From Junior to
College to Professional Golf
William
Healy BA, CSCS, PGFA
Choosing
to devote a portion of your life to becoming a professional golfer requires
dedication, hard work, and good information. It is VERY wise to have a plan of
action to guide your development during the different phases.
I was a
junior and collegiate golfer in the 80's, when weight training and golf were
oxymorons. Being the skinny kid I was, by 16 I hit the gym as well as the golf
ball quite often. While I did become bigger and stronger, the route I took was
not the most efficient for my swing. I applied what I learned from the various
muscle magazines at the time, which became a monumental task of trial and
error. I made a lot of mistakes although I learned quite a bit in the process.
In the
90's, golfers started taking flexibility more seriously. During the year 2000,
Tiger Woods showed us there was an entirely new way to play. Power became the
name of the game with courses routinely adding 300-500 yards to their
championship tees. During 2003 changes in equipment have made the old courses
virtually too short for competition.
There is
currently a fitness boom in the golf world with country clubs rushing to add
fitness to outdo one another. However, the quality of knowledge being passed
around is quite generic. The equipment at most country club fitness centers
does not cater to golfers. The limiting factor in golf will be conditioning
from this point forward. Formerly golfers beat balls and played six days a week
in their effort to get better. Now you have to be STRONG and FIT to compete!
There is a
better, more efficient way to lower your scores...
A golfer
should start to condition as a teenager just like any other athlete. Certain
days a week should be training and different periods of the year will focus on
conditioning. This process promotes injury prevention, eliminates boredom, and
produces a well rounded athletic individual.
Why don't
we look at another sport to see how conditioning plays a primary role in
athletic development?
Most
collegiate football players are red-shirted their freshman season and are on a
five season program to create the best possible player. They lift weights, run
sprints, do cardio, use plyometrics, and perform flexibility exercises.
Different periods of the year players focus on different objectives to be at
their best during the season. What do you think would happen if they played a
game every week of the year? They would be injured, burnt out, and would not
improve as much. Granted, football is a contact sport but the principles remain
the same.
Now how
does that apply to you? Why don't we use those same methods to develop the
golfer.
JUNIORS
A junior
golfer should start with a well rounded fitness program that teaches correct
form, proper nutrition, and stresses rates of recovery. Remember that golf is
not bodybuilding, and should not be approached that way. Golf conditioning is a
gradual process, always keeping technique and competition as the ultimate goal.
Golfers
spend quite a bit more time playing their sport than virtually any other
athlete, ensuring burnout if proper rest periods are not taken. Learning the
body and how it recovers should be of paramount importance. The golfer that
wins each week is normally mentally and physically fresh. The focus on fitness
for juniors should be athletic development. Kids should be encouraged to
continue playing other sports. Remember that golfers peak when their
experience, knowledge, athletic ability, and maturity come together. It just
does not make any sense to push too hard early in a golfer's career.
COLLEGE
Collegiate
players need to follow a strict workout routine. They have several periods
during the year when they are competing constantly. Other times of the year
college golfers have an abundance of time to train. With their playing and off
time being so lopsided, it is imperative to not waste time when they have it.
Also
unique to collegiate golf is the amount of holes played each day during the
tournaments. Cardiovascular capacity can be a limiting factor for these
players. A typical tournament may have a practice round Thursday, 36 holes on
Friday, and 18 holes early Saturday morning. Another issue is the amount of
tournaments played during consecutive weeks in the spring.
During the
summer, a portion of the big amateur tournaments are match play. The players
going deep in these tournaments are playing multiple 36 hole rounds in a row.
College players are forced to workout hard when they can and then try to hold
on to their gains. More collegiate golf programs will start to employ the same
methods the rest of the athletic department uses.
PROFESSIONAL
Once they
get to the professional level, golfers seek anything that will give them the
edge. Many have quite a team to help them. Most have adopted working out as a
part of their regimen now. The days of having a couple of drinks and a big
dinner after the round are finished. Professional golfers have the unique
ability to schedule their entire season of tournaments which makes overtraining
less of an issue.
Do not be
surprised to see nutrition, recovery rates, and workout regimens discussed much
more in the coming years. Technique, equipment, etc. have been beaten in the
ground. At every level, the greatest improvements will come from conditioning.
I feel any improvements in teaching will come from the application of fitness
principles.
I hope
this gives you a brief sketch into where golf conditioning originated, exists,
and a glimpse at where it is going. Learning to add fitness into your golf
routine may seem like a formidable task, but the synergistic effect is well
worth it. Stay tuned for more detailed workouts and ways to incorporate them
into your golf game!
William Healy BA, CSCS, PGFA is recognized as one of the world's leading experts of golf
fitness. He is the Director of Fitness at the International Junior Golf Academy, and currently trains over 150 golfers each day including
PGA, LPGA,Nationwide players, and the US Junior Champion.
William is a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist
by the National Strength and Conditioning Association, a Professional Golf
Fitness Instructor of the Professional Golf Fitness Association, a Certified
Fitness Trainer through the International Sports Sciences Association, and a
Certified Golf Fitness Trainer with Advantage Golf. William graduated from
Marshall University with a Bachelor Degrees in Sports Management and Marketing.
He played collegiate golf for both Ohio and Marshall Universities.
For more information about William, go to www.golffitnessexpert.com
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The articles at GolfFitnessProducts.net are for informational purposes only and are not intended to substitute for direct examination and exercise prescription by the appropriate health professional. It is strongly recommended that you do not perform any exercise program without the consent of your personal physician.
