OFF SEASON GOLF TRAINING

By Rob Siclair, PT

If you live in an area where you can't golf in the winter you may be getting a little anxious as the days are getting colder and shorter and you know your season is coming to an end. Even though you may not get much golf in the next couple months you still have an opportunity to significantly improve your game.

If you don't already have an off season training program this is the year to start. By increasing your strength through mobility, flexibility, and stability training, you can make significant improvements in your golf game for next spring.

Having a couple of months off is also good for recovery and injury prevention. It allows all those tissues that were getting overloaded by the consistent repetitious movements have a break and a chance to do something else.

There are several components you want to incorporate into your off season training program including flexibility, mobility, strength and power, along with stability, and endurance exercises. It is also important to have your doctor do a physical exam before starting a new program. Having a heart attack is not going to set you up well for the next season. If you had any nagging injuries consult a physical therapist.

Let's take a look at each of these components starting with endurance. Good endurance helps you stay on top of your game in the later rounds and outlast your buddies on those marathon weekends of 72 holes. Endurance training can come in many forms including biking, running, swimming, aerobics etc. The key here is to do something you enjoy so you stick with it. Try to get in at least 20-30 minutes a session with a minimum of 3 times a week. I'm a big fan of high intensity interval training which gives you the endurance benefits in a much shorter time. An example for a stationary bike would be to warm up for 5 minutes then pedal as fast as you can for 30 seconds, slowly for 1 minute, repeat 5-10 times then cool down another 5 minutes. You can vary the work and rest times depending on your fitness level and difficulty.

Mobility refers more to the movement available at the joints where flexibility is the length of the muscles. Having tight muscles and stiff joints will limit your swing arc and not allow you to generate the maximum amount of torque. This will limit your club head speed and affect your distance. Performing the proper stretches especially for your shoulders, hips and backs along with self mobilization exercises for your hips and spine will increase your distance and decrease your risk for injury.

Stability is how well your muscles control the joints through there range of motion. Poor stability, usually in the trunk and shoulders, are often responsible for energy leaks which will lead to inconsistent shots and yips. This is more common as the muscles fatigue. Good stability in the trunk is also important to prevent low back pain which is very common in golfers.

Strength and power are obviously important for good force development for increased swing speed. Strength training has also been shown to improve putting. Train with free weights which will also work the stabilizing muscles and train movements not isolated muscles. I usually recommend a 3 day a week full body workout including squats, pull ups, bench press and shoulder presses.

Take advantage of the time off and bring your game to the next level.

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