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.
Study How the Body Moves in the Swing
Rick Murphy, PGA,Director of Instruction,Greensboro (North Carolina) National Golf Club
It has been inspiring to see the advancements in golf fitness over the past two decades, especially in the past few years. Golfers now know what ground reaction forces, mass, momentum, mobility and so many other concepts mean to their performance. This is a credit to the PGA of America Golf Professionals who have an insatiable desire to learn more, and the fitness pros, like those at Gray Institute, who are sharing their expertise with us. I started working with Dr. Gary Gray and Gray Institute in 2011 to learn about the human body and how it moves within the golf swing, and recently became a certified 3D Functional Movement Coach and a 3D Functional Golf Coach.
However, the golf instructor’s understanding of how the body moves in three planes of motion throughout the golf swing is only the first step. We must also communicate these ideas so our students can apply the concepts within their golf game and improve their performance faster than before.
I’ve developed my own way of communicating the multiple layers of golf fitness with my students and started a program three years ago to help clubs that don’t have fitness professionals, or those where a disconnect exists between the golf and fitness professionals. I collaborate with Lori Gordon, a sports physiologist and Gray Institute for Functional Transformation (GIFT) alumnus, to work with the professionals to better serve their clients. We are invited to visit clubs for two- or three-day workshops, where Lori and I take their club members, golf professional staff/teaching staff and fitness professionals through our special programming. It is transformational for the participants and inspirational for the golf and fitness staff. We help them make the connection between fitness and golf. Hence, driving better communication and revenue to their income and ultimately the club’s bottom line as a result. It’s been a home run for the clubs.
Increase Your Knowledge to Maximize Results
Brian Jacobs, PGA,Director of Instruction,BallenIsles Country Club,Palm Beach Gardens, Florida
With a background in health science, physiology and kinesiology, and a Master’s Degree in Education, I was very interested in taking the online 3D Functional Movement Coach and 3D Functional Golf Coach Certification courses offered by the GFAA and Gray Institute. Wellness and fitness have always been integral to my player development training with students. So, doing my research on the GFAA-Gray program before officially starting it and talking to Gary Gray and his team at the PGA Show earlier last year, I saw that it was more comprehensive than most other golf fitness and functional movement curricula. After completing the certification, I found that initial assessment to be accurate. Completing this two-part certification made sense for my brand, as I can now take on various work with clients that I would once farm out to other fitness and training professionals and movement specialists.
Being hands-on with my students in all aspects of their development only strengthens those relationships. As a golf coach, it’s better that I perform those initial assessments and take them through the protocols and movements. Here at BallenIsles Country Club, our team has completely bought into the GFAA-Gray certification program and will be taking the course across the facility, from golf to rackets, to health and wellness/fitness.
We initially had to fend off many questions from parents who were “curious” about the merits of this aspect of our training. But with education (of the parents as much as the students), everyone now understands the importance of fitness, speed, power, endurance, agility, mobility, stability and so much more on the golf swing and to our young golfers. As PGA of America Golf Professional coaches and mentors, we discuss the importance of nutrition and a solid mental game on their long-term development and ultimate performance to truly provide a well-rounded approach to helping them achieve their goals in golf.
