Fitness and Golf

Fitness and golf. Not that long ago, PGA Tour players looked more reminiscent of the Saturday morning foursome at the club than finely tuned athletes. You were more likely to find beer bellies than hard bodies. Only Gary Player pushed the idea of physical fitness for golfers. But a young phenom arrived and everything changed.

I grew up playing sports. Golf emerged as my favorite surpassing baseball at a young age. Golf sneered at the athletic training habits of athletes in other sports. Articles appeared in golf magazines stating lifting weights ruined flexibility and feel. To this day, some still debate whether or not golfers are athletes. After all, golf required finesse not brute strength. Flexibility not raw power.

I loved those articles and took them to heart. I hated running, and I despised lifting weights. All I wanted to do was play whatever sport I was involved in. Looking back, since golf eschewed athletic training, I believe this held a small part of golf’s appeal to me.

But nothing in those articles was true. Building muscle doesn’t inhibit the ability to move, it enhances it. Getting stronger improves range of motion, not reduces it. A simple look at athletes from other sports proves muscle building enhances range of motion. Still, the golf world clung its anti-workout position.

And then Tiger Woods arrived. Here was an athlete playing golf. He showed up on Tour with raw power and accuracy. His game intimidated the golfers. of the time. He was clearly different.

Soon, Tiger started getting bigger and stronger. The result was dominance. Tiger hit the ball farther and straighter than anyone else, and he moved and flowed with his swing unlike anyone else. While his game was intimidating, he became physically intimidating. He wasn’t naturally strong like Ernie Els. He was clearly someone who hit the weights to get stronger, and the results showed it.

A generation of young golfers watched all this unfold as they dreamed of playing the Tour. They started hitting the weight rooms and gyms. Right alongside these young players, an industry grew. Golf fitness.

That generation is now on Tour. They are the bombers hitting 300 yard and longer drives. They look and move like athletes because they train as athletes. They not only have swing coaches, but they have trainers, physical therapists and nutritionists too. They are in the gym and on the range at tournaments every week. They post snippets of their workouts on social media.

Bottom line, they do all this to primarily stay in peak physical condition in order to prevent major injuries just like other athletes with the added bonus of being able to hit the ball farther.

Now, I know the majority of you are not tour players. You have jobs and families and other responsibilities. You can’t spend hours in the gym every day. Your livelihood doesn’t depend on it. You don’t have the time, the desire or energy to look like Brooks Koepka or Bryson Dechambeau.

But, let’s face it, none of us are getting younger.

A few years ago, I started losing distance, and my body hurt after a round of golf. No major issues, just nagging little aches and pains. Playing two days in a row was sometimes difficult which was a big change when I used to play pretty much every day.

I had a choice to make. I could do nothing and suffer through the nagging aches and pains, or I could do something.

I decided to start training a few days a week with a friend who is a personal trainer. Guess what happened? I started to feel better. The nagging aches and pains slowly started to go away. Playing back-to-back days is no longer an issue. And, as a bonus, I started regaining lost distance. I realized how much this could benefit other golfers, so I became certified with Titleist Performance Institute. I now train other golfers, and they are reaping the same benefits.

As we age, we start losing muscle mass. In combination with muscle loss, bone density starts to drop. The good news? It doesn’t have to be this way. Muscle can be added at any age which also prevents the loss of bone density. Both of these are extremely beneficial as we age.

From my perspective, I’m stronger than I’ve ever been. I’m 57 and feel better than I did at 37. I hit the ball farther than ever, and no one is confusing me with Bryson and Brooks. My cruising clubhead speed with driver has gone from 95 mph to 105 mph with a max of 108 mph. My goal is to be at 110mph cruising speed by next spring. As a bonus, I am confident I will be able to play golf and enjoy it well into my old age.

You have the same choice to make. You can continue to do nothing and feel the results of physical decline, or you can do something to feel better.

As with the golf swing, learning proper technique leads to better results. My advice is to do something. You can reach out to me here, and I will be happy to work with you. Just leave a comment. Or go find a Titleist Performance Institute Certified Instructor near you by going to their website, mytpi.com.

At a minimum, get to a gym and start with simple weight training. In general, any lifting, pulling, pushing and jumping is beneficial for your golf and your overall health. You will definitely enjoy golf and everyday activities a lot more.

As always, be grateful and thankful when you play. Golf is supposed to be fun! So, enjoy and go golf!