Hey Thib. Quick question: How would you program strenght training for someone wanting to increase the power of their golf swing. Just for a averegde man looking to increase power and speed for golf swing? Assuming he only practise golf twice a week.
Thanks!
@The_Myth this guy may have some advice, hope you don’t mind the tag.
I would say having extra power has more to do with technique than any physical strength so strength training would be pointless in my opinion, unless you are absolute top of your game with perfect technique it’s really not going to help. I’ve been out driven by a 12 year old girl and also a 70 year old man.
Thanks for the tag.
Credibility - I was a PGA Professional for a few years, now I’m trying to get jacked.
Distance is a function of primarily two things, centeredness of hits and clubhead speed. Making contact on the sweet spot is the number one influence on distance, so @kd13 is mostly correct when he says,
Now if you want to get really technical and shit, you can delve into the four accumulators of the power package according to Homer Kelly and The Golfing Machine, something that is a little wacky for sure. Basically, you can generate more club head speed by maximizing some angles and pressure points. But, you’d be much better off by purchasing some impact tape and getting a few lessons.
Final thought - power is generated through your legs and core, so if you want to do something to help, that would be the place to start. Throwing a medicine ball against the wall, squats, planks, shit like that.
Anecdote - I took a lesson from a guy named Ben Doyle a few years ago. He was the first Authorized Instructor of The Golfing Machine and Bobby Clampett’s teacher. He was probably 75 or so at the time, and he had a set of old Ben Hogan blades. He hit a few shots to demonstrate, and I got a look at his seven iron - there was a spot on the sweetspot that was worn out, and it was no bigger than a dime. That fucker hit it pure every time. He was still hitting that seven iron a buck fitty with a very fluid swing - see it here
So, work on that first, lol. I’m in NY if you want a lesson.
Great post man! I will also add that Jason Zuback (long drive champ of normal height) is an olympic lifting machine, snatching 130kg and clean & jerking 170kg. I know that personally I played my best golf when I was also competing in olympic lifting, but that is anecdotal
I actually don’t agree with 99% of the people doing heavy cable oblique twists or DB side bends, as I have several herniated discs and avoid lifting and turning, but if you drop the weight, I think anyone wanting to pursue a rotational sport needs to condition their bodies for the stress that comes with swinging, transferring weight, and rotating the legs. Oblique crunches and weighted hypers took away the excruciating pain that would inevitably come with 18 holes of golf and let me have a relatively pain-free round.
Here’s the most important thing though - unless you’re a long distance driver (400+ yard drives in competition for distance), the extra distance will not come from strength, it will come from form. You should know by now that crushing the ball doesn’t necessarily make it go further, and that consciously increasing your swing speed leads to sloppy hits. You raise the club and let the weight transfer to your lead foot and gravity does most of the work. Problem is, lots of people don’t have the mobility to cock the golf club back so far that the head of the club comes into the corner of their vision, so people swing hard and cause injuries. This is where oblique and lower back work come in- if you can simply lift the club further, THAT determines the distance, not crushing it and slicing or hooking it into the tree line. So work on full ROM cable twists, chops with plates, and stretching your glutes and hip flexors.
Finally, the disappointing part. As people get older, they seem to want to play more golf. Rotational sports are unhealthy and lead to injuries - when I was managing a PT clinic I saw so many old people wondering why they couldn’t walk after a round of golf. We all know how Tiger was, and he was jacked as shit- until he had 5 back surgeries. Play golf all you want, and work to prevent injury, but just remember that torquing your body in one direction too many times will always cause damage in the long run. There are people who are 100+ who ride bikes…golf may seem like an old persons sport but it is one of the most unhealthy things you can be doing to yourself.