| There are hundreds, probably thousands, of | | | | find quality information, instruction and |
| articles about how to improve your golf. Just | | | | practice, practice, practice. No ifs, ands, |
| pick up any weekly or monthly issue of any | | | | or buts. |
| golf magazine. You will read page after page | | | | |
| on how to get better at your driving | | | | Physical "Golf Fitness" Recipe |
| distance, how to improve your putting, how to | | | | |
| improve your short game. The list goes on and | | | | The physical side of golf has to do with |
| on and on. (I could probably fill this whole | | | | preparing the actual physical body to perform |
| article with the titles of the articles that | | | | the athletic movement you are asking it to |
| are "supposed" to fix your game). This tells | | | | do. Every movement that your body performs, |
| me a few things about golfers: 1) we all want | | | | be it walking down the street, playing catch, |
| to get better, 2) we are anxious to absorb | | | | or swinging a golf club, requires effort from |
| all the information possible to get better, | | | | your body. Your body has to perform "work" to |
| and 3) golf is a game of continual | | | | complete these physical actions. To swing a |
| improvement. | | | | golf club with the correct biomechanics in an |
| | | | effective and efficient manner, your body |
| The question that may be running through your | | | | needs to be flexible, balanced, strong, have |
| mind at this point is: "Why is this article | | | | endurance, and power. |
| any better the ones I read last week?" The | | | | |
| answer is that it is not. It is different, | | | | It becomes obvious that to swing a club on |
| not necessarily better or worse. The | | | | the correct path you body has to have the |
| difference is the perspective from which this | | | | "platform or base" to do it correctly. Your |
| article is written. Let me explain. | | | | platform consists of the flexibility, |
| | | | balance, strength, endurance, and power we |
| I currently work on the PGA Tour as a | | | | discussed in the previous paragraph. These 5 |
| personal trainer/strength and conditioning | | | | pieces to the golf fitness puzzle are |
| coach. Previous to my position on the tour I | | | | developed through training which create what |
| worked in professional baseball with the San | | | | is called a "transfer of training effect" |
| Diego Padres and the Milwaukee Brewers | | | | into the golf swing. |
| training elite athletes. This article will | | | | |
| look at improving your golf swing through the | | | | Quite often I see amateur golfers lacking the |
| "my" eyes, which is a perspective different | | | | necessary amounts of flexibility, balance, |
| from players, swing coaches, and sports | | | | etc. and it hinders any possibility of |
| psychologists. This article will not speak | | | | developing the correct biomechanics of the |
| directly about specific drills or mental | | | | golf swing. |
| thoughts that should be incorporated into | | | | |
| your swing. We will look at golf from a | | | | So simply put, you have to develop a better |
| broader perspective and provide some insight | | | | swing; you need to develop more flexibility |
| on how to approach improvement in your golf | | | | into your body, improve your balance, become |
| game on a day-to-day basis. | | | | stronger in your overall body, improve your |
| | | | muscular endurance and what we are all after, |
| I see improvement in the sport of golf | | | | and improve your power. |
| contingent upon three ideas. These ideas are | | | | |
| categories that any golfer or any other | | | | Think of your golf fitness as a cookie |
| athlete can apply to their daily lives for | | | | recipe. If you leave out any one ingredient, |
| improvement in their sport of choice. The | | | | your cookie will taste terrible. |
| three keys to improvement in any athletic | | | | |
| endeavor, golf included, are: | | | | Don't leave out any ingredients in your golf |
| | | | fitness plan. |
| 1) physical, | | | | |
| | | | Mental/Emotional |
| 2) biomechanical, and | | | | |
| | | | You have probably read articles of "the |
| 3) mental/emotional | | | | mental side of golf," which I think are great |
| | | | reads and have a significant benefit to your |
| Realize that entire books are written on | | | | game. I know personally when I am confident |
| these three subjects, and the point of this | | | | in my swing, hitting the fairway off the tee |
| article is to present these keys to pique | | | | is much easier. That has to do with |
| your interest for more information to help | | | | confidence in my game in addition to success |
| you improve your game. | | | | on the course. I would like to interject a |
| | | | point that I have seen from working with |
| Biomechanical (Golf Swing Mechanics) | | | | numerous professional athletes. |
| | | | |
| Biomechanics is essentially physics applied | | | | Let me begin by asking you a question: "which |
| to the body. The study of biomechanics | | | | occurs first, success or confidence?" The |
| concerns itself with how the body moves and | | | | answers I hear half the time are success and |
| what allows it to perform certain human | | | | the other half of the time confidence. Let me |
| movements. For example, biomechanics studies | | | | first tell you that it is a trick question. |
| how the body moves to throw a baseball 95 | | | | The answer is as follows: "Proper preparation |
| miles per hour or how to swing a golf club to | | | | precedes success and confidence." So with |
| create club head speed of 120 miles per hour. | | | | that said, I found through experience that |
| Biomechanics looks at how the body moves to | | | | both success on the course and confidence in |
| perform these actions efficiently. | | | | your game are a direct result of being |
| Biomechanics in relation to the golf swing | | | | properly prepared physically, mentally, and |
| concerns itself with how the body swings a | | | | biomechanically for competition. |
| golf club to get the most efficient and | | | | |
| effective swing possible from the human body. | | | | So just thinking about making a putt usually |
| I would estimate that probably 95% of the | | | | does not work. Making that putt or putting |
| books, articles in golf magazines and | | | | that drive into the fairway is more a result |
| television programs deal with the topic of | | | | of days upon days of physical and |
| biomechanics. When it comes to the | | | | biomechanical preparation of your swing. This |
| biomechanics of the golf swing, the research | | | | will then foster what is required to make |
| is pretty solid, and "they" (swing coaches, | | | | those shots on the course. One additional |
| instructors, etc...) know mechanically what | | | | observation: I have found that creating the |
| the golf swing should do, and how the body is | | | | mental focus required for golf is much easier |
| suppose to work to perform it correctly. | | | | when you have developed the physical |
| | | | foundation for your swing. If you trust that |
| Biomechanically, the human body is not | | | | your body will do what you ask it do, when |
| perfect. The perfect golf swing or the | | | | you want it to do it, mentally the game |
| perfect pitching motion has yet to be | | | | becomes much easier. |
| achieved by any human. The professionals in | | | | |
| such sports get very close. Their efficiency | | | | Where can I learn more? |
| ratings when it comes to these athletic | | | | |
| actions are in the 90's in terms of | | | | Again, remember my perspective is from a |
| percentages, but there is yet to be a human | | | | different corner. I also believe that if you |
| who has achieved 100% biomechanical | | | | put these three philosophies to work on a |
| efficiency in any movement. Don't expect to | | | | daily basis your golf game will improve by |
| be near 100% efficiency. To get better swing | | | | leaps and bounds. |
| mechanics the bottom line is that you must | | | | |