It’s in the Whole

   Whole body fitness training improves a golfer’s swing and score, while greatly reducing risk of injury

Golf Fitness : Dr. Charles F. Preston

   Like the PGA pros they want to emulate, young golfers are paying more attention to their fitness level to improve their game. Much like baseball players, golfers are rotational athletes. An appropriate fitness prescription for these athletes takes a specialized approach.

   The human body is a system of consecutive mobile and stable joints. The golf swing takes advantage of this with its unique rotational movement firing through the kinetic sequence from feet to hips to shoulders to hands to club. If one body segment isn’t functioning properly, an adjacent segment can be injured, which often happens with the lower back.

   Junior golfers (roughly age 8-18) should build a foundation in whole body training. This means moving multiple body parts in a single exercise as opposed to more traditional isolating movements to strengthen particular areas. The result of proper efficient training in the gym is a more efficient golf swing.

   While junior golfers tend to be extremely mobile athletes, they typically lack the stability to execute an efficient golf swing. Whole body fitness training will make them more balanced athletes and help them avoid overuse injuries. Junior golf participation in California is increasing exponentially. Many young golfers, often pushed by their parents, are specializing in golf in hopes of becoming the next Jordan Spieth or Rory McIlroy. That is a mistake.

   First off, some parents don’t think their young golfers should be working out at all. In fact, studies of junior golfers show that those engaged in fitness training as adolescents perform at a higher level when they reach college age. 

   Second, if a young golfer trains only by playing golf, he or she may develop muscular imbalances. This is when opposing muscles on different sides of a joint produce unequal forces of tension, which can set the golfer up for an inefficient swing leading to injury.

   Third, young adults who have only played golf will have to spend many hours learning how to use their bodies for maximum efficiency. That’s because neuromuscular pathways become harder to develop as we age. As they mature, adolescent golfers will have a harder time developing the consistent speed and power that are crucial for their golf swing.

   Medical providers certified by the Titleist Performance Institute have the ability to screen a golfer and provide exercise specific to his or her area of weakness. Adolescents can join golfers and tap into a great resource for whole body training exercises at the TPI web site ( HYPERLINK “http://www.mytpi.com” www.mytpi.com). As a medical professional certified by TPI, I can attest to the quality of their instruction. And it’s all free.

Check out this article in the digital edition of SportStars Magazine… It’s in the Whole