Your Golf Strength Program —
The Key to Increasing Your Driving Distance

When considering exercises for golf, it's important to include some form of strength training.

At Golf Fitness Chicago, I view the golf swing as a finely tuned sequence of movements resulting in an explosive force at impact. This sequence depends on the body's muscular system and nervous system working together via a coordinated motor pathway.

The optimum execution of the golf swing happens when this sequence is completed in an efficient and powerful manner. With this in mind, I believe it is essential that your strength program be developed and progressed in a dynamic way.

Types of Strengthening Exercises
Dynamic strengthening, or what is often called functional strengthening, simply means that the body is moving in various patterns. Golf strength training should utilize all planes of motion in which the body moves, while at the same time, being somewhat golf specific.

Since the golf swing is dynamic and involves so much rotation, your strength program should include rotational movements. I utilize body weight, dumbbells, tubing and medicine balls to develop dynamic strength in rotational patterns.

Isolated Strengthening
In certain situations, isolated strengthening may be appropriate -- to correct a movement pattern, improve spinal stability or when you've had some type of injury.

Golf Specific Assessment The golf specific assessment is the tool I use to determine the starting point, as well as track the progress of your program. It's important, however, to remember that before beginning a program specific to golf, you must first have sound fundamental movement patterns. The assessment helps ensure you have these fundamental patterns.

Golfers will often do a new or advanced exercise before their body is actually ready for it. This could be a big waste of time, or worse, lead to an injury.

Golf strength training has been shown to improve both club head speed and driving distance. A study conducted in 2004 looked at a group of male golfers and the effects of a strength program on drive distance.

The study compared club head speed and driving distance before and after an eight-week training program. The regimen consisted of two sessions per week, focusing on strength training and plyometrics (explosive exercises).

At the end of eight weeks, all subjects in the exercise group showed a significant increase in both club head speed and driving distance. The control (non-exercise) group showed no significant improvements.

The conclusion? An effective, comprehensive exercise program for golfers should be based on a thorough assessment and should include strength training in addition to addressing posture, flexibility, balance and power.

Ready to start working on your driving distance? Contact Mark today. Longer drives are just beyond the next fairway.

Benefits

• improved club head speed
• increased power
• out drive your friends
• lower handicap
• increased endurance
• prevent injuries
• more enjoyment on the course
• feel better on or off the course