The Importance of Fitness Training for Golfers

If you love to golf and take your game seriously, then staying fit is a must. Unfortunately, many people fail to see the value in physical fitness when it comes to golfing because golf, on the surface, doesn’t appear to be a very physically demanding game.

While golf may not be as demanding as a contact sport like football or hockey, however, the fact remains that maintaining a certain level of physical fitness as a golfer is key to success.

Gary Player and Tiger Woods: Bringing Golf Fitness to the Forefront
Golf professionals Gary Player and Tiger Woods are perhaps the biggest proponents of golf fitness; specifically, Gary Player (the most successful international golfer of all-time), is also known in the golf community as “Mr. Fitness” and has written books on the subject. Tiger Woods has also become famous for bringing fitness to the forefront of golf and emphasizing its importance to athletes. Coming next month, Rory McIlroy will be featured on the cover of Men’s Health. In this issue, Rory speaks about his dedication to fitness and how it has improved his game.

Benefits of Golf Fitness

There are so many benefits of staying fit as a golfer, many of which can help to improve your golf game overall. Specifically, implementing a golf fitness regimen can benefit you in the five following areas:

• Posture
• Strength
• Flexibility
• Control
• Balance

And anybody who golfs on a regular basis knows just how important these areas are. With the right exercises, you can improve the form, consistency and power in your golf swing.

What to Focus on in Golf Fitness

So, you want to begin a physical fitness regimen that will help with your golf game, but you’re not really sure where to start. Don’t worry; many golfers find themselves in the same situation. All you need is a little bit of guidance to get started. You might consider consulting with a personal trainer but be sure that the trainer has knowledge specifically related to golf fitness training. The Titleist Performance Institute has certified numerous fitness professionals/personal trainers around the world and you can be sure that these individuals can help you on the path to healthier lifestyle as well as a more powerful, consistent swing.

By working with a Titleist Performance Institute certified golf fitness professional, you can get a much better idea of what your weaknesses are. For instance, your TPI golf fitness coach will be able to screen you to determine whether you have any inhibitions that may impact your form, posture, or worse, may predispose you to injury. From there, he or she can help you develop a fitness regimen that will assist you in improving upon those areas. Of course, if you already know where your areas of weakness are, you may be able to work on some of them at home with the right exercises. For instance, if you want to improve your core strength to assist with your posture and swing, then you might consider trying some proven-effective core exercises. The Russian Twist, for example, is excellent for golfers. It involves lying back with a medicine ball, extending your arms over your chest, and rotating your torso from side to side. This exercise is great because it also helps with balance. Single leg rotations can also be a great exercise for those looking to improve their overall golf fitness. This exercise involves taking a stance as though you’re about to swing your club, but keeping one leg off the floor in the process. Keep your arms extended straight as you mimic a swing while trying to keep your balance; in the process, you’ll be rotating your torso from one side to the other, which will give you a great core-strengthening workout while improving your balance in the process. Switch to your other leg and repeat the exercise for the best results.

As you can see, staying fit is important if you want to be a successful golfer. If you don’t already have a golf fitness regimen in place, now is the time to implement one. You just might be surprised at what a difference this can make in your game.