Golf Fitness Chicago » Mark's Blog

		773.965.4959



		WELCOME

•

•
› Golf Posture
› Golf Flexibility
› Golf Strength
› Golf Injuries

•

• Blog

Our Foursome is Complete: New Addition Arrived
Wednesday, March 21, 2007

My wife and I are celebrating the arrival of our new daughter! Briana Lynn Tolle was born in the early hours of March 15^th. She is a peanut……… weighing in at 5lb 13oz. and is 18 ½ in. long. But I am sure she will learn to hit the golf ball long! Mother & baby are doing awesome.

So we now have a complete foursome. We know she will grow and develop fast so it won’t be long before we will all be out on the links. But first we will continue to enjoy all the special moments with our young girls. One of our favorite photos is shown here where the sisters are meeting for the first time. Life is grand!

Posted by Mark @ 4:41 PM

Trunk Stability For Longer Drives!
Tuesday, March 13, 2007

Recently I read an article in the Golf Week Magazine about the top ranked junior player, Esther Choe. Essentially it was about how she has made significant improvements in her golf game. She works on her swing with well known golf instructor Jim Flick as well as, working with a fitness professional several times per week

What raised my interest in this story was a photo (on the cover) of Choe hitting her driver while kneeling on both knees (apparently she can hit it more than 200 yards in this position). I could not help to think that she must have good pelvic control and stability to hit the ball so far when in this position. The article explained that her instructor had her doing this drill to allow her arms to swing more freely, and make her arms & hands be more active.

From a golf fitness perspective the primary reason she is able to do this drill so well is her control & stability through her pelvis & trunk. This is called rotary stability, and it can be developed with the proper sequence of exercises.

Many exercises to develop core strength in the plane of rotation often times involves doing a violent twisting motion through the hips and trunk. However one of the best and safest ways to train rotary stability in golfers is to actually do shoulder rotation while trying to keep the lower body and pelvis quiet. I was first introduced to this idea from a physical therapist by the name of Gray Cook. He developed the Functional Movement Screen for assessing athletic movement patterns and changed the thinking in rotary stability training.

Performing a resisted rotary movement on both knees is then a great way to improve your control of the lower body, specifically the pelvis. This is an exercise I use with golfers that have a lack of core stability and control. What this does is allow better control of the relationship between shoulder rotation and pelvic rotation during the golf swing.

To perform this exercise you need to use a cable column machine or tubing placed high in a closed door. Kneel on both knees with the door/machine at your side. Use a double hand grip and start with your hands up over your shoulder closest to the machine, like you are at the top of your backswing. Use a chopping pattern and come across the front of your body, similar to the golf swing. Make sure to only use your arms but let your shoulders rotate slightly. The lower body/pelvis should not move. And don’t forget to do the opposite side. You are essentially training the ability to stabilize as your shoulders and arms move in a diagonal pattern. This exercise can be progressed from the kneeling position to standing.

Rotary stability is an important component in developing control and power into your golf swing. Give this exercise a try.

Posted by Mark @ 8:44 PM