As a PGA of America Director of Instruction who works with a lot of junior golfers, the biggest trend I see in coaching is the collaboration between golf professionals and fitness professionals. This team approach is great for tailoring programs to each individual. It not only boosts performance but also reduces the risk of injury and extends golf careers. Knowing how a person moves is instrumental in developing a golf swing that fits that individual.
I work with many of my junior golfers throughout the winter in what we call Journey 2 Better Golf. Each weekly class meets for 90 minutes with half of that time focused on swing fundamentals, improving overall body awareness, balance and coordination, athletic training, swing positions, club speed, ball control, chipping/pitching skills and putting skills.
We start each afternoon session with a warmup since the kids just spent the previous seven hours in school, doing fun things like a one-legged hop, jump through circles, balance beam and even light medicine ball throws.
With the older kids, we’ll implement planks, speed sticks, ropes and Mach 3 speed training tools. We focus on stretching, throwing a medicine ball against a wall from a golf posture, box jumps, Frankenstein walks, lateral lunges, planks, push-ups, crunches and more. They’re not only getting warmed up for their session, but they're improving their athleticism and awareness of functional movement. We do more speed and agility training during the winter because we have the luxury of splitting our training time between golf and fitness.
We connect with a local gym that works with many of our junior golfers on an increased fitness level and for a more structured period of time. Our Journey 2 Better Golf program is a segue to the added intensity of that physical training.
Although only 20 percent of my students are adults, we discuss the importance of stretching and warming up. With a background in TPI training, I refer them to online stretches and exercises that they can do on their own or before a practice session or round of golf. We also have some outside fitness professionals who will work with many of our adult students who need those services to attain specific swing positions and for more distance, strength and stamina.
Dan Shelden, the 2020 Illinois PGA Section Youth Player Development Award winner and a 2024 Golf Range Association of America (GRAA) Top 100 Growth of the Game Teaching Professional, is the PGA of America Director of Instruction at Ruth Lake Country Club in Hinsdale, Illinois.