What do Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Jordan Spieth all have in common? Golf Fitness!

If you were following this years Masters Tournament in Augusta you will have not only noticed that Jordan Spieth earned himself a green jacket, but you will have sensed quite a bit of rivalry between Jordan, Tiger and Rory. The cause of this rivalry is actually a common factor between them. All three golf professionals dedicate a lot of their success to physical fitness and the benefit that golf specific strength and conditioning has on their performance on the golf course.

Tiger Woods changed the face of golf many years ago as we all watched him develop more and more muscle mass, thereby hitting the ball further and further. Since then, golf fitness has become an imperative part of any professional golfer’s training and if you want to go up against the likes of the current World Number One, Rory McIlroy, golf fitness is something you should be considering quite seriously.

There is no denying that it takes a lot more than fitness to be a top golfer. Countless hours on the course and driving range, and no doubt a certain level of skill and talent are absolutely essential, but what I do know is that without flexibility, core strength, balance and power, winning any major tournament becomes significantly more difficult.

So let’s start with the basics. If you are new to golf fitness or any type of strength and conditioning, your key focus should be on developing your core strength and maintaining flexibility. Flexibility is so important in order to achieve a fluid and consistent swing. We’ve all watched Rory McIlroy’s swing in slow motion, and if you haven’t I would highly recommend it. Think about the amount of range of motion he gets. As a result he can develop more club head speed, thereby driving the ball further down the fairway. Hip mobility and back stretches need to be a common part of any golf fitness program.

Significant core strength is your next goal. A common misconception is that a strong core is merely about having strong abdominal (six pack) muscles, which isn’t the case here at all. Yes, core strength includes strong abdominals, but it also includes a strong lower back and strong glutes. To build up your core strength, start by implementing basic exercises such as planking, bird-dogs and pelvic lifts. If you don’t know what any of these exercises are, a simple Google search will give you a decent explanation. Keep in mind however, that the golf swing is all about rotation. Being able to perform 100 crunches isn’t going to help you rotate your core any faster. There are many core rotation exercises that you can perform that not only improve your rotational strength, but also mimic the actual golf swing.

Balance and stability also play a huge role in achieving a powerful and consistent swing. At the very end of a golf swing, a right-handed golfer will shift all of his or her weight onto the left leg. The stabilizer muscles in the left hip and leg need to be strong enough and stable enough to support the body and enable the golfer to swing the club at an incredibly

high speed. Last year on the PGA Tour, the average swing speed with a driver was 181km/h, so you can only imagine the forces that are applied to the body with such high clubhead speeds. The best thing you can do to improve your balance is to simply start by practicing to stand on one leg, then bring in various movement patterns that mimic the golf swing. Performing exercises on uneven surfaces such as a balance pad, bosu ball, or even a pillow will improve your balance and stability.

Strength and Conditioning exercises using weighted equipment need to be introduced carefully and periodically. If implemented incorrectly, a lot of standard gym-based resistance exercises can be detrimental to your golf swing and even cause you injury. I meet a lot of junior golfers who want a build like Tiger Woods or Rory McIlroy, but that isn’t going to happen overnight. It is important to recognize the fact that players like Tiger and Rory have their own personal strength and conditioning coaches. Increasing overall body strength, in particular gluteal (buttocks) and quadriceps (thigh) strength has been shown to have a huge effect on driving distance, but in order to achieve this, the player needs to be able to perform basic movement patterns with ease, before any resistance is applied. These basic movement patterns include squats, lunges, step-ups, and press-ups. Only once these are mastered, should any form of resistance be applied.

Despite the fact that the current aim in professional golf is to be able to drive the ball further and further, it is important to remember that golf is actually quite a delicate game. The golf swing is a finely-tuned movement whereby every muscle involved needs to be working effectively and efficiently and in unison with the club. Golf specific strength and conditioning is something that a golfer of any level, professional or amateur, should be implementing to improve their performance on the course. For more information, do not hesitate to contact me using the details below.

Sebastian BaumhoffExercise PhysiologistGolf Strength and Conditioning CoachGolf Fit Zimbabwe@golf_fit_zimInnovate High Performance Centreinfo@innovate.co.zw+263 799 899 080www.innovate.co.zw