GOLF FITNESS -ARE YOU FIT FOR GOLF?

Is being well fit for golf a new thing? I don't think so.

Gary Player was well known for his gruelling golf fitness regimes. Greg Norman and Nick Faldo took being golf fit to another level in the 90's. Now Tiger Woods and a new crop of athletic golfers are proving that golf fitness has a big part to play in being an improving golfer.

Tiger Woods said ' The most important piece of equipment I own is my body'

Our body is tasked with the job of delivering the club head back to the ball at impact with all the correct swing dynamics and speed. It is an athletic movement that requires good hand eye co-ordination, balance, flexibility and stability.

Are we asking to much of our selves to hope that we can do this without preparing our bodies for the movements required for the golf swing?

No matter what swing style you choose. Stack and Tilt,One/two plane or natural golf, a golfers body needs certain levels of fitness.

So what does being fit for golf mean?

For me, its having the levels of mobility, stability, and balance in your body ,that will help you reach your golf objectives and not hinder them.

Too many golfers are trying to make swing changes that their bodies will not allow. Or their body will allow for a short period of time before falling back into time honoured faults.

Being fit for golf does not mean you have to have a physic that would not go out of place on the front cover of a men's fitness magazine. Angel Cabrera the 2007 US Open ,and 2009 Masters champion is one of the fittest and most flexible guy on the tour today.

My job as a golf coach is made measurable easier because I now have the knowledge and understanding of how to screen my players for limitations in mobility,stability and balance. This is due to my training with The Titleist Performance Institute www.mytpi.com. Having this information has allowed me to decide on what swing changes will be possible due to the players limitations. I think this is me being honest and professional in my approach to helping my players improve.

Why is mobility and stability important?

Mike Boyle and Gray Cook noted that "the body works in an alternating pattern of stable segments and mobile areas. If this pattern is altered then dysfunction and compensation will occur."

If there is dysfunction and compensation it will show up as a swing fault or potentially an injury.

If the mobility and stability pattern is dysfunctional there is also going to be a potential loss of energy transfer through the swing. The fact that we have to hit a ball over long distances means that any energy loss during the swing will without doubt make the game harder.

If the bow from a bow and arrow was not stiff and stable the function of the mobile string would not happen as efficiently, and the possibility of creating speed in the arrow would be very reduced.

Why is balance important?

From the posture through to the finish position we having a constant battle against the forces of nature such as gravity and centrifugal force. To help us battle these forces we use all of our human balance systems. But one in particular, the somatosensory system. This balance system uses our bodies proprioceptors to give us spatial awareness. If you have ever been asked by a golf coach to feel the difference between 2 positions or swings, it is your proprioceptors that are giving your brain the information.

Without good balance we would struggle to swing the club around our body at speed and strike the ball consistently.

I hope this has whetted your appetite for more information on being fit for golf.

In my next blog I will show you some screens that I put my players through to establish their levels of golf fitness, and some basic exercises that have helped them.

No exercises I prescribe cannot be undertaken at home with basic equipment.

Happy golfing

Andy

GOLF SWING - DANIEL COYLE

If you wan to improve at anything in life and especially in golf you need to read everything by Daniel Coyle

His latest blog is a fantastic read. " HOW NOT TO DEVELOP YOUR TALENT" is linked here.
http://thetalentcode.com/2010/11/03/how-not-to-develop-your-talent-the-3-deadly-habits/

I would also suggest reading his phenomenal book 'The Talent Code'

Enjoy

Andy

GOLF SWING - SWING METHODS

If you are thinking about searching for a coach to help your golf swing this winter you maybe be surprised to see many coaches support a specific swing method.

Stack and Tilt
One Plane
Two Plane
Gravity Golf
Natural golf

This is a small list of the many different swing methods being taught and advertised across the world to be the best method for all players.
My question is ,what should I as a golf professional be doing for my players?
Should I be aligning myself with one style or method of coaching and trying to get all my players to fit into that system. One size fits all? Really can it be that easy?

What about facts?

Has one swing method been proven to be more consistent or efficient than any other. I have not seen any evidence to suggest that one is better than the other yet.
As a golf coach I think I must be open minded to all ideas or methods.

The only true method I have seen of judging whether one swing method is better than another is by testing the kinematic sequence of the player. Kinematic sequences are measured using 3-D systems like AMM3D. The Kinematic sequence shows how efficiently the player is transferring energy or speed through the body and then to the club and ball.
For me this is the true method of judging whether a technique is good or bad.

I would like to know if any of the golf Professionals that read this can show me evidence of swing methods that are more kinematically efficient than others.

http://www.mytpi.com/

http://www.totalgolfanalysis.co.uk

http://www.amm3d.com/

http://www.butchharmondubai.com/Home.aspx

http://jimmclean.com/

The Challenenge is set.

What method is more efficient?

Any thoughts please write in the comments box below

Andy

GOLF SWING - SLOW MOTION SWINGS FROM TOUR

Two weeks ago I spent a few days at the CASTELLO MASTERS Tour event here in Valencia. I had the opportunity to get onto the practice ground and film some of the players swings in slow motion.

I just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you.



If you pause the video of Gonzalo Fernandez Castano at impact you will notice that his left arm is slightly bent at impact. This is very uncommon in elite players. Lee Westwood, Retief Goosen are other players that have the same impact position. One thing that is very important though is that the club shaft and left forearm are aligned. The bend is at the elbow not in the back of the wrist.

In the swing of Rhys Davies you will see that he has a glove tucked under his left armpit. This is a common drill that helps the player feel the connection between the upper left arm and the chest in the swing. He may be trying to make sure his left arm does lift any further than he wants through out the swing with this drill.



David Horsey has a very fundamentally sound swing. One thing to notice is the length of his arm swing. If you imagined a large clock face super imposed over his torso,his left arm would only swing to approximately 10.30. This length of swing allows him to be very consistent. He produces power from a good retention of the angle between his left arm and club shaft,during his downswing.

Jamie Donaldson has had his best year on tour in 2010. Notice how he retains the position of his hips during the back swing. He is able to rotate his shoulders over 90 degrees while maintaining limited hip turn. This is a great way of creating energy. This position highlights great mobility in his thoracic spine and hips.



Richard Bland was featured in a Q & A blog a few months ago has enjoyed his most successful year on tour to date. Richard has some classic two plane fundamentals. But I want to highlight his impact position. If you pause the swing at .30 seconds you will see how Richards left arm and shaft are aligned. There is a distinct angle between the shaft and back of right forearm. Post impact you will see a full release of the club, the toe is nicely pointing skyward. Once again classic 2 plane swing motion.

If you have any ideas on the swings you have seen or on my thoughts please post up in the comments section.

Andy