Do you need to Stretch off the Golf Course?
Redefining Movement Conditioning for Golf by Neal Dinan
My name is Neal, I work for Scandinavian Health and Performance and I have a keen interest in Performance Optimization for golf. I am part of an integrated team at the European Tour Performance Institute at Jumeirah Golf Estates, Dubai, where I head up the Strength and Conditioning Services.
I hope this to be the first of many articles I write for UAE Golf Online, so a special thanks to Paul for the invitation to be apart of the site, and both the current and future readers of the content.
Since November 2013 we have seen a real desire from our current membership base, teaching pros and elite tour players to take advantage of the facilities here. It has been a great six months working with both the golf enthusiast to touring pro and bridging the gap between what happens in the gym to on-course performance.
Today I will touch on the subject of flexibility, hoping to encourage you to think a bit more about why you doing certain exercises in the gym or why you select a certain stretch prior to your round and even more to the point: do you need to anything outside of just playing? – so we ask the question – do you need to stretch off the course to reap the benefits on the course?
First I would say ‘it depends’ on how you stretch – but certainly YES and YES again! What’s needed is a solid foundation and good awareness of movement, not just generic ‘touch your toes’ type flexibility.
What we do know is this:
‘Swinging the club is a skill! – we need the right amount of movement, at the right time, at the right speed and in the right sequence if we are to perform a successful swing’
Your ‘sphere’ of flexibility forms the foundation of what you do on the course. It provides a framework for optimal strength and endurance and cardiovascular fitness. Being able to expand your sphere of movement and increase your capacity to move and move without injury or limitation should be the number one area that gets addressed!
You can be continuously coached, lesson after lesson, on technique – if you are unable to access certainly ranges of motion throughout your swing let alone control that motion you are fighting a losing battle – You will go to where your body has always gone before and swung around your limitation.
Move well first, then move more often,
Neal Dinan