Golf - The Sport
Early versions of golf were played in several European countries in the fourteenth century. At one time golf was banned in Scotland because its activity interfered with the practice of archery, the country’s military defense activity, but was later picked up again. While enjoyed by kings and noblemen, clubs and societies were progressively formed and golfing rules slowly created, attracting members to an exceedingly more organized game. In 1859 a club ran an open competition, which was the world’s first golf tournament, later becoming known as the British Open.
Today golf enjoys the status of one of the most frequently-played sport in the world (Hamel, 2005), with 22 million participants in America alone. Winning prizes have gone from a Moroccan leather belt in 1860 to today’s millions in cash and big-time sponsorships. If this is where you want to be, or if you aspire to perform any where close to this level, your golfing skill must be honed and polished and you must pay close attention to your physical fitness.
Golf - The Demand
Surely the most important performance aspect of golf is the swing. With sport-specific skill in place, it is power that sends the ball down the fairway, long and far, putting it as close as possible to the green, if not on the green. The full swing typically takes less than 2 seconds, but involves a large series of muscles in the body (Pink, 1990, 1993) and requires a tremendous amount of energy. With technical precision, power is transferred through the legs, trunk, shoulders, arms and out to the club, resulting in a club head velocity that reaches 100 mph (Cochran, 1968). So, if there is ever a doubt that golf is not a physically-demanding game, consider that the average recreational golfer performs 50 to 60 swings in an 18-round game of golf! Although each shot varies in distance, it is nevertheless obvious that the golfer will do well to possess the ability to develop peak power whenever and as often as needed for the duration of an 18-round game.
Flexibility in golf is also an important performance factor, as it has been shown that professional golfers display far more flexibility than amateurs; in fact, skilled players possess at least twice the degree of trunk rotation than less-skilled players (Jobe, 1986). Adequate flexibility then must exist in the hips, trunk, and shoulder girdles. This flexibility is thought to allow the golfer to rotate more during the back swing, generating greater elastic stored energy and resulting in maximum club speed on the down swing (recoil). Flexibility also allows a proper follow-through to prevent excessive stress during the deceleration.
The metabolic energy in the golf swing is from the ATP-PC system, which typically fuels short, explosive bursts of energy. And because golfers may walk an average of 5 miles while playing an 18-hole course, the aerobic system must be well-developed. When the aerobic system meets or exceeds the demand of golf, the player can prevent fatigue and preserve technical accuracy and physical power, especially toward the back 9. This can make the difference between minimizing the number of strokes per hole, or adding a few unnecessary points and possibly ruining the rest of your day!
Golf - Injuries
The golf swing is a dynamic movement with the potential to cause injury to the golfer. The vast majority of golf-related injuries reported involve the upper extremities and are the result of repetitive club impacts with the ball (McHardy, 2005). Low back injuries are the most common injury to a specific region of the body (Fradkin, 2005). Overuse injuries can also result from sudden changes in swing mechanics or sharp increase in practice volume, where the resolution is often and simply complete rest or temporary modification to playing schedule to allow for adequate tissue regeneration and adaptation (weisler, 2005). Sometimes a resolution to an overuse injury may require technical assessment to determine if a technical flaw needs to be corrected (the service of a professional golf instructor is strongly advised here). A lack of flexibility in the trunk can also place excessive stress on the rotators of the shoulder joint (McHardy, 2005). Low back pain has been correlated to flexibility deficits in both the back and hips (Vad, 2004).
The Golf Workout
Although the general attitude in the golfing community has changed favorably, many golfers still believe that strength training reduces flexibility and speed and ultimately impedes golf performance. This is a myth shattered by more recent professionals like Tiger Woods, Julie Inkster and Jeff Brehaut, all of whom participate in strength training to support their golfing.
Golf is an athletic sport because it places enormous forces on the body with each swing. For this reason structural strength of every part of the body is crucial, requiring the use of strength-building exercises such as asquts, deadlifts, military presses, and pull-ups. Parameters such as sets, reps, loads, and exercise duration should be controlled to prevent muscular bulk (nutrition also influences muscle mass), while strength is maximized.
The golf swing specifically requires explosive actions throughout the kinetic chain, so training to increase explosive power through the use of plyometric exercises and some Olympic-style weightlifting is warranted. For plyometrics, various types of bounding and box jumps to induce optimal stretch-reflex and high-velocity muscular contractions are ideal. For Olympic-style weightlifting, the power snatch and power clean with moderate load (about 70% of maximum) are excellent exercises to maximize power output.
Assuming that carts aren’t used, walking a nine-, eighteen-, or thirty-six-hole round can be taxing on the aerobic system and demanding on total-body endurance, which will negatively affect mental focus -- a precious commodity during golf competition. The golfer must be as mentally sharp in the back nine as in the front, and proper aerobic conditioning can make this a lot easier. Aerobic and endurance training in golf do not have to be complicated. Get out there and walk -- starting with just a couple of miles on the flats and progressing to five to 7 miles on the hills. Start out with an easy pace, then increase your walking speed -- remember, you want to exceed the cardiovascular and endurance demand of your golf game.
No longer a game for noblemen, golf is now a game for the mass. But if you want to rise from the mass and play it at a high level, golf can no longer be viewed as a sport of just great skill, but a sport that demands both great skill and superior fitness. Train hard.