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Fitness and Playing Great GolfLow-Handicappers Shown to be More Fit than Other Golfers
New golf products promise vast improvement, but fitness is the real key to great golf. A recent study demonstrates the importance of strength, flexibility and balance.
Lots of athletes have made the visit to the nearest sporting goods store in search of the latest product promising improved performance in incredible fashion. Even though watching Camilo Villegas play a round of golf is all the proof anyone should need, a recent study in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research has shown the actual answer to better golf performance is a dedication to improved strength, flexibility, and balance. The study researched three areas of golfer fitness: strength, flexibility, and balance. It also divided golfers into three proficiency levels, using the handicap (HCP) index: Zero or less HCP; 1-9 HCP; and 10-20 HCP. Researchers found that the best golfers had greater levels of strength, flexibility, and balance compared to the other two proficiency levels. Core strength in golf, meaning around the hips, pelvis, and lower back, is a key area of focus. Strength in those areas allows the golfer to maintain a stable base while enabling the rotation of the upper body during the golf swing. The higher the speed of the rotation of the upper body, the greater the core strength needed to maintain balance and efficiency. This higher core strength also allows for maximum torso velocity which is associated with increased driving distance. The zero or less HCP golfers had significantly higher strength than the HCP 10-20 golfers. Golfer flexibility is also extremely important in order to achieve the separation of the upper torso and lower torso also referred to as the X factor. With greater flexibility, a golfer can achieve the optimal X factor which is also associated with driving distance. Additionally, the X factor is also associated with ball velocity. In the current study, the HCP zero or less golfers had greater flexibility in the shoulders, hips, and torso than the HCP 10-20 golfer. Balance in golf (stability) refers to maintaining the body’s center of mass over a base support during the entire phase of the golf swing. Again, the HCP <0 golfers showed the best single-leg balance among the other two proficiency groups. This single-leg balance is important because during the golf swing, the weight transfer is from the rear to the front leg. Therefore, an individual’s single-leg balance in both legs is extremely important. The average golfer strives to for a handicap of between 10-20. As the study shows, golf-specific fitness training must incorporate three key areas: core strength, flexibility, and balance. A good pro can put players on the right track in skills training, as well as fitness. Getting and staying fit can help most golfers get very close to single-digit handicaps, and even beyond, not to mention it will help them live longer. Source: Strength, Flexibility, and Balance Characteristics of Highly Proficient Golfers, Sell, T. C., Tsai, Y. S., Smoliga, J. M., Myers, J. B., and Lephart, S. M., Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research, Volume 21:4, November 2007, 1166-1171.
The copyright of the article Fitness and Playing Great Golf in How to Play Golf is owned by Alan L. Hammond. Permission to republish Fitness and Playing Great Golf in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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