One of the most common questions I get once an athlete starts making gains in the weight room is, “When do we stop chasing the numbers?” And it’s a good question. At some point, strength alone isn’t the answer. It’s what you do with that strength—and how fast you can produce force—that truly matters for golf performance.
Strength is the low-hanging fruit. I’ve said it before, and I’ll keep saying it. A strong body is a durable body. But once we’ve built a solid foundation of strength, the question becomes: How do we transition that base into something more explosive? That’s where the shift from strength training to power training comes in.
For me, the shift away from purely chasing numbers usually comes down to a few key things:
1. Relative Strength Ratios – If an athlete is squatting 1.5x their bodyweight or deadlifting 2x their bodyweight with good form and consistency, I consider them “strong enough” to handle the rigors of power training. Can they get stronger? Sure. But the return on investment starts to drop. That’s when we transition.
2. Movement Quality and Intent – When strength lifts start slowing down, and the focus is no longer on crisp, fast movement under control, we’ve likely hit our ceiling for benefit. That’s my signal to start putting more emphasis on rate of force development.
3. In-Season vs. Off-Season – The competitive calendar plays a huge role. During the off-season, we can push strength. However, with such a short off-season in a sport like golf, I incorporate strength throughout the year; however, it just depends on how much a player is playing and what their competitive calendar looks like. For the most part, as we move towards long stretches of competition, the emphasis needs to shift toward power output, speed and recovery.
This doesn’t mean we drop strength altogether. Strength still matters—it just takes a back seat to how fast we can apply it.
I start incorporating more power training—think med ball throws, jump variations and explosive lifts. Our focus shifts from “How much can you lift?” to “How fast can you move a moderate load?” We might use tools like velocity-based training or keep loads in the 30-70 percent range of 1RM to train the speed-strength and strength-speed continuum.
One of my favorite ways to blend the two phases is contrast training: pairing a heavy lift (like trap bar deadlift) with a power movement (like broad jumps or sled pushes). This helps bridge the gap and primes the nervous system for faster, more explosive output.
At the end of the day, golf is a power sport. You don’t swing a golf club slowly. You don’t create clubhead speed by grinding through a max back squat. You need to be able to produce force quickly—and in the right direction.
When I shift an athlete into more power-focused work, I’m looking at how fast they can get into and out of the ground, how efficiently they rotate and how well they express force in a golf-specific way. That’s where the carryover to the course happens.
So how strong is strong enough? It depends. But once an athlete has a solid strength base, the goal should be to move that strength fast. That’s where you’ll see clubhead speed increase, shots go farther and bodies hold up better under pressure.
Strength is the foundation, but power is the performance. And knowing when to make that shift is what separates a training plan from just a workout.
Jeremy Golden is the Director of Fitness at Tehama Golf Club in Carmel, California.