strike the ball poorly. As Tiger Woods’ late father Earl used to say, “you can hit the ball as hard as want, but you must finish in balance.” Most golfers would benefit from swinging in tempo and hit the middle of the face.
Balance exercises that are useful would be weight transfer drills, single leg movements and jumping actions.
3. Flexibility training
Have you ever walked to the first tee with no warm-up and no practice swings? You probably felt restricted, tight and maybe even sore. Great flexibility is one of the key findings in PGA tour professionals that hit it the furthest.
Having good flexibility allows your body to move with less compensations and make more repeatable swings. I encourage all of my clients to have some sort of warm-up routine that allows them to loosen up before they practice or play.
If you don’t know what to do before your round email me at golfphysioaustralia@gmail.com for your free warm-up routine. This plan takes you through stretches of the major joints and muscles in the body.
4. Muscular and cardiovascular endurance workouts
If you are getting fatigued and breathless towards the end of your round it’s likely you lack muscular and/or cardiovascular endurance. This obviously makes it harder to close out your round and typically when you are scoring well, the last stretch of holes is crucial.
The Australian health guidelines suggest 1.25-2.5 hours of vigorous intensity physical activity per week. This can include tasks like jogging, fast cycling or swimming for example. With better cardiovascular endurance, you may also drop your resting heart rate which will help keep your nerves down while you play.
5. Power exercises
Golf is quickly becoming a distance game, if you can hit the ball further you will improve your scores. There are many ways to improve your distance like get a club fitting, improve your launch conditions and most importantly optimise your body.
There are direct correlations to increased distance with increased grip strength and vertical leap power. To increase your power at home or at the gym, perform movements with a heavy load and perform them quickly to target speed development. It is also ideal to add in plyometric movements such as jumping, and use objects such as medicine balls to replicate a throwing action.
I hope this article encourages you to review your workout routine and make necessary changes to see the best outcomes on the course.
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