The Secret to Great Golf!

The real secret to get the most out of your swing and your golf game is…… Control!

Without control your technique and form will fall apart quite quickly whereas once you have the strength and stamina to aid your technique you can concentrate on the target and let your muscle memory do the rest.

Let’s look at the major muscle groups that come into to play during your game:
1. Core strength muscles are the key to maintaining form throughout your swing and without these you develop bad habits to compensate for the lack of strength. Your body is trying to bypass the area of weakness which leads to inconsistency in both your short and long game.
2. Thighs and Buttocks I am going to group together because they work together in every movement that either muscle group performs. If your thighs are weak you will be unable to hold your set up position for any length of time and you tend to ‘rush’ your shots because of the fatigue in these muscles. Your Buttocks work with your thighs to keep your posture and stability throughout your swing and help to take the pressure off the lower back. You may find that the front nine your technique and form are good but as the game progresses and that fatigue sets in your ability to play with control and be relaxed disappear and we tense up with disastrous results.
3. The forearms are often a forgotten muscle group with golfers and without good strength in this area our control of the club head is reduced enormously. Building strength in this area allows us to perform numerous repetitions of the same movement (swing) without falling down in control or technique.
4. Shoulders and Chest are key areas for golfers to get the follow through and alignment that is needed for distance and accuracy and, like the thighs and buttocks, they work together to allow proper rotation. Weakness in this area will cause lower back pain and stop you short of driving to the target with your arms.

Now the key to performing at your best is strengthening these muscles groups in conjunction with the tendons and ligaments that control your joint movement. Doing Functional strength exercises which replicate the way the muscles work in real life, especially during your round, will improve your game out of sight and make sure you stay on top form for years and years.

Using Free Weights such as dumb bells and medicine balls will teach the muscles to work together so that you’re getting the most out of your strength training workout.

Wishin you continued golf success and a lower handicap,
Ric