The words "Golf Specific Training" are rather new when it comes to the sport, merely a few decades old at the very best. Essentially, it comes from the Titleist Performance Institute to the best of my knowledge, as they were the first large group to bring forward the notion that a golf swing is athletic and if improvement is wanted, a general level of fitness should be utilized. Yes, read that last part again: a general level of fitness.
Obviously, like any industry, you will see the new cool thing, the next cool workout or specific drill. This isn't exclusive to golf; it really is in every sport on the planet. Just like every sport on the planet, there's an assumption that a basic understanding or a base level of training is already there, since in most sports there is generally some kind of base level required to, well, even play. Golf, on the other hand, is genuinely enjoyed by most anyone, at any time, with some kind of capacity. An average everyday person can head to a driving range or golf course and whack some balls. Generally, it takes a bit more to jump in on a hockey game, football game, basketball game, and so on and so forth, which does kind of set golf apart in that sense. As with those sports, just like golf, there have been advancements in training and techniques that have allowed athletes to become better at their skills, faster, stronger, and all around build a higher level of skill acquisition through fitness. The distance gain in golf at every competitive level speaks volumes of this. Yes, technology in equipment has its role as well, but if you look at just the general physical shape of professional golfers of today versus even those of the 90s, it's a much different body composition.
This is where training and golf-specific training should, and I feel, need to be separated. I hear far too often, "Oh, I was told to do this exercise or this fancy movement" (to me, it's fancy since there will always be bread-and-butter movements that, in any sport, withstand the sands of time). So, let's bring this back: you didn't run before you could walk, and you didn't walk before you could stand. But golf, being the sport it is (the quickest way to anything, as the manufacturers promise you more distance every year for 20 years, is how the industry in general seems to do things), I too often see far too many people running before they can even stand and skipping very crucial steps along the way.
Now the average round of golf, if being walked, could run someone between 15 thousand steps and 20 plus thousand steps in 18 holes (if you're in a cart, obviously this doesn't apply). In my time training, that equates to over an hour on the treadmill at a moderate pace to cover the same distance. To be able to perform at a high level through the course of 18 holes walking and carrying or pushing a bag, throw a 15 lb sack of weights on your back and do the same walk on the treadmill, and let me know how you feel. Of course, most juniors and collegiate players are adjusted to this, somewhat like a mail carrier who walks the same 5-10 km route every day with his mail bag around his waist. It's conditioned, but for the middle to upper age golfer, you are going to burn a ton of calories and, if not conditioned, be burned out, and it will affect your swing. Also, having the capacity to do this as we get older is never a bad thing for our general health and our hearts (just don't have too many bevys from the beverage cart or halfway house that aren't water or hydration-related). Now again, remember I'm not saying you just have to walk, or that what you're doing is wrong. If you run a 5k regularly, I'm sure you will be just fine, as it's generally much more difficult than just walking 5k, especially on your cardiovascular system.
Okay, so that's about as simple as this will get for the remainder of the article. Now we are going to cover the term "golf specific," so we need our legs under us first and foremost, with hip, shoulder, and arm strength, power, and mobility; core strength and explosiveness; lower back and upper back strength and stability. But again, we need a base level of all of this before we go ahead and get fancy doing all the cool things you might see on IG.
Getting to the gym and doing some type of full body circuit workout to get yourself started is generally the easiest thing to do: push and pull, horizontally and vertically, hinging at the hip and bending at the knees to at least parallel. Those are your basics. Add in some core work with planks, and that's about as simple as it gets for someone looking to get started. It's also about as complicated as it ever needs to be for those who want general health, a solid foundation, and a simple approach. It doesn't have to be Bosu ball stability or fancy mimicking golf stuff (it's truly better if it isn't).
In reality, the golf swing is so far off from what is done in the gym that it really is its own thing to be worked on completely separate from the gym work. Everyone wants to make it unnecessarily complicated, but unless you have the standard base of things structured, you will be worse off and potentially more prone to injury than just keeping with the simple basic movements of pushing, pulling, bending, and hinging.
Now, as for those who want to advance to a higher playing level or have a higher ability to swing faster, yes, you can incorporate some other things. Med balls are generally the simplest for slamming and throwing. They will help develop power and rotational strength, but if you're someone who lacks a shoulder turn, they're really not going to do a heck of a lot.
That's where mobility could be the next key, and for aging golfers, mobility is huge. If you can't really raise your shoulders above your head, it might be somewhat difficult to make a backswing. If you can't turn your torso/shoulders, it could be tough to make a backswing and then follow through. Mobility and having strength tend to go hand in hand, having the strength to lift your arms that high with the mobility. Being weak in general life terms isn't truly that great of a thing for longevity anyway. I always like the term "Strength is never a weakness," and having the mobility is also a key factor in preventing injury. So before I get too far off topic, as mobility can be fully another blog on its own.
What I really want to get to the point is that you shouldn't be doing all the fancy golf-specific workouts if you don't have your basic training under your belt first. And don't worry, getting a steady dose of regular general training will also help your golf game and speed progress gains. It's no different, as I've said before. As a man in his 40s, I'm not going to be able to will my way through mental toughness in a power game to do the exact same type of training as another elite long driver in the prime of their 20s. Just like anyone else my age, I have much different responsibilities, stress, and recovery abilities than an athlete in their 20s. Now go one step further: if you are an individual near my age, with a family life which adds to at-home responsibilities and caring for children, your partner, and managing time in general is much tighter. You're not going to be able logically to do some workout program that's made for an elite individual in the prime of their career. This should just be common sense, but I also completely understand the power of the ego, telling us yes we can, nothing can stop me, blah blah blah. But in true reality, that's not even close to the truth, and guess what, that's completely okay. We just have to manage our time differently and make the most of the time we do have.
Do what you can 3x a week, be happy you are able to do it, look forward to the progress and the ability to start down the path of a longer, healthier life that will obviously not only allow you better general health but more enjoyment playing the game of golf as a whole. Yes, you will begin to hit it further and straighter more often. Leave the term "Golf Specific" for when you have built up a general base of strength and add in the medicine ball type movements as you see fit. For now, push, pull, press, hinge, squat, and stabilize. You do those six simple things, for 2 sets each of 8-10 reps three times a week, you are well on your way. If you want to learn more, send me an email at Ryangregnolgolf.com and we can work together to build you the most effective custom program for you and your life.
Until next time.
RG
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