Better Golf Through Strength Training

Like athletes in other sports, today's golfers now realize that increased strength improves power performance, minimizes injuries, and enhances overall golf performance.

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" Remarkably, not one person who completed the conditioning program reported a golf-related injury during the following playing season …"

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Fifteen years ago only two professional golfers, Greg Norman and Gary Player, included strength training in their golf preparation programs. Most golfers mistakenly believed that weight training would produce large muscles and impede their coordination, resulting in poorer golf performance. Consequently, they avoided all forms of strength exercise in favor of skill practice and gentle stretching. After all, they reasoned that technique and flexibility, not strength, were the key factors in successful golf performance. While this thinking may be appropriate for improved putting, it definitely misses the mark for more driving power and less injury risk. Consider that the golf swing, a unique action in sport, is both a complex and explosive movement that places unusual stress on the hips, lower back, shoulders, elbows and wrists, as well as the ego. Because of the high injury rate among golfers, we conducted research to determine the effects of strength training on 77 middle-aged golfers, most of whom had missed playing time due to a variety of golf-related injuries. Our short term objectives were to improve their physical fitness and increase their driving power (club head speed). Our long term objective was to reduce their injury rate during the following golf season.

Study participants reported feeling better and playing longer without fatigue, as well as recovering faster and golfing more frequently as a result of their exercise program.

Study Specifics