Keep Your Golf Swing In Shape All Year With A Golf Fitness Program
Keep Your Golf Swing In Shape All Year With A Golf Fitness Program
Some PGA Tour players have been playing for a couple of weeks in Hawaii and California. Others like Vijay and Ernie have been playing on the European Tour. Regardless of how many tournaments the pros have played this year, they have been working on their games for more time than most of us realize. Make no mistake about it: in golf - or baseball, football, basketball or any other pro sport - there is no longer an off-season.
So while this may be the first official shot of the season for some, the training process to get ready to make that shot has been quietly going on for months.
The amateur can learn a great deal from the professional golfer. Many parts of the world it is not possible to play golf year around, but there are ways to keep your golf game in shape all year long. Professionals know how to do it and so can you.
Realistically, there is very little time to take a break and do absolutely nothing for professional golfers. While every pro is different, there is a generic blueprint most will follow. After the pro finishes his last golf tournament, they take a little break. A few weeks off to give the body and mind a little rest. Every pro athlete needs that time to just recharge and give the body - both physically as well as mentally - time to recover. The PGA Tour season is one of the longest in sports and even though they may not play every week, it’s very taxing on the body and the time off is essential to ensure positive results when we begin training for the next season.
I would recommend the same recipe for the amateur. Regardless if you are able to play year around or not, take a period of at least 2 weeks to put the golf clubs in the closet. The break away from the game will do wonders. You may even find after you return you are playing better golf and shooting lower scores.
Following the rest time - and like I said, it’s longer for some, shorter for others - its time for the tour player to begin ramping up for the next season by physically improving the parameters of the body for the upcoming year. Just like any other golfer - from the Sunday hacker to the scratch golfer to the club pro - the professional golfer will work on trying to increase flexibility, balance, strength, endurance and power.
The amateur during this time of the year (usually the winter when snow is on the ground) can implement a golf fitness program. A golf fitness program will entail developing the physical capacities of the body around the golf swing. The program will look to develop flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power in relation to the golf swing. This is the first step for the amateur to keeping their golf swing in shape all year long.
The amateur during this time of year can also implement swing drills into their training program. The professional may or may not incorporate swing drills into their program at this time year. But for the amateur I recommend it, why? This is the time of year in addition to developing the body for the golf swing. The amateur can work on swing faults that hindered their scores the previous season.
The swing drills can be simply performing “mirror drills” to work on posture and the phases of the golf swing.
You should start putting drills this time of the year. If you are lucky enough to live in a region you can play golf year around, a couple short sessions at the range every week is a good idea. I would recommend the range sessions be kept short and focused on fixing the “problem” areas in your golf swing. The important point is the off-season is a time the amateur can take advantage of working on both their bodies and their golf swing
Professionally when the PGA Tour season approaches, we begin what is essentially the preseason. This is when the player starts to practice the fundamental mechanics of the sport. If it’s a golfer, he’s on the range working on his swing, if it’s a pitcher, he’s throwing getting ready for spring training. Physically, we’re still training the body, but we tone it down while the player fine tunes his game. But make no mistake about it, even though working on the golf game is 75 percent of the focus of this pre-season training program, we’re still working on the basics of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance and power training.
The pre-season for the amateur marks the time of year when the snow is beginning to melt and the “itch” to play golf comes around. I would suggest the amateur follow a similar program as the professional during this time of year. Start spending more time at the range. Working on all aspects of your golf game. Continue with your golf fitness program, but you may want to back off it a little as a result of the increased practice time. Again, keep in mind the body swings the golf club and we must keep the body in shape to do so.
The pre-season program of increased golf practice and a little less golf fitness continues with the professional golfer until their first tournament. This marks the point when we shift to an in-season golf fitness program. The golf fitness exercises don’t stop, but we back off on the intensity. The program doesn’t change much. We’re still focused on flexibility, balance, strength, endurance and power, but the amount or volume of work is much less to accommodate the physical and mental strain of competition.
Four days of tournament play can take a toll on the body. As a result, we must back off on the amount of golf fitness training. The amateur during the golf season is probably in a little different of a situation. They are probably not playing 4 competitive rounds of golf per week plus practice. At most, they may be playing 2-3 rounds per week with a couple practice sessions. As a result of the lower volumes of golf they can spend a little more amount of time with their golf fitness program.
Essentially, the amateur can pretty much stick to pre-season volume of golf fitness training unless they are playing quite a bit. Just make sure the right balance of golf fitness training is in place in relation to your golf practice and playing. This is necessary so that you do not physically over-tax the body. Bottom line if you are looking to keep your golf game in shape and improving year around, I recommend following what the pros do; take a break at the end of the season, implement a golf fitness program, work on your swing faults during the winter, increase your practice time at the range before the season, and during the season keep a good balance of playing, practicing, and working out.
Sean Cochran
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA
www.shawnclementgolf.com Shawn Clement, Director of the Richmond Hill Golf Learning Centre in Toronto and one of the top 25 CPGA Teachers as rated by Score Golf Magazine, uses our new teaching aid, Scully, to show how the human body is so well equipped to make a golf swing motion; once the motion produces a steady arc, then ball striking is a snap!
Hey David; sorry for missing this one; the key here is that you are not focused on the target; see my latest videos on this subject called “golf pro lesson tilted twirl”, “golf pro lesson get more power and club speed” and “golf pro lesson head bobbing”; the video that gets you the main focus that make all these work is “golf pro lesson the insanity of golf” Shawn
Shawn,
With the swing sequence in other videos you discuss a ’squat’ or movement to the left just before the downswing. Would that not have an impact on the arc line of the club in relation to the position of the ball at address?
