Last week, we started to discuss the takeaway, which is the transition from address to backswing and how the key component for body during the takeaway is dynamic stabilization