As a golf fitness expert, I have seen the benefits that golfers reap from fitness and health and wellness but have long understood the barriers to entry in golf fitness that they’ve had to deal with - predominantly pricing, access and education. To help golfers overcome these hurdles, I recently collaborated with several fitness professionals to create a golf fitness product that is affordable, convenient and easy to use for the everyday consumer.
The Golf Rope is a stretching assistant tool that we launched at the PGA Show earlier this year. Stretching, after all, is vital before any physical activity, including golf, of course. Unfortunately, many athletes don’t conduct their stretching exercises correctly or in the most beneficial manner. The Golf Rope helps golfers stretch properly and more effectively.
We created The Golf Rope to be travel-friendly so golfers could bring it to the range and utilize it before every practice session or round of golf. They can even implement it into their daily workout routine (toothbrush exercises done every day) when not actually playing golf or hitting balls.
This piece is not an advertisement for my product, but a best practice on the benefits of using tools and training aids in sessions with clients.
As a PGA of America Golf Professional, I have hosted clinics, small groups and individuals to help golfers gain more enjoyment in the game, most often achieved by playing better, but should also be done with one’s health and wellness in mind.
At Thunder Performance and in my junior clinic at my academy, I incorporate six-week small group clinics that focus on specific skills that golfers are trying to improve. This concept started when I implemented the SuperSpeed Golf Training System into my player development programming several years ago. These speed training sessions are twice per week for six weeks, and the students keep the SuperSpeed product after the program to continue their speed training efforts.
This has been a great revenue-builder for my business and our facility and also gets golfers excited about golf fitness and golf performance. It’s also been an effective feeder system for my private lesson and personal training business. Unfortunately, the cost of the SuperSpeed system has been a deterrent to participation for some golfers. Considering the cost of the product, as well as the clinics, the total price is too expensive for some individuals.
The Golf Rope has allowed me to run longevity and golf stretching classes, which has brought in a completely different demographic of students. With the product price point being considerably less than most tools and training aids, I can accommodate much larger class sizes and touch more individuals than ever, again increasing engagement throughout other aspects of my businesses as a result. I still run the SuperSpeed clinics for those who desire speed training, but The Golf Rope Experience sessions are a great complement to my original agenda.
Most golfers want to play more, and ALL golfers want to play longer in years and play pain-free. The Golf Rope is for injury prevention and increased overall longevity. It’s about properly warming up so you don’t get hurt and maintaining your flexibility during the round. After all, range of motion has a time limit. Your range of motion is at its max after your warmup but slowly dissipates throughout your round. The Golf Rope can be utilized between holes to get some of that range of motion back. It’s even permitted according to USGA Rule 4.3a(6). Attach it to your cart as demonstrated below and get some of that range of motion back at the turn!
Check out The Golf Rope website for a series of other videos that demonstrate some great uses of our innovative product.
Thor Parrish, the 2020 and 2023 South Florida PGA Section Southwest Chapter Youth Player Development Award Winner, is the Co-Owner of the Junior Golf Performance Academy in Naples, Florida, and the Founder of Thunder Performance in Fort Myers, Florida.