Fit to Break Par
by Mike Barker, MS, CSCS
Editor's Note: If you look really close, you can see buds on the trees, which means golf season is not very far off! Get in shape now with these tips from golf condition expert, Mike Barker of Positioned to Win.
Many a golfer has declared, "Lifting weights will screw up my swing". And to some extent - the golfer is right! Conditioning the body like that of a football player, body builder, or weight lifter is not specific to the sport of golf and can indeed have counter-productive effects.
Keep in mind that "conditioning for golf" is not a new idea. Gary Player has been preaching the benefits of keeping the body strong and mobile for better golf performance for over 30 years. Thanks to the efforts of Tiger and Annika, the golfers of today search for every competitive edge from equipment with custom-fitted clubs, to confidence with visual-imagery techniques, and fitness with golf-specific conditioning exercises.
Thinking back to your first golf lesson, I'm sure the teaching pro educated you on the factors that impact ball flight such as clubface alignment, swing plane, angle of attack, and of course - club head speed. Most would agree that we spend the majority of our time trying to improve club head speed either with high-tech clubs or little tricks we pick up on the driving range. But we need to understand that the high tech club is only as good as the player holding it and the tricks we pick up are really just compensations (of a weakness) that will lead to further inconsistencies. The good news is that all of these ball flight factors are influenced by physical components such as postural stability, proprioception, and muscular power. A golf specific conditioning program should address each of these components as a means of improving golf performance. The following concepts should serve as the foundation to developing a golf-conditioning program:
Muscular imbalances – most easily identified by poor posture - are by far the most common source of inconsistent swing mechanics. In fact, trying to develop a consistent swing plane when the pelvis and spine are out of balance will lead to compensatory movements at other joints. These compensations will produce swing faults and can lead to injuries.
Failure to understand the connection between a balanced, athletic posture and performance will always result in short term fixes to swing faults. A quick glimpse into muscle physiology reveals that the human body is composed of two different types of muscles – phasic and tonic. The phasic muscles are long, weak, and neurally passive. The tonic muscles are short, strong, and neurally dominant. For many golfers, the tonic lumbar extensors and hip flexors overpower the phasic abdominal and gluteal muscles - resulting in the "reverse C" shaped posture noted in the finished position. Because the golfer is not typically aware of this swing fault, back pain usually occurs with repetitive use.
Since the swing plane is dictated in a large part by the golfer's spine angle, neutral spine position and postural stability are skills that should be mastered immediately. In addition, with a balanced and athletic posture - the golfer can achieve up to 30 degrees more rotation which can result in more rotational power and club head speed.
PROPRIOCEPTION
One common feature of all great golfers is their sense of feel (or kinesthesia). This feeling of joint positioning and movement can be enhanced through proprioceptive training in which the brain receives continuous input from sensory receptors in the joints and muscles and makes the necessary adjustments (or calibrations) that allow the body to achieve and maintain positions. More specifically, as the golfer loses sight of the club in the back swing - kinesthetic awareness is needed to accurately return the clubface back to the ball. Performing golf specific movements on unstable training devices or in a visually impaired environment heightens the golfer’s proprioception. This "sense of feel" may be the defining element for mastering any skill, especially the golf swing.
POWER
When it comes to hitting the long ball, consider this - "you can’t fire a canon from a canoe". A stable base, distinguished by strong hips and thighs, supports the rotational coil that is developed in the torso. Like a baseball pitcher, a golfer's drive is determined by the ability to load and unload from the lower body. Without a balanced sequential weight shift, the powerful rotational muscles of the torso are of little value in hitting the long ball.
Golf power can be enhanced through plyometric training. This type of reactive training, which demands a high degree of postural control and proprioception, consists of powerful rotational movements involving a controlled loading and rapid unloading of the muscle tissue. These golf specific drills can be performed either with a weighted club or medicine ball and should serve to "hard wire" the proprioceptive pathways in the central nervous system. In other words, these integrated exercises must exactly replicate the neuromuscular patterns of the golf swing.
Training to improve postural stability, proprioception, and muscular power can have a positive impact on the factors that influence ball flight. Individual posture, tempo, force production, and speed of movement must all be considered for these exercises to be most golf specific. And finally, practice makes permanent! Repetition of any movement (good or bad) becomes progressively more programmed in the nervous system.
Mike Barker is the Fitness Director at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, NC. He also serves as the Strength and Conditioning Consultant to the Golf Teams at Green Hope High School and Cary Academy and has produced a golf conditioning video entitled "Conditioning for a Powerful Swing".
He can be reached at: mbarker@prestonwoodcc.com
Video Website: www.positionedtowin.com
Editor's Note: If you look really close, you can see buds on the trees, which means golf season is not very far off! Get in shape now with these tips from golf condition expert, Mike Barker of Positioned to Win.
Many a golfer has declared, "Lifting weights will screw up my swing". And to some extent - the golfer is right! Conditioning the body like that of a football player, body builder, or weight lifter is not specific to the sport of golf and can indeed have counter-productive effects.
Keep in mind that "conditioning for golf" is not a new idea. Gary Player has been preaching the benefits of keeping the body strong and mobile for better golf performance for over 30 years. Thanks to the efforts of Tiger and Annika, the golfers of today search for every competitive edge from equipment with custom-fitted clubs, to confidence with visual-imagery techniques, and fitness with golf-specific conditioning exercises.
Thinking back to your first golf lesson, I'm sure the teaching pro educated you on the factors that impact ball flight such as clubface alignment, swing plane, angle of attack, and of course - club head speed. Most would agree that we spend the majority of our time trying to improve club head speed either with high-tech clubs or little tricks we pick up on the driving range. But we need to understand that the high tech club is only as good as the player holding it and the tricks we pick up are really just compensations (of a weakness) that will lead to further inconsistencies. The good news is that all of these ball flight factors are influenced by physical components such as postural stability, proprioception, and muscular power. A golf specific conditioning program should address each of these components as a means of improving golf performance. The following concepts should serve as the foundation to developing a golf-conditioning program:
- A simple posture analysis can identify postural limitations and restore muscle balance.
- Specific exercises to strengthen the phasic muscles and lengthen the tonic muscles will enhance muscular balance and postural stability.
- Proprioceptive training encourages balance and coordination through a sequence of calibrations in order to achieve and maintain positions.
- Plyometric training for golf requires a strong, stable base to support the rotation of the torso in the swing plane.
Muscular imbalances – most easily identified by poor posture - are by far the most common source of inconsistent swing mechanics. In fact, trying to develop a consistent swing plane when the pelvis and spine are out of balance will lead to compensatory movements at other joints. These compensations will produce swing faults and can lead to injuries.
Failure to understand the connection between a balanced, athletic posture and performance will always result in short term fixes to swing faults. A quick glimpse into muscle physiology reveals that the human body is composed of two different types of muscles – phasic and tonic. The phasic muscles are long, weak, and neurally passive. The tonic muscles are short, strong, and neurally dominant. For many golfers, the tonic lumbar extensors and hip flexors overpower the phasic abdominal and gluteal muscles - resulting in the "reverse C" shaped posture noted in the finished position. Because the golfer is not typically aware of this swing fault, back pain usually occurs with repetitive use.
Since the swing plane is dictated in a large part by the golfer's spine angle, neutral spine position and postural stability are skills that should be mastered immediately. In addition, with a balanced and athletic posture - the golfer can achieve up to 30 degrees more rotation which can result in more rotational power and club head speed.
PROPRIOCEPTION
One common feature of all great golfers is their sense of feel (or kinesthesia). This feeling of joint positioning and movement can be enhanced through proprioceptive training in which the brain receives continuous input from sensory receptors in the joints and muscles and makes the necessary adjustments (or calibrations) that allow the body to achieve and maintain positions. More specifically, as the golfer loses sight of the club in the back swing - kinesthetic awareness is needed to accurately return the clubface back to the ball. Performing golf specific movements on unstable training devices or in a visually impaired environment heightens the golfer’s proprioception. This "sense of feel" may be the defining element for mastering any skill, especially the golf swing.
POWER
When it comes to hitting the long ball, consider this - "you can’t fire a canon from a canoe". A stable base, distinguished by strong hips and thighs, supports the rotational coil that is developed in the torso. Like a baseball pitcher, a golfer's drive is determined by the ability to load and unload from the lower body. Without a balanced sequential weight shift, the powerful rotational muscles of the torso are of little value in hitting the long ball.
Golf power can be enhanced through plyometric training. This type of reactive training, which demands a high degree of postural control and proprioception, consists of powerful rotational movements involving a controlled loading and rapid unloading of the muscle tissue. These golf specific drills can be performed either with a weighted club or medicine ball and should serve to "hard wire" the proprioceptive pathways in the central nervous system. In other words, these integrated exercises must exactly replicate the neuromuscular patterns of the golf swing.
Training to improve postural stability, proprioception, and muscular power can have a positive impact on the factors that influence ball flight. Individual posture, tempo, force production, and speed of movement must all be considered for these exercises to be most golf specific. And finally, practice makes permanent! Repetition of any movement (good or bad) becomes progressively more programmed in the nervous system.
Mike Barker is the Fitness Director at Prestonwood Country Club in Cary, NC. He also serves as the Strength and Conditioning Consultant to the Golf Teams at Green Hope High School and Cary Academy and has produced a golf conditioning video entitled "Conditioning for a Powerful Swing".
He can be reached at: mbarker@prestonwoodcc.com
Video Website: www.positionedtowin.com
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