Collaboration between golf and fitness professionals has proven to be an effective and successful means of promoting health and wellness in golf, bringing attention to the game as a sport among athletes, rather than the antiquated stereotypes of the past.
Two leaders in golf and fitness, Cheryl Anderson and Scott Shepard, are shining examples of how collaboration for the betterment of golfers and the game's greater good yields the desired results we all seek.
Shepard recently started working with AdventHealth to create a program called GolfPFX, offering performance assessments and personalized comprehensive exercise programs for golfers of all skill levels, ages and abilities.
Anderson, who recently accepted the Director of Instruction role at The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes, has been sending her golfers to Scott for years to work on the physical aspects of the swing that they’re unable to attain at the time. Through his assessments and subsequent plan for progress, Shepard helps golfers gain mobility, flexibility, strength and stamina so Anderson can work with them to better their swings, lower their scores and increase the enjoyment they derive from the game.
Shepard has worked with many of Anderson’s golfers on speed training and collaborates with her during her six-week Junior Champions Program, teaching proper warm-up, activation, stretching, balance and mobility exercises and fitness drills on the range.
They recently presented to an audience of 50 LPGA Professionals and women in the industry at the inaugural LPGA We Are the Women in Golf Summit.
“The audience at the summit was comprised of professionals and the working woman amateur golfer,” Anderson explains, “but our audience was predominantly LPGA golf professionals because our presentation was focused on how to work with the amateur golfers who we all strive to help improve in the game.”
Their presentation, entitled The Characteristics of the Ideal Swing, broke down the golf swing into four facets and highlighted the technique within each characteristic from Anderson’s point of view. Shepard would then discuss how to train most effectively for these positions and actions in the gym.
As coaches, it is vital to share the how and why of what makes you a better golfer, helping golfers understand the big picture rather than just offering little snippets that don’t fully explain the purpose of an action or task.
“We showed them a lot of different tools and equipment that we use to get the desired results,” Shepard said. “There were exercise bands, medicine balls and water bags, which we called our charcuterie board of training. Cheryl even demonstrated her rice bucket exercises that help strengthen grip, forearms and wrist muscles.”
Sharing new ways to teach people how to move is one of Shepard’s favorite parts of what he does, not just helping golfers, athletes and everyday individuals pursue healthier lives, but coaching other coaches to do the same.
Anderson says they answered many great questions at the conclusion of their presentation, which helped the professionals understand their role in the player development process. She said they fielded several questions about tendonitis in particular and, more generally, about getting stronger within several parts of the body that support the technical parts of the swing. Shepard emphasized to the group that this is not easy and shouldn’t be taken for granted. Getting in proper shape to maximize performance in golf or any sport takes effort, drive and motivation. With coaches like Cheryl Anderson and Scott Shepard, we can all aspire to play our best golf and live healthier lives.
Cheryl Anderson, the 2024 North Florida PGA Section Teacher of the Year and two-time LPGA National Teacher of the Year, is the PGA of America Director of Instruction at The Legacy Club at Alaqua Lakes in Longwood, Florida.
Scott Shepard, a 2024 Golf Fitness Association of America (GFAA) Industry Leaders Award winner and four-time Golf Digest Top 50 Fitness Trainer in the U.S., is the founder of Driven Golf Fitness and Sports Performance and the Clinical Program Manager at AdventHealth in Lake Mary, Florida.