I am finding that I am not able to get a consistent arc, hitting the ground before the ball or taking very large divots.
Thanks,
David.
Great question!
Shawn
Holding the lag is gravity’s job, more precisely centrifugal force; the key here is to FOCUS ON SENDING THE WHIP OF THE SWING TO THE TARGET!! See “golf pro lesson how to repeat your practice swing” and “Golf Pro lesson put some snap in your swing” Make sure that your grip is bullet proof!!! I have several videos on the grip for a reason!
Sean i watched your Contact and Spin video and you said that as you planted on your left in the downswing your centre moved to the left and this is what creates ball turf, or hands leading the downswing?
Also a question of lag, as you let the arms fall do you use muscle power to hold the lag till the hands reach the ball or is it natural.
Great techer!!! tx,
PS i have your dvd WHICH IS GR8
Head behind the ball and sternum feels right up against the back of the ball at address and over the ball through impact; see “golf pro lesson braced tilt part 2″
Thanks for the question!
Shawn
so u should be centred over the golf ball, with your head and sternim over ball?
Getting there!
I have a follow up to this video called “golf pro lesson tilted spiral” part 3; Shawn
So, if I play the ball in the middle of my stance, and swing the club on the arc, with no manipulation of club face at address (face is square to arc) and everything else being correct (tilt, stance,etc) I will basically hit the ball straight.
Play the ball back slightly => produces slight draw.
Play the ball way back => produces push / slice
Play the ball slightly forward => produces slight fade
Play the ball very forward => produces major fade or a hook.
Am I on the right track?
Wonderful question! Center of the chest yes and a center that is braced against the left side too! Thanks, Shawn
Where (approximately) is the “top” of the arc in relation to the body for a right-handed player?
Is it the center of the chest?
Or slightly left of the center of the chest b/c of turning on the left leg?
Hey Isabelfuriati!
I have a nice video on this called “golf pro lesson bridging flat wrist with hinged wrists” as well as “Golf Pro lesson arm motion”; let me know how you do! Shawn
Shawn like to thank you, I was a 12hdc could not practice,got to 17hdc, & my way down started with your lessons. will you address the wrist accion as it passes center all the way up, my rigth elbow hurts. you’r the best thanks
Great insight! The thing is that the club head is way wider with the center of gravity farther back in the head so this changes things quite a bit; you want the center of the club in the center of the stance and the ball forward of this for a ball on the ground; then as the ball is teed up, the higher it gets the farther forward you play it and then you will start needing to aim more right as you will start to pull it; Great comment! Shawn
Shawn, I’m hitting well all of the clubs that are designed to hit the ball off the ground (3w - SW). But I’m having a hard time figuring out the driver and how it relates to the arc/swing concept.
Here is what doesn’t make sense. With driver you catch the ball on the way up and it is set up off the left heel. With the ball forward and the catching it on upswing, isn’t that point on the arc where the club starts coming back towards your body? So you will either wipe across the ball or pull it?
thank you! i shot the best round of my life yesterday of my 5 month golf career. especially my approach shots. i have also been wondering about the around the green shots. such as pitching, chiping, floping, ect. do you have any videos or tips?
Have a look at the following 2 videos:
-Golf pro lesson contact and spin
-Golf Pro lesson compress through the ball
Thanks for the comment! Shawn
Shawn - i have a problem making good contact with my irons. i rarely brush the ground and usually get all ball. are there any drills to help you get good contact on your irons? by the way im young and short and i have clubs that are small on me and i really cant afford new ones.
Excellent!!!
There are 3 things for toe shots; one is too far from the ball (Golf Pro Lesson Distance to ball part 1 and 2) next is you are standing up and loosing spine angle in the backswing which pulls the arms closer to you (Golf pro lesson don’t keep your head down part 1 and 2) and last, which should not be the case because it would send the ball left is your head is moving forward or you are swaying in the backswing which would also pull you farther from the ball; see also “Hogan power drill”…
hi shawn,
i have been viewing alot of your videos, they have been of great help…my consistancy has certainly improved. But it was only recently that i hav been hitting most of my shots straight but on the toe of the club, and i hav suddenly lost my consistancy and i dont know how to fix this.
do you have any drills or pointers which i can use to prevent these toed shots?
Thanks for your reply Shawn!
Working hard to compete in my local amateur tournaments.
Hopefully I’ll be able to represent your teachings in a winning way!
Those are serious stats for anyone; have you seen the greens in regulation stats for the tour? I would say Moe had no issues with this but you are definitely talking tour quality here;
I just take one shot at a time…:) Shawn
I would do the perpetual motion drill for at least 6 or 7 swings in a row with the wedge after the driver to re-tune your central nervous system to the new length; then you should be fine!
Shawn
Shawn,
Been watching and practising your teachings at the range.
Irons coming along; working on woods these days - that 3 wood is harder to ’skip’ than I thought.
Question on hitting irons after swinging woods/driver for a while…
I’d say my irons are not bad, but I’ve sliced, thinned, even shanked a wedge right after my driver session.
Like to hear you thoughts if any, and any tips (mentally/physically) so that I don’t think twice pulling out a wedge after a big drive.
Shawn, question for you.
How difficult is it to acquire this accuracy with your irons:
6 iron: 170 yards normal distance, with deviations +5 yards and -5 yards in 90% of all cases.
And sideways deviations from up to 7,5 yards left and 7,5 yards right.
Which means that for a normal shot, from outside 170 yards to the middle of a green, you would hit it 90% of the time, atleast somewhere on it.
This is my goal, how difficult is it? Whats your deviations?