Get your golf fitness up to par

Ever wonder why your level of play during an average round of golf takes a while to kick in only to start slipping away again halfway through the back nine? Are there times when you can’t figure out why your drives just don’t carry like you think they should? Or do you have trouble focusing when you’re standing over a crucial putt on the 18th green?

Well, don’t tear yourself apart for an answer. I have it for you. Sloppy play and a lack of strength and focus is most likely the result of a lack of proper fitness training. Yes, although some still view golf as a slow-moving game, the fact is that golf calls for both mental and physical fitness.

A fit and prepared individual will likely avoid the peaks and valleys of performance that can make the game so maddening. Spending time working on improving your physical strength and agility and mental acumen can be just as important as hitting a bucket of balls on the range or spending time on the practice putting green.

Professional golfers are increasingly relying on an intense fitness regimen. Many of the top touring pros, including Tiger Woods, make regular use of the portable fitness centers that travel from course to course with the Professional Golfers’ Association (PGA). David Duval, the winner of the recent British Open, claims to have boosted his arm and leg strength by 75 percent and to have gained a half club in distance through stretching and strength training.

Shouldering Responsibility

A normal golf swing takes your shoulders and lower back through an extreme range of motion. However, most golfers lack the necessary strength or flexibility. An estimated one-third eventually suffer an injury. And so, a golf fitness regimen should include stretching and strengthening exercises to the shoulders and the low back.

One of the most common injuries is to the rotator cuff, a group of flat tendons that fuse together and surround the front, back and top of your shoulder, like the cuff on a shirtsleeve. During each backswing, these tendons, especially the one in your lead shoulder, become pinched together. Repeating this motion often, without proper stretching, can cause the tendons to become inflamed and swollen. Tip-offs that you’ve got a problem include feeling soreness in the shoulder during your backswing or having discomfort there during the day when you raise your arm overhead. A rotator cuff stretching exercise program, which can be taught to you by a physical therapist, athletic trainer, or gym instructor, can keep these tendons stretched and help you avoid rotator cuff problems.

Bringing your Swing Full Circle

Golfers with a longer backswing have an advantage when it comes to generating more power with less effort; the further they extend the backswing, the more gravity is on their side in creating clubhead speed. A longer backswing also helps with tempo and timing.

But making that full shoulder turn, being able to get your lead shoulder under your chin, is easier said than done. It requires exceptional range of motion which requires good stretching exercises to your neck, shoulders and spine.

Protective Stretching

Sports medicine physicians generally recommend that golfers get 10-15 minutes of warm-up exercises before playing. Exercises should focus on stretching muscles involved in the swing – the hands, wrists, shoulders, back and pelvis. Warmed-up muscles promote the ingredients of a good, powerful stroke: balance, flexibility and muscular control. Stretches should start off easily, proceed slowly (never bounce to achieve a stretch), and stop just before the stretch become painful.

A good warm-up routine could include across-body stretches for the shoulders, trunk and knee-to-chest rotations for the back and spine, and hamstring stretches for the legs. The wrists are high-use joints, so they don’t require as much preparation as other parts of the body.

After warming up, move on to more sport-specific conditioning by practicing your swing. Start slowly with a nine iron, progressively increasing the range of motion and speed. Once you reach a full swing with the nine iron, repeat, using gradually longer clubs.

Strengthening

Hitting a golf ball farther is not about overwhelming it with brute force, but getting your muscles to deliver greater force without having to swing harder or faster. And hitting the ball straighter is not about changing your swing, but being strong enough to generate the same clubhead speed as before, but now with less effort and more control.

True, technique generally trumps physique in the sport of golf. But strength training does play an important role in the game. Conditioning programs are available through many gyms and generally incorporate exercises – many of which use machines – such as leg extensions and presses, abdominal and leg curls, biceps curls, triceps extensions and neck exercises.

One way to add dynamic strength is to use a "medicine ball," a large exercise ball that is coming back into fashion in the fitness world. Others utilize plyometrics – the technique of training muscles to deliver a quick burst of action in order to gain dynamic strength, speed and power.

Staying Balance

A good golf swing is like cracking a bullwhip; you don’t need a lot of hand speed to generate a lot of speed at the other end. What matters most is having the correct posture and balance in order to create a smooth transfer of power from your leg, hip and shoulder as it turns, and then to the ball at impact.

Good balance helps golfers smoothly transfer their weight from one side of their body to the other during a swing, and therefore strike the ball more accurately and consistently. It is also critically important in helping to maintain a stable posture when playing in windy conditions or from an uphill, downhill or sidehill lie.

Working with free weights rather than machines are preferred by other trainers as they help with balance. Free weights require you to balance the weight as well as lift it, calling into action many of the support muscles that play an essential role in establishing and maintaining balance.

When working with free weights, keep the amount low enough so that you are always in control. You’ll know the weight is right when you can move it slowly and steadily through a full range of motion without rushing or jerking it.

Don’t Overlook your Short Game

Of course, golf isn’t just about big drives and shoulder turns; it’s also a game of finesse and touch around the greens. So when planning your fitness program, be sure to include exercises for your hands, wrists and forearms.

Weak wrists and forearms allow your clubhead to wobble, taking it off the correct plane and making good ball contact difficult. It’s much easier to play a delicate pitch or take something off an approach shot when you’re in control of the club, instead of the club controlling you. That’s all part of playing by feel, but you need strength to change gears effectively. To gain that strength, try a series of wrist curls, wrist extensions, and forearm rotations.

Better Score, Fewer Injuries

Very few studies have evaluated pre-game conditioning for preventing golf injuries but those that do suggest it, have shown that it can help you play better, reduce your risk of injury, and improve your scores.

Researchers at Brown University conducted a small study comparing three eight-week exercise regimens: strength conditioning, strength and flexibility conditioning, and flexibility training only. All groups trained approximately 40 minutes a day, three times a week, and all experienced an improvement in general health and increased club speed. But only the groups that did joint range of motion exercises had significantly greater flexibility. Mean range of motion improvement was 24 percent. All the participants, even those who worked only on strength, reported lower scores, longer drives, and no injuries during the following season.

Unfortunately, no amount of training and conditioning can eliminate all the injury risks related to playing golf. And it appears that driving lessons – of another kind – might also be in order. According to the US National Safety Council, some 8,000 people a year are involved in golf cart accidents!