Off-season Training Regimen Prepares Golfers For Spring Season
Courtesy of JAG Physical Therapy (www.jagpt.com)
Late fall to early spring is a time of year that golfers typically put away their clubs until the start of the following golf season. It is also a time of year that golfers can focus on improving their game without even stepping foot on a driving range. Many injuries in golf can be prevented by a simple, steady exercise regimen performed in the off-season to prepare the body for the following year. A combination of flexibility, strengthening, and balance training has been found to take strokes off of the golf game without even swinging a club.
Low back pain is the No. 1 golfing injury that occurs every year. During a proper golf swing, a player must rotate through their upper back (thoracic spine) and hips, while maintaining low back posture. With proper physical conditioning, this can be done repetitively without causing harm to the body. However, when done improperly, the golf swing can turn into a violent motion, and when performed over the course of 70-120 strokes a round, can turn into pain.
Let’s first talk about flexibility. As mentioned previously, a proper golf swing requires upper back and hip flexibility. Without it, a golf swing will put more pressure on the low back, eventually leading to pain. Some of the larger parts of your body to target are your upper back, hip flexors, hamstrings, and gluteal (buttock) muscles. All stretches are recommended to be held 15-20 seconds for a total of 3 times each.
The second area golfers can work on in the off-season is their core strength. A golfer’s core is responsible for taking the power from a golfers legs and transferring it to the arms. It is not only important to work the abdominal or “6-pack” muscles, but also the obliques, and low back. Any lack of strength in this area of the body can lead to a loss of power, or even low back pain. A great core exercise for a golfer to start with is a “plank”. This exercise will target all areas of concern for a golfer. They can be started by performing the exercise 10 repetitions, 5-10 seconds each.
The last area we will discuss is balance. A well-balanced golf swing can be seen by watching any of the professionals on tour. If you watch any great golfer, their finishes will be almost identical, with most of their weight firmly on their lead leg. Without proper balance, golfers cannot transition their power forward, towards the lead leg, and typically results in a loss of power and accuracy. Simple balance exercises such as standing on 1 leg on a firm surface can be held 20-30 seconds, 3 times on each leg. As your balance improves, you can challenge yourself by standing on an uneven surface such as foam, or by throwing a golf ball up in the air and catching it.
Performing these exercises 2-3 times a week will be enough to keep your body in perfect golf form. All golfers can take advantage of the off-season to set themselves up for success for the next season.
JAG Physical Therapy, http://www.jagpt.com/
