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QUESTION:

Dear Coach:

I've read lots of books on golf and improving golf fitness, but they all seem to concentrate on shoulder rehab exercises and stretching. Are there specific conditioning exercises that can help your driving ability?

ANSWER:

Many of the golf conditioning books on the market are concerned with injury prevention, especially in terms of the lower back and the shoulders. This is probably due to the fact that many golfers experience low back pain or shoulder pain at some point during their playing career. One must also remember that many of these injuries occur as a result of poor swing mechanics.

Many golfers often compensate for poor swing mechanics by recruiting other muscles and movements, thus increasing the physical demands on the body. These muscles and their associated connective tissues have not been prepared to deal with the stresses involved in such actions and as such are at risk of injury.

Thus, the first step in training to improve golf performance is to learn proper mechanics from a certified golf professional.

The next step involves a properly-designed, golf-specific strength and conditioning program that can help to minimize the chances of such injuries. Strengthening the specific muscles, joints and tendons involved in golf-specific movements will help to stabilize the entire kinetic chain.

When it comes to the subject of improving driving power, emphasis should be on the development of the core muscles of the trunk and hips, both for purposes of stability and force transfer. While stability and balance between the trunk flexors, extensors and rotators all help to form an "armored corset" of protection around the spine, the force transfer qualities also help enhance performance.

A strong core helps transmit the rotational forces developed in the legs and hips through the trunk and into the upper extremities which are holding the golf club. The forces are then transferred to the golf ball via the clubhead. Greater force transmission results in increased clubhead speed, which when combined with proper swing mechanics transfers to longer drives.

In addition, weight transfer and balance can play an important part in effective swing mechanics. Golf-specific balance training can help improve proprioceptive abilities and kinesthetic awareness.

Injury prevention, or "pre-hab", is not that different from conditioning for performance enhancement. The objectives are essentially the same for each: to allow the golfer the opportunity to perform at his or her best in an injury-free environment.

Sincerely,

Richard C. Lansky, CSCS
Director of Sports Performance
OPTI Sports & Fitness Clinic
Sarasota, Florida USA

NOTICE: THE RECOMMENDATIONS MADE IN THIS COLUMN ARE NOT MEANT AS MEDICAL ADVICE.

YOU ARE URGED TO CONSULT A PHYSICIAN OR THE APPROPRIATE MEDICAL PROFESSIONAL BEFORE ATTEMPTING ANY OF THE ACTIVITIES, DRILLS OR EXERCISES DESCRIBED IN THIS OR ANY OTHER PART OF THE O.P.T.I. SPORTS & FITNESS CLINIC WEBSITE

DO NOT ATTEMPT TO PERFORM ANY OF THESE ACTIVITIES WITHOUT QUALIFIED SUPERVISION, SUCH AS THAT PROVIDED BY A LICENSED HEALTH CARE PROFESSIONAL OR CERTIFIED STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING SPECIALIST

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