I often get asked what exercises a player should do when
they are working out in the gym. While it is important for golfers to get into
the gym and exercise it is more important to be working out correctly if you
want to improve your golf game.
There are different areas of fitness and each of these areas
is important for golfers. The three areas of fitness are cardio vascular
fitness, strength and flexibility. Cardio vascular fitness is important for
being able to complete your round without fatiguing and strength and
flexibility is important for making a strong and powerful golf swing. Each of
these areas should be addressed in a good golf fitness training program.
The first stage in any golf training should be an
evaluation. You need to know your strengths and weaknesses so you can design an
appropriate program and determine your starting point. A good evaluation will
also give you a starting point from which to measure your improvement.
Measuring your improvement is also a great way to see if your program is
appropriate and effective.
The next question then is how do you evaluate your current
fitness levels? As a coach I use a number a different strategies to do this.
Through my own research I have developed a series of evaluation tests that
assess your ability to complete each test. This
link will take you to a document that outlines the tests and how to
complete them. You can then record your results and redo the tests after a set
period of time. I like my student to complete the tests at the start of each
macrocycle of their annual plan and you can determine the best timing for you
with your own coach.
Another strategy I use, and this is arguably the best way to
go about developing your fitness program, is to utilise expert service
providers such as exercise physiologists and physiotherapists. Melbourne Golf
Injury Clinic here in Australia are golf specific physiotherapists that will
complete a entire body screening which will identify areas that need to be
improved. From this screening a personalised program can be designed to address
the weaknesses. You can see a copy of this screening report by clicking on
this link.
I also utilise an exercise physiologist to evaluate my
client’s golf specific strength. He uses a series of tests to determine the
areas that need to be worked on and from this can design the appropriate
training program. He also has tour player benchmarks to compare yourself to and
to aim for in your own training.
The purpose of this blog post is to give you an introduction
into golf specific fitness training and to stress the importance of evaluating
yourself before getting started. There will be plenty of people in your local
area who you can talk to regarding your fitness programs. Check your local gym
for sport specific trainers as well as online resources such as the TPI website and the Fitness for Golf
website that you can find by clicking on the links provided.
Keep your eye on this website for more fitness articles.
Until next time,
Brent Davis
