Golf Fitness and stretching

Below are a few paragraphs I found on the Internet from a popular golf fitness instructor. Following the read, I will tell you my thoughts on his recommendations.


* "Golf Workout Tip to Maximize Potential -
Pair Strength Exercises with Stretches in Your Golf Workout "

I hear over and over again how a golf workout - or more specifically, lifting weights - will hurt your game, not help it. This is pure nonsense. If weight training was detrimental to sports performance, then why does every athlete in every professional sport do it?
But there is a right way and a wrong way to implement your golf workout program, to make it the most effective program for golf improvement. Every program I prescribe for golfers incorporates both a golf strength component and a golf stretching one. That means for every strength exercise there is a corresponding stretch. This is the most effective way to improve both golf-specific strength and range of motion. You've got to think of your golf workout as a means to improve your golf-specific range of motion and strength to maximize your time investment and achieve the results you want.
This is the most effective way to implement a golf workout program that will benefit both your strength and flexibility all in one program.
Just remember: for every strength exercise you need a stretch for that muscle you are working.

* from Mike Pederson @ www.performbettergolf.com




Mr. Pederson is dead on the money for most players, especially older men looking for more distance. Flexibility and range of motion are needed to provide the wider arc necessary for increased power and distance.
However, there are the few of us who can be hyper-flexible or too flexible which results in loss of control and the in-ability to make solid contact. Most ladies and junior golfers would fit into this category, and I would also include myself in this category. I have kept a similar swing from my junior days which has led to problems for me as an adult. Some stretching before and after your workout are needed to prevent injury. But don't worry about the stretching as you lift if you classify yourself as overly flexible.

Adding strength (possibly some mass, sorry ladies!) to an already flexible person will hopefully begin to limit their range of motion with your small muscles. This allows the big muscles to take over, which is what happens in a good golf swing. A small amount of arm motion and hand action is needed, but hyper-flexible players create too much which results in poor swing paths and allows the club face to open and close too much. Keeping your arms in front of your chest and not across your chest is what will give you straight, precise shots. Strong legs and torso are what creates the speed needed for power.

As a kid, I was not the biggest or the strongest compared to the other junior golfers I grew up with. But I could create as much if not more power than most because of the tremendous lag I could create between my left arm and club. The result was a path from the inside and lots of hand-action to close my club-face, as it was generally open to my target. But as I have aged, my practice time has greatly diminished and the timing of putting the club squarely on the ball has
diminished as well.

Like I stated in my first blog, I have corrected some of my swing faults but I feel the bad habits may be easier to erase if my fitness for this new golf swing was better. My body was built to do certain things, which as a junior golfer was of some benefit (more power). But now as an adult it creates problems for me in controlling the direction of my shots.

I hope this helps anyone looking for exercises to improve their game! Send me an email or make a comment if you have any questions!

"Pro"