The modern game of golf is generally considered to be a Scottish invention and is now a game that spans all ages and levels of society, and is played across the world.
Golf however is a far more physical sport than “non-players realise” and working with a personal trainer can significantly improve your game and see you on the putting green from your drive far more often.
As a professional Guilford Personal Trainer, I work with golfers at all levels of the game and love to see and hear about the improvements in swing, strength and stamina that my golf-playing clients experience.
In today’s blog, I will explain how golfers can benefit from a personal fitness trainer.
Perfect Your Golf Swing With a Personal Trainer
How many times have you gone to bed and said to yourself, tomorrow I’m going to wake up, and hit the gym so I can improve my golf, and then opened one eye and rolled over back to sleep instead of exercising?
A fitness trainer is critical to ensuring that you commit and stick to your fitness goals. If you’ve made an appointment for a session, you are far more likely to be motivated to turn up.
I have never met a golfer yet who is not keen to improve their game. Improving your golf fitness is a proven method of doing this and the best way is to find a personal trainer who can design a program just for you. All golfers have different physical attributes as well as different strengths and weaknesses so it’s important to find a trainer who has experience designing individual conditioning programs, rather than just general fitness programs.
One of the first jobs that your trainer will do is to physically assess you and discuss what you want to achieve, in order to design a customised program that takes into account both your needs (i.e. to improve your stamina) and also to take into account any issues that need to be considered regarding illnesses or injuries.
A significant personal training specialty for golfers will be to build and improve their core strength and to work on tightening their abdominal muscles. There are many benefits to your golf game when you Improve your core strength. You will begin to notice increased rotational flexibility allowing for better posture, swing, and form.
The way your body moves significantly affects the way that you swing your club and how much power you are able to put into the shot. When you are lined up on the tee and preparing for your first drive of the day, being able to achieve your optimum position enables you to swing efficiently and consistently. And it’s not just about how far you can move, but how well you are able to move and maintain that critical, control and stability.
Fluid movement improves technique and allows you to use your body better. To gain clubhead speed you need to look at strengthening your trunk and lower body, which allows you to transfer more force from the ground into the club. A good fitness trainer will come and watch you on the driving range or teeing off, to assess your body movements and the areas that need improvement.
Lots of great golf courses in and around Guildford for you to work with your fitness trainer.
There are fantastic benefits in working with a personal trainer in terms of your game, but what we also help with is motivation, reaching your goals and challenging yourself with a carefully crafted fitness plan that focuses on improving your golf game.
If you are fitter and feeling good, then you can ditch the golf cart and get the wonderful cardio benefits of a day in the fresh air by walking the full 18 holes. The drink in the clubhouse afterwards is well earnt.
Reduce and prevent injury
Golf fitness is about preparing your body to regularly play and this is no different than preparing yourself to run a race or play football. With any sport, you need to prepare your body. However, another key area that an experienced trainer can help with is preventing you from getting injured.
Even the professionals experience injury or that feeling when you’re coming off the course with a sore back and searching for that bottle of ibuprofen in the hope that you can get through tomorrow’s round with as little pain as possible. For amateur Golfers who have booked an expensive golf weekend or even a week, imagine being sidelined on day one!
Pain from an injury or weak muscles dramatically affects your game as well as other areas of your health and well-being. If your body is weak or compensates for poor movement, playing golf can only make the issue worse and impact on your performance.
Working with a personal trainer to strengthen your muscles and improve mobility in those vital areas of your body will prevent overstraining and improve the longevity of your golf game.
To improve your golf game, one of the unfailing routes is also one of the most overlooked, get fitter.
A golf fitness program with an experienced fitness trainer prepares you for the demands of the sport and ensures that you don’t overlook the physical demands of a round of golf. Working to a plan that meets your goals and helps overcome any physical or health issues helps you to truly enjoy your golf as you feel fantastic after 18 holes and experience the glow of shooting 2 or 3 under your previous best.
For some reason, far too many golfers ignore the physical aspect of their game which then sees their scorecards plateau. As a professional Personal Trainer, I will raise your game and ensure that you stay healthy and well and mentally looking forward to the full 18 holes every time to arrive at the clubhouse.
The Final Swing
Not everyone is comfortable in a Gym environment so If you want to work out between sessions or arrange for your personal trainer to come to your home to train you, it’s a good idea to have a few items of equipment such as dumbbells, weighted clubs, exercise bands etc. It need not cost a fortune as I will show you how to use the equipment for many different types of exercise. Also, there are a good number of free outdoor exercise areas in Guilford that we can use.
A fitness trainer will tailor your training plan to suit you and what you enjoy, as well as encourage you to do the exercises that will help achieve your goals and plan your recovery as well. Your body always needs a recovery day and I can give you advice on hydration, stretching and warm-down exercises.
I love it when clients bring their golf scorecards to a session and they are over the moon to have hit a close to par or an under-par score.
Let me help you achieve this goal.
