Strength & Conditioning for Golf

The application of strength & conditioning principles to the game of golf has risen dramatically in recent years, and we’ve seen plenty of interviews with top golfers like Lowry and McIlroy discussing their gym training and how it has improved their game. The role of S&C in golf is fundamentally the same as every other sport in that there are 2 central objectives;

1. Reduce injury occurrence
2. Improve performance

Here is a brief synopsis of ways that, when applied correctly, S&C can help both protect from injury and improve your game. However, as with every sport, it goes without saying that the best way to improve your game is to spend more time on the course!

Injury Reduction

While every individual golfer is different, the demands of the sport never change which means there are some key areas to look at and address if we want to decrease the likelihood of getting injured.

Mobility

As golf is a rotational sport we must look at the main areas we should acquire this type of movement from. Limited mobility or range of motion in the hips and upper back/thoracic spine becomes a major risk factor for getting injured as in order to get more range in our drive our body will simply adjust and search for other means of rotation through the swing. This goes part way to explaining why so many golfers often succumb to elbow, shoulder, low back, and knee pathologies. Ensuring appropriate mobility through these joints is a good first step towards both reducing the likelihood of injury and improving performance

Motor Control

Having an adequate range of movement through your joints is step 1, but it is equally important to be able to control that movement whether to transmit force or accelerate and decelerate movement. The large muscles of the legs and hips must be able to contract forcefully to generate force from the ground, while the muscle of the trunk and thorax create stability and act as a piston to transfer force to the upper limb and ultimately into the club and ball. A more effectively trained neuromuscular system (nerves & muscles) acts as a control to prevent unwanted or uncontrolled movement, thus reducing the likelihood of a breakdown in the muscles or joints.

Performance enhancement

The main role of the S&C coach, regardless of the sport, is to assess the athlete, recognise their needs relative to their chosen sport, and provide them with the tools to address their needs. This means finding out what is holding the individual back and fixing it. It may be some of the things already mentioned, mobility or motor control, or it may be a coordination issue, strength/power issue or technique issue to list a few!

Strength training is shown to improve neural pathways between the brain and the muscles. This means that we get better uptake and synchronisation of muscle fibres, thus improving the output of the muscles. Throw in an increase in fibre size and associated strength gains and this all adds up to give the potential to drive the ball further, which is ultimately what every golfer would like to be able to do! It is worth remembering that not all muscle fibres are the same, and therefore not all strength training is the same so a golfer wouldn’t train in the gym in the same way that a marathon runner would. This is where it becomes important to understand how by manipulating exercise selection, planes of movement and loading and rep schemes we can ensure we are getting the desired performance outcome.

Strength training certainly isn’t the be all and end all in golf, but as in most sports proficiency in the fundamentals of mobility, strength and power give rise to the potential for improved performance and reduced injury rates.