It’s rare these days to find a golfer who is serious about improving their game but doesn’t have some sort of fitness routine. I’ve seen a lot of different programs and read a lot of articles touting to be the key to a better game. Over the years I’ve worked with a lot of golfers and I’ve talked with even more. There is a growing dissatisfaction with “golf specific” programs. I’ve talked to multiple high level golfers who refused to work with a trainer who advertised as golf specific.
If a program is really designed for better golf why would players be unhappy? The truth is the majority of these programs just don’t work, or are flat out boring. So I’ve decided to offer my 2 cents why many of these programs fall short. Here are the common problems I’ll cover in depth:
- Improper use of correctives
- Improper use of stretching
- Improper implementation of power training
- Lack of training in all three planes of motion
- Isolation instead of integration
I want to be careful and also say there are some good programs and trainers out there. This blog will hopefully be a guide to better help you distinguish between the good and the bad ones. I’m not saying I’m perfect but my players get RESULTS! They get better and they keep coming back.
1. Improper use of correctives
If you’ve spent any time with me you know how much value I put in movement screening and corrective exercise. Everyone should be able to perform the basic human movements with little compensation and no major asymmetries (differences between left and right sides). No one starts working with me without first going through a movement screen. As I tell everyone, “The easiest way to make that sports car go fast is to take the parking brake off.” This goes double for athletes since you are at a greater risk of injury. I’ve had plenty of clients, even high-level tour pros, gain yardage and/or club head speed just from corrective work.
However, correctives are not the end goal. They are a means to an end which is strength and power training! Too many programs leave you rolling around on the floor forever and never progress past this beginning stage of training. Being stuck here is boring and ultimately results in a limited amount of progress. Again, this isn’t to say correctives aren’t important; they are vital. Yes, some people will be here longer to start out and almost everyone will need at least a few corrective drills for the duration of their playing career, but your programs should progress on from this stage.
A good trainer or program will have an assessment and a corrective phase, but they will also have a long term plan that includes strength and power training.
2. Improper use of stretching
This is similar to what I said about correctives: golf fitness shouldn’t be a glorified stretching routine. It should encompass more! Worse yet, most people are stretching the wrong muscles! If you are stretching muscles that are already over-lengthened you are just making the imbalance in your body worse and will create more compensation.
Flexibility without stability is dangerous. Flexibility without strength and power is useless.
Stretch the right muscles (for you), and work on gaining mobility in the specific areas where you lack it. At some point you have enough mobility and need stability and strength training.
A good trainer or program will be more than just a stretch routine.
3. Improper implementation of power training
Everyone wants to hit the ball further. I get it. For the record, 100% of the players that work with me gain distance. But you have to earn the ability to do power training. Above, I said “flexibility without stability is dangerous.” Well, power training without the requisite flexibility, stability, and motor control is just as (if not more) dangerous.
You can’t show up to the gym and start throwing the medicine balls around without knowing what is going on inside your body first. This is where those movement screenings and corrective exercises I mentioned earlier come in. GET SCREENED! Fix your problems first!
I’ve had quite a few players gain distance in the first few weeks of training just by getting screened and working on the corrective homework I gave them. No power training involved. Those were already very high-level players too. If it works for them, it’ll work for most players.Don’t rush the process!
Once you fix your limitations, add some raw strength. Power = Work/Time. You can only move light weights so fast. Shaving fractions of a second off that med ball throw (Time) won’t make as big of a difference as doubling your strength (Work). You can increase power faster, initially, by increasing work.
There is a 1:1 correlation between an increase in 1 rep max back squat and sprint speed increase up to a 1 RM of double bodyweight. Simply put, the easiest way to be faster is to get stronger until you can squat double bodyweight. After that, the mass gains will start to have the opposite effect without more specific speed training.
A good trainer or program will have a long term mindset and will train the prerequisites to power first.
4. Lack of training in all three planes of motion
A little biomechanics here. There are three planes of motion: Sagittal (front to back), Frontal(side to side), and Transverse (rotation). Most training, especially traditional training, is Sagittal; forwards or backwards lunges, squats, deadlifts, pushups, rows, etc. A lot of golf specific training has either followed this trend or has gone too far the other way and makes everything transverse (adds rotation to everything). Golf is a rotational sport but movement occurs in all three planes of motion at every joint in every phase of the swing.
As an example, as you go from address to the top of your backswing lets see what happens.
- Trailside Ankle: plantar flexes (sagittal), everts (frontal), internally rotates (transverse).
- Trailside Knee: extends (sagittal), adducts (frontal), internally rotates (transverse).
- Trailside Hip: flexes (sagittal), adducts (frontal), internally rotates (transverse).
- Lumbar Spine: extends (sagittal), lateral flexion to trailside (frontal), relative rotation to trailside (transverse).
- Thoracic Spine: extends (sagittal), lateral flexion to leadside (frontal), relative rotation to trailside (transverse).
We’ll stop there and not get into the neck, shoulders, elbows, wrists or leadside biomechanics. You can clearly see motion is happening in all three planes in every joint so you have to train that way! You MUST incorporate all three planes of motion as well as combinations of multiple planes into every session. One of my favorites (my players can attest) is lunging and reaching. There are an almost infinite number of combinations depending on what you want to emphasize (or deemphasize): Sagittal lunges with sagittal reaches, sagittal lunges with frontal reaches, transverse lunges with sagittal reaches, frontal lunges with transverse reaches, etc. You get the idea. What about a transverse shoulder press? Or positioning your feet so you have a front plane lower body load combined with that transverse shoulder press?
A good trainer or program will train in all three planes of motion with a purpose (not a random selection).
5. Isolation instead of integration
If your trainer or program starts talking about arm day, chest day, back day, leg day, etc, just walk away. This is less prevalent these days but still something you have to watch out for. This is an old school way of training and is only really suitable for body builders.
In golf we want all your muscles integrated and working together; it makes no sense to try and isolate and work single muscles at a time when training. In athletics your body has to work as a coordinated unit so you must train that way!
A good trainer or program will train full body, complex, and coordinated movements.
Conclusion
Here are the five common reasons that most golf fitness programs fail, along with what to look out for instead:
- Improper use of correctives
A good trainer or program will have an assessment and a corrective phase, but they will also have a long term plan that includes strength and power training. - Improper use of stretching
A good trainer or program will be more than just a stretch routine. - Improper implementation of power training
A good trainer or program will have a long term mindset and will train the prerequisites to power first. - Lack of training in all three planes of motion
A good trainer or program will train in all three planes of motion with a purpose (not a random selection). - Isolation instead of integration
A good trainer or program will train full body, complex, and coordinated movements.
Golf fitness programs, if done correctly, are a huge benefit to every golfer. There is NO reason someone looking to better their game should avoid them in favor of something else with less benefits and more risks. I hope this helps you find a trainer or program that will put you on the right track!
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Ryan Blackburn is the owner of Orlando Golf Performance in Orlando, FL. He works with golfers on every major tour as well as college and amateur players. He holds multiple certifications in the field of functional movement and athletic performance.