October sadly marks the end of the golf season. However, if you, like many golfers, are keen to improve your game and lower your handicap, this is the ideal time to put the work in. Specifically, the winter months present you with the perfect opportunity to work on what I would say is your most valuable piece of equipment – your body. Without it there is no swing, so why don’t you get it operating better with my winter golf fitness training so you can move the club however and wherever you want…
Winter golf fitness training: Movement
There are many different physical qualities you can develop, but the first should always be movement.
How your body moves can impact your game in a number of ways:
– A high percentage of amateurs tend to use their arms to hit the ball. The ability to use your body better will improve your sequencing, resulting in more consistency of strike and increased distance.
– Moving better can also help reduce the risk of injury – think lower back and shoulders.
– Training better movement increases your body awareness. This, in turn, will give you more control of the clubface.
Winter golf fitness training: Strength
The next step would be developing strength, speed and power.
Getting stronger comes with a big list of benefits for your game and overall health:
– The stronger you are, the more force you can produce. Golf is reliant on producing ground and rotational forces that are then applied to the club to help it move faster.
– Strengthening the trunk muscles will also give you more control, helping you maintain posture and generate more speed with your hips and shoulders.
– A stronger body is a more robust body and one that is therefore less likely to break down and injure. If you are pain free you can enjoy more golf, be more aggressive and play the game for longer.
– Speed and power are heavily dependent on strength. If you want to hit the ball further, you need to generate more clubhead speed. And as we all know, the further you hit the ball, statistically the less shots per round you’ll take.
The off-season is a great time to start working on this in the gym, especially for those new to resistance training or if you’ve not trained in a while.
A gym – although it doesn’t have to be a gym – is far warmer than a cold driving range in the middle of December and you can still make strides towards improving your swing and game.
With competitions coming to a close and the night’s drawing in, why not give your body the upgrade you’ve been putting off for so long?
As well as the endless benefits to your overall health, developing these physical attributes with winter golf fitness training will drive better performance on the course.
Rachael Tibbs is a TPI L2 certified golf fitness professional based in Leeds. She specialises in golf-specific strength and conditioning. You can visit her website or follow her on Twitter.