One Small Swing

There was once a time when golf was just a sport for pudgy old men, retired and with nothing but time on their hands. Then a young pack of golfers came on, with strong arms and even stronger abs, with a will to dedicate themselves to gol�ng excellence and they took the world by storm.

Retirees across the world cursed Tiger Woods for �nally putting them under pressure and making them work.

The game of golf has changed over the years and so have the players. Men, women, young and old, everyone wants to play golf, and as you know, anything worth doing is worth doing with a six pack.

Kidding about the killer abs, but in order for you to enjoy your game and remain healthy, your body needs to be properly conditioned before leaping unto the green.

Getting Prepared

We have a simple plan in place to help you become the best golfer you can possibly be, from a personal and physical standpoint. No, we don’t o�er golf lessons exactly, but what we do is much more important.

After all, what’s the point of becoming the best golfer if it will a�ect your health and keep you from beating everyone anyway?

So unto the game itself. You pick up a club, position yourself and swing. Right? It is right, but what happens before the swing and what happens after?

What is the position of your body as you swing and what impact does that have on your body?

What goals do you have in mind before you play and what thoughts go through your head as you do?

Golf isn’t just exercise, it is an opportunity to boost your physical and mental health, while also meeting some very lovely people.

Frankly, we don’t want anything to get in the way of that, that’s why we have our very own physical golf screen.

The screen is to ensure you are �t, you are able to meet your goals and you avoid common pitfalls that plague many golfers.

Once this assessment is done, you will be encouraged to carry out certain exercises that will better condition your body for the game.

The exertion of energy at short bursts and the hours spent can take a toll on your frame, if it isn’t well conditioned.

Conditioning YourBody for Golf

There are six main areas you need to develop in order to reach your ultimate potential:

Core Stability1

The constant rotation of your body will give your core – abdominal region – a good workout. The core is the centre of strength, so when this is developed, every other part can function better.

When you’re going for power, your body needs to be stable in order for that force to �ow through until after the club connects with the ball. A strong core will keep you stable and accurate.

It will also keep you protected. The rapid motions can hurt your spinal column, but not so much when you have a strong core.

Just as with most sports, a certain side of your body or limbs gets used more than the other. Left handed players always swing with the left, as do right handed players.

What then happens to the corresponding muscles in that part of the body? They get stronger, while the other side remains weak.

The resulting impact is a skewed frame, which needs to be corrected, unless you want to walk sideways for the rest of your life.

In order for you to keep playing without excessive strain on your body, you would need to develop the whole of your core, not just one side of it.

Core stability is an essential part of the game. The region around your waist and your back needs to be in top condition to prevent back injuries and repetitive strain injuries.

The most common injury su�ered by athletes is lower back strain. Quite often the cause is lack of core stability. If you’ve fallen victim to this (very high possibility) then you know it is impossible to play when this happens.

You can play with one eye, a broken nose and half a foot, but no back? No chance.

Swinging the club over 100 times per game, bending over to pick up balls dozens of time, standing for hours and walking long distances place a high demand on the body. If your core isn’t developed, your body will keep getting hurt.

Not only do you need a stable core, you also need to be strong all-round.

Strength2

When people think strength, what comes to mind is muscle, but that’s only a small part of it. A golfer’s body needs to be prepared for the rigors of the day.

The arms do the most on the course, so naturally, this is a good place to begin, but it will be a horrible place to end.

Endurance is an important part of the game, which is hard to accomplish with bulging biceps the size of coconuts. It might give tremendous power, but you would also be unbalanced.

Balance is an important part of your conditioning, and it goes hand in glove with strength and posture.

Full body conditioning of your bones and muscles would increase your strength without sacri�cing endurance.

Resist the urge to hit the gym and go through every machine until you can hardly walk. This induces fatigue, which requires recovery time, and no one gives enough time for recovery.

Being big doesn’t mean you’ll hit the ball further than the smaller person.

To build muscle strength and bone density, one should carry heavy weights with few repetitions. When you carry a heavy weight o� the ground and above your head, muscles in various parts of the body get developed equally, while also strengthening the bones.

An important part of strength training for golf is rest, while you work out and after. If you just overwork your muscles, your body becomes too heavy and this will a�ect your posture.

Posture3

Perfect posture isn’t just for family portraits; you need it on the golf course too.

If you have played golf before you would be familiar with your coach yelling at you to correct your stance. Why is posture so important?

As explained by your coach (assuming you were listening and not daydreaming about beating Rory Mcilroy), without posture you have no swing.

Good posture in general will help you live healthier and spare you many long and short-term injuries. This naturally translates into golf, although this one may be a little harder to master.

For the perfect swing, you need to bend your hip joints and not your waist. If you bend your waist your back becomes rounded.

All the energy generated from your core gets lost as it gallops over your hunched back to your wobbly arms. Power needs a smooth plane to �ow through.

So how do you improve your posture?

First, you have to be conscious of it. You need to be aware of what you are doing right or wrong.

Next, you need to practice the correct posture continuously, until it becomes a part of you.

While this is easier said than done, we do have a way to teach it that will not only develop your posture and your game, but it will also make your mind sharper. But that’s for later.

Posture is related to core strength, as mentioned above, so once you improve on that, your posture will be easier to correct.

Flexibility4

This is another key part of the game. Interestingly, some argue this is the most important determinant of how good a golfer you can become.

No, you don’t need to be able to do cartwheels like a gymnast, but your joints do need to be more �exible. Most especially your shoulders and your hips.

Those are the joints where most of the action happens. Your knees, wrists and feet are also important.

If your shoulders are sti� or your hips won’t rotate, there can be only one option: disappointment. When you swing, that ball would underwhelm.

Flexibility fuels power and power fuels the swing. No power, no swing. No �exibility, no power.

Flexibility is the steering wheel. No matter how powerful your engine is, if you can’t steer, the power will never reach its full potential and the car will crash before it takes o�.

If you want a big swing and fewer to no injuries, this will have to be a top priority in your conditioning program.

CardiovascularFitness5

You can’t play a full round of golf without the most important muscle in the body being in top shape. No I don’t mean the tongue, you tee-time gossips. The heart is the centre of all functionality.

Without your heart, what can you do?

Each game requires a golfer to walk an average of 8 km. This includes walking uphill and downhill. Aerobic cardiovascular �tness keeps a player strong.

Not only that, but proper blood circulation (enhanced by proper posture) will keep your mind sharp and at ease under pressure.

Cardio training will also help your endurance during practice. Practice times may be longer than some actual games and you need the endurance to keep up with it.

There are di�erent ways to incorporate cardio into your workout, but it should be chosen for you by your trainer. If you decide to go on the treadmill, it could end up making you un�t for the game.

Golf Pilates

As promised, this is the big reveal. Pilates is a full-body workout which keeps the body in peak optimal condition without stressing it with rapid muscle build-up.

Pilates tackles more than a few areas that need to be conditioned for you to enjoy your sport without damaging your body.

Golf Pilates takes the best of both and blends it into a perfect cocktail of synchronicity, elegance and power.

The core aim of golf Pilates is to strengthen your core. As this goes on, it also develops your posture and your �exibility. The exercise module will also make you stronger, smarter and well balanced.

Pilates requires you to focus precisely on the way your body moves. It keeps your mind zoned in on whatever task you are doing, ensuring you do it with excellence.

So when it’s time to play your game, not only is your body prepared, but your mind is ready to handle the big moments.

There Is No Other WayPreparing for your game of golf will require patience, dedication and training. The programs are designed to help you accomplish your goals and keep you playing for as long as you like.

The game has changed in recent times, with limitations based on the scienti�c advancement of clubs. Choosing the right club could at one time turn a novice into a pro overnight.

But now, it is all down to the player.

Every golfer is required to train their body the right way. These steps are general guidelines. For more speci�c instructions, it is required that you �nd a �tness coach.

While you will be able to �nd countless routines online, training needs to be personalised. Your physical prowess, stamina and goals need to be factored in. Any recent or long-term injuries need to be considered.

Finally, your playing strengths and weaknesses also need to be part of your physical screening.

Improper training will cause more harm than good and should be avoided at all costs.

The right exercise regimen is needed both to play the game and to recover quick from injuries. The latter is more delicate when it comes to trying to train yourself.

Really, there are very few trainings (if any) that can compete with the well-roundedness of golf Pilates. While it may seem strange to people new to it, practitioners will always tell a di�erent story.

Now that you’ve learnt what you need to do to prepare your body for golf and why, it’s time to book your �rst appointment and start making your way towards realising your dreams.