Putting more swing into your golf

Dr. Wayne Westcott, a leading exercise physiologist in the US, says that while golf is a captivating activity, it has essentially no value in terms of fitness enhancement. Sadly, he adds, most golfers do not strength train. Majority of golfers will tell you that their only exercise is golf. What they need to understand is they need to exercise to play better golf and to enjoy the game with less injury.

Westcott’s recent studies confirm that even 30 minutes of strength training and 10 minutes of stretching done thrice a week over eight weeks can positively influence your game. On the average, the participants in Massachusetts increased their average club head speed by 5 mph, which translates to an additional distance on a drive of over 11 yards!

Gary Player, a fitness enthusiast swears that exercise is his single most important weapon in his great golf career. But his voice is like an echo in the wilderness since golf fans still see pudgy pros lord it over in the tournaments.

Then Tiger Woods arrives.

A Tiger In The Woods

Golf is a sport and athletes need to be strong. Many had heard that line before, but few believed it to be a determining factor until Tiger Woods changed the lifestyle of golf professionals who wanted to keep up with him. He was a frail 158-pound rookie five years ago but he seriously worked out to get his present-day form. One golf pro trainer even claims, "Tiger Woods is the strongest athlete, pound for pound, at Stanford."

Recently, Golf magazine asked 100 top US golf trainers to specify Tiger Woods’ strengths and weaknesses.

Majority focused on his awesome physical strength, balanced with mental and emotional power.

In a CNN report, they classified the PGA 2000 tour as a survival of the strongest. When they asked Tiger how important training was, he answered, "It’s difficult to compete against players who are so much stronger than you are. In any other sport, if you’re not stronger, you’re either going to get your butt kicked, run over, someone is going to hit more home runs than you. You just need to be stronger to keep up.’’

Butch Harmon, coach to Tiger Woods and Greg Norman, emphasizes, "The golf swing is a great combination of power and athletic precision."

Strong and flexible muscles are required to generate power and club head speed. Stamina and endurance are necessary to maintain focus for 18 holes. Good posture is important to achieve a proper ball address position and prevent injury.

"To produce a good golf swing, these physical characteristics of posture, balance, flexibility, strength, power, timing and endurance must all work together in harmony. Of course, natural golf skill and technique are also important. But to get maximum results from your swing, and take full advantage of lessons and equipment, your body must be conditioned to meet the specific physical requirements of the game of golf," Harmon said.

Training No Longer Taboo

Previously, pros believed that using weights in strength and conditioning programs would make them muscle-bound and ruin their swings. This view has changed in the last 10 years. The 70-square-meter fitness trailer that traveled with the PGA Tour became a busy hangout. Now, the trailer (a mobile gym on wheels) and even off-site gyms are filled to SRO capacity.

Even Arnold Palmer, now 70, sees the benefits of conditioning. He started doing more stretching and flexibility exercises to increase the distance he hits a golf ball.

"The golfers that are doing very well on the Tour generally are the guys who have a physical training program or are building themselves into a condition that is comparable to any athlete in any sport,’’ Palmer said. "When I started on Tour, the routine was probably having a beer after a round of golf more than it was physical exercise. (Physical training) was rare.’’

"From David Duval’s chiseled physique, to the taut arms of Stuart Appleby and Jesper Parnevik, to Franklin Langham’s cardio outline, fitness is everywhere. Vijay Singh has a personal trainer. Even noted fat man Tim Herron, known as Lumpy, has dropped 20 pounds," the CNN report enthuses.

"Why the flat-belly trend?" CNN wonders.

The pros say they need endurance and stamina for the combination of 47 tournament events stretching from January to October that can easily wear down one’s body and mind.

The pros say they need general well-being and longevity to be able to play competitive golf until their Senior Tour days.

They say that they need the strength and power to hit longer shots with shorter irons.

They also believe that it’s "The Tiger Factor" or Woods’ competitive advantage so they have to keep up.

The 40-Minute Westcott Program

The Wayne Westcott study on exercises that enhance golf performance was done in the US under the auspices of Nautilus. Dr. Westcott concludes that golfers who strength train improve the distance of their golf drive.

The 40-minute training session consisting of 15 strength exercises and six stretches produced greater strength, flexibility, and driving power. This makes perfect sense when we consider the power formula: Performance power equals movement force times movement distance divided by movement time. Additional strength increases the movement force and additional flexibility increases the movement distance, both of which improve performance power," Westcott elaborates.

The strength exercises were performed on Nautilus machines. The circuit included the leg extension, leg curl, leg press, double chest, super pullover, lateral raise, biceps curl, triceps extension, back extension, abdominal curl, four-way neck, rotary torso, super forearm, weight-assisted chin-ups, and weight-assisted bar dips. The participants performed each exercise for one set of eight to 12 repetitions only.

Approximately five percent more resistance or weight is added whenever one can do more than twelve repetitions.

Six stretching positions were performed specific to the hip, trunk, and shoulder areas. Each stretched position was held for at least one minute. The six stretching exercises were done in less than 10 minutes while the strength training took less than 30 minutes.

According to Dr. Westcott, the design of the program for golfers took into consideration all the physical demands of power, swing, arm control, force transfer, head stability, trunk rotation and club grip.

"Although simple observation of the golf swing suggests that it is essentially an arm action, this is definitely not the case," Westcott argues. "Almost all of the power production originates in the large muscles of the legs and hips. These are the quadriceps (addressed by the leg extension and leg press machines), and the gluteals (addressed by the leg press)," he adds.

This power produced by the legs must then be transferred to the upper body. The midsection muscles accomplish this action. These include the spinal erectors (addressed by the low back machine), the rectus abdominis (addressed by the abdominal machine), and the deltoids (addressed by the lateral raise machine).

Club control is crucial to a productive golf swing; hence the arm muscles should be strengthened. The machines named after these body parts isolate the biceps, triceps, and forearm. Strong neck muscles will provide a golfer with a stable head position and eye focus throughout the dynamic swinging action. All the neck muscles can be effectively strengthened on the four-way neck machine.

Dr. Westcott’s experiments were done using the above machines but any resistance training exercise will also provide benefits. Gary Player endorsed this regimen but he also authored a book Fit For Golf which provides illustrations of exercises you can do with mere free weights.

Separating The Fumbler From The Golfer

Most golfers tell me, "Convince me that I can improve my game by lifting weights and I will immediately go to the gym." Since I am not a golfer, no prodding or proof from me will convince you for sure. Not even Gary Player convinced avid golfers in his days.

In the US right now, Tiger Woods’ spectacular golf career has educated pros and golf enthusiasts alike that strength is important. I surely hope Filipino golfers, both pros and amateurs, take heed and join the fitness bandwagon.

Gary Player clarifies, "Mere muscles don’t turn a hacker into a good golfer, just as mere technical skill doesn’t make a pro. But it takes a fit, flexible body, with strong muscles, elastic tendons and endurance to put the basic knowledge and understanding of the golf swing to best use. Fitness separates the fumbler from the golfer."

Gary Player promises that you would:

• Hit further because your muscles become stronger.

• Hit more consistently because your stamina increases.

• Improve your swing because your body rotates better.

• Get rid of ingrained swing faults because you will be more supple.

• Improve your feel and muscle memory.

• Swing longer and faster because you have more oxygen in the body.

• Risk less injury through bad posture.

But I promise that fitness brings more than just a better golf game. It can build bone mineral density, reduce low back pain, decrease arthritic discomfort, build strength and muscle mass, reduce body fat, reduce resting blood pressure. Don’t you notice that all the above problems are related to age? Yes, exercise can delay the onset of aging. Fitness does make us look good and feel great

Pump iron now. Power up your golf. Power up your life!

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E-mail mylene@bender-and-strands.com for questions and comments.