The impact of fitness in golf has exploded over the years. When I played on tour, fitness was important, not only to generate the most power possible in the golf swing, but also for the stamina of the lifestyle, walking courses, playing four to five days in a row and the constant travel we endured as tour professionals. I worked with a Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) trained fitness professional while on tour and found the information and data valuable in my own fitness journey. The fitness craze has trickled down to all golfers, and the need for stamina and strength in their games has also increased.
Once I transitioned away from playing full-time and focused on instruction, I continued to use the techniques I learned from my tour days with my students. Moving to South Florida, the demographic of my students changed, and I found that having a fitness background was necessary. Many of my students are retired, have very little sports activity in their background and are now jumping into a sport that requires flexibility and strength. Now, many come to me with back pain, old injuries flaring back up, inflexibility and a general lack of fitness. I even have some students who are very athletic in other sports, like tennis and pickleball, but not conditioned to play golf to the best of their ability.
It became increasingly important to me to make sure that, as I was using the techniques I had learned while on tour, I was up to date on the latest fitness trends. So, I became TPI-certified, the gold standard for golf fitness. The Titleist Performance Institute has created a certification process where the instructor can assess any physical limitations a golfer has and provide exercises to strengthen weak areas, while also determining how those weaknesses will impact the student’s golf swing.
I became the PGA of America Director of Instruction at The Golf Club at Fiddler’s Creek in December of 2024. The club is a golf club, so while the Fiddler’s Creek Community has a fitness center, the golf club does not. In order to provide my students a well-rounded golf experience at Fiddler’s, my TPI certification gives me the ability to help them work through any physical limitations impacting their golf games, despite not having a gym to work out of.
This spring, I had a student with scoliosis. However, after an extensive first lesson interview, where I went over any injuries, illnesses or physical limitations that could impact his golf game, my student did not mention his scoliosis. During the lesson, I noticed he was struggling to get a proper setup and inquired in more depth if there could be anything impacting the way he set up. It was at that point that he mentioned his scoliosis, thinking it would not impact his golf game. I was able to conclude that a heel lift in one shoe could help align his body properly and made the recommendation. Not only is the shoe lift helping his golf game, but it could also prevent future injury and pain in his daily life. His constant back pain has lessened and allowed him to work on swing aspects he was unable to perform before. We were now able to make improvements to his swing and keep his enjoyment of the game up due to less body pain. As a result, he has broken 100 on 18 holes and continues to improve his score.
Many of my students have sought lessons from me after hearing about my visionary approach to teaching. Students are often unable to properly execute the positions/movements of the golf swing because of physical limitations. Together, we address the issues and are then able to make progress with their golf games. Often, I find that physical limitations are caused by ill-fitting equipment. Once this is discovered, I am able to create a plan for my students to guide them in the right direction. I have even found uncorrected vision problems that have led to physical limitations due to body adjustments that students make to see the ball and their aim lines correctly.
Interviewing students to learn about health and physical conditions before jumping into teaching swing mechanics can make a world of difference in their progress. Following the structure of the TPI Fitness Model makes that assessment easier for PGA Professional coaches.
Heather Angell, a multi-year South Florida PGA Section and Southwest Chapter Award winner and four-time Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, is a former LPGA Epson Tour and Canadian Women’s Tour Professional and the PGA of America Director of Instruction at The Club at Fiddler’s Creek in Naples, Florida.