Golf Performance Training #2 - Transfer training to your game.

In the last post, I spoke about injuries in golf. This blog is all about how to actually transfer your performance training onto the course, and how it will correlate into improvements.

As well as reducing the risk of injury, a detailed, specific training programme will add power, speed, mobility and consistency to your game.

The golf swing is an explosive, powerful movement - our training should reflect that.

No matter your age. Obviously, the younger we are, adaptions are quicker, but that doesn't mean a golfer in their 60s or 70s shouldn't be doing a specific routine. And by the way, younger golfers - I'm talking teens - have their own set of issues which means a good programme is vital.

To begin with, most of us have some form of physical limitation. It could be a mobility issue, in the form or lack of rotation, tight lower back, shoulder pain etc - or a strength issue, in the form of muscles not firing correctly, actual lack of muscle strength, or poor mechanics.

When we step onto the range or the first tee, these issues are instantly limiting our potential for that round. Let's say your glute muscles are not firing and activated (a very common problem). This causes instability throughout your golf swing which in turn leads to dispersions in consistency.

Let's say your upper back (Thoracic spine) has limited movement. This will cause your hips to turn excessively to compensate, and for your arms to lose connection - not great for solid, consistent golf. A simple 5 minute pre-round routine using a rubber band can eliminate the glute activation issue as well as improve the T-spine mobility. Obviously if we train well consistently, these issues would disappear over time, but as you work towards that, get the band out before a round. My initial assessment done with clients, flags up any issues you may have, but are unaware of.

Banded walks and T-Spine openers are great choices before a round. Done daily, you will see improvements within 2 weeks. Videos detailing these are on @sotowellness, Instagram feed.

How to increase power = get more distance. We all want to hit it longer, right? Outdrive your playing partners, cover a bunker you previously had to lay up to off the tee? This all comes from increasing our strength and power. In that order!

To increase power we need to be able to generate force in the first place (strength). Power is 'how quickly can we produce our strength'. So without strength, it seems very unlikely we can produce it quickly.

You don't need huge muscles to generate force, but you do need to add strength.

There are two main factors at play for force production: neural pathways - essentially our brain signals to the muscles needed. Look at a golfer like Justin Thomas, small stature but great power. He is able to recruit all available muscle fibres, so he is an example of great neural pathways for force production. The second factor is of course, muscle size. Bigger muscles have potential to be stronger ie increase force production.

First things first, a good strength plan is vital. A minimum block of 4-6 weeks working on compound movements (squats, rows, lunges, core exercises) is needed to build strength. Ideally up to six months would be devoted to this: it's very bespoke - everybody is starting at different levels.

Then when strength is gained, we can start a power phase, essentially moving weight at speed, using golf-specific movement patterns. Exercises here would include box jumps, medicine ball slams, and cable rotations. Once strength and power have been worked on, trust the process and enjoy the gains on the course.

You can then move into a Speed phase of training. This can unlock your central nervous system restrictions on how fast you can actually swing. This would involve a lighter load than your power phase training and be very golf specific movements. Swing Stix are a great tool to use here: swing at max velocity with light load.

Through your training you will gain stability in the hips and core, this is a by-product of a good strength plan. Your initial assessment will show up any weaknesses, for example, a right side dominant player will usually be weaker in the left glute and core muscles. It's essential to iron out these weaknesses over time.

Stability is also very important in young golfers, as mentioned at the top of the page. Teens are growing at rapid rates. Their limbs can often generate more power than their core and hips can stabilise, resulting in power leaks throughout the swing. Large distance improvements have been seen by my younger golfers when we incorporate lots of stability exercises.

Thanks for reading this (long) blog. As always, if you have any questions please feel welcome to leave a comment below.

For your own Body Analysis Assessment in Sotogrande or Marbella please get in touch via the webiste.