Unhealthy Golfers
Unhealthy golfers aren’t just on the backside of the covid lockdown, they have been present for as long as golf has existed. Their physique is lacking, their skills are lacking, and most of all, their results of a good round are lacking. So why spend hundreds on the very best golf equipment and thousands on a custom golf cart, only to shoot over 100 and be aggravated doing it? Isn’t it counter-productive to a human’s existence to not put in the time to be better at anything that we do? Why, in golf, do so many choose to settle? Time to talk about it.
After retiring from the military after 23 years, you can safely say I was brainwashed into physical fitness. Perfectly fine by me as a badge of honor. Golf and fitness are one in the same in my opinion, as clubhead speed comes from the body and from ground force reaction. Reseach claims it, 3D capture validates it. It is beyond question.
So, in order to hit the ball further, increased clubhead speed means the faster you hit the ball in the center of the clubface, the faster the correctly fitted ball flies into orbit, and the result is a longer carry. Where, or where, do we find faster clubhead speed? Every lazy golfer looks for the next best equipment that guarantees yardage beyond your current clubs. My response is speed comes from the person holding the club. With golf drivers coming into the $899 and higher range, perhaps the cheaper option is to work on your body.
So, Tiger Woods presented the world with the notion that physical fitness and training adds benefit to the game of golf. If you look to the tour today, most are very athletic and workout regularly. That is their job to work out to perform, and they are paid well to do so. They are excluded from this topic because of that notion. Anyone would workout daily for $350,000 every week.
Amateurs perhaps play for the social function, getting out of the house, getting away from the wife (or husband), and enjoy the outdoors and the interaction with their friends. Herein lies the oxymoron. A healthy body allows you to live more functionally; you keep the ability to move longer. So, if functional movement from health allows a golfer to have more interactions with their friends doing what they enjoy doing, then why not get healthy? A better body means more time at the course with friends, and a byproduct is better golf due to faster swing speed.
Believe it or not, the world of golf is going to become even healthier, as you will see better physiques for faster swing speeds from youth playing at a young age to seniors. A 70mph swing speed doesn’t cut it anymore. You have to train. Tiger said at his Hall of Fame Induction ceremony, “If you don’t go out there and put in the work, you don’t put in the effort, one, you’re not gonna get the results, but two and more importantly, you don’t deserve it.”
So, if arguably the best golfer in the present age knows you won’t see results without the effort of improving your golf game by not only block training and random distance training on the course, but also by training to improve your technique and swing speed, then the jury is out. You don’t deserve the spoils and riches of golf success. I reserve the right to look at Tiger as a golfer that focused and trained to become great from a young age. He put in the effort to be a great golfer. If you are in need of help from a fitness aspect, YouTube has thousands of golf fitness videos for you to enjoy. Find a plan, start it, and stick with it.
David