To help PGA Magazine readers learn more about the ways they can bring golf together with health and wellness, we’ve added this recurring department that will include best practices information from the Golf Fitness Association of America (GFAA).
The GFAA was started by the publishers of PGA Magazine in 2020 and is led by an advisory board of PGA of America Golf Coaches and highly regarded golf fitness experts, including GFAA President Dr. Steven Lorick. We hope you find this department beneficial and encourage you to learn more about the GFAA at golf.fitness.com.
Gunnar Stapp, PGAAssistant Professional,Hidden Glen Golf Club,Cedarburg, Wisconsin
One of the most overlooked aspects of golf performance is physical fitness. To make the biggest improvements in students’ golf games, there should be 70 percent focus dedicated to fitness and 30 percent dedicated to actual golf coaching and lessons. Without incorporating fitness into their routine, many golfers eventually hit a ceiling in their performance.
I encourage my students to adopt a fitness routine with flexibility, strength training and en durance exercises. This directly leads to in creased distance, stability and range of motion. A strong and mobile body allows for better swing mechanics, increased power and reduced risk of injury. Furthermore, a fitness program can help golfers mitigate the negative aspects of aging and allow them to maintain their current abilities for longer without decline. By integrating a structured fitness regimen, golfers can maintain consistency in their game and continue improving over time.
As a PGA of America Assistant Golf Professional, I have seen the benefits of a well-rounded fitness approach for my students of all ages and golfing abilities. At a certain point, many clients plateau through only receiving lessons on their swing or other mechanics in their game. Because of this, I challenge my clients to improve their overall fitness. I am up front with my students about taking the fitness aspect seriously, as I will be unable to help them improve much further without it. By pushing my students to do this, I see who is serious about progressing the most.
Those who commit to a fitness program will be able to push past their plateaus and likely come back for more lessons in the future. Their increased strength, range of motion and overall fitness present new opportunities for me to help them reach higher levels in their golf game.
Kian O’Donnell, PGAGolf Fitness Coach,Seattle Golf Fitness, and MercerIsland (Washington) Golf Club
To help players hit the ball farther by gaining swing speed, you need to work with them on mobility, stability, strength and speed. I use what I call the Golf Fitness Pyramid to help students progress through stages of fitness. The foundation of the pyramid is mobility: Gaining and maintaining mobility will help players hit the ball farther and avoid making mistakes in the swing. The second tier up the pyramid is stability. Stability in the lower body and core helps protect the lower back and spine, and without this it’s a matter of time before the body breaks down and injuries occur.
The third tier of the pyramid is strength, and every golfer could use more of it. Mobility and stability are crucial, but strength is essential to hitting the ball farther. Finally, the top of the pyramid is speed. If a student is looking to hit the ball farther and has been working on strength, then it’s time to start incorporating speed training. There are a lot of tools to help with this, but the bottom line is train fast to swing fast.
The reason I group these four elements into a pyramid is that students need to acquire them in order before moving to the next stage of training, and each one builds upon those that came before it. It’s important to keep working on each previous stage once a student has progressed to the next one. Progressing golfers through these four stages is a great way to improve their games and protect their bodies from the damage golf can cause.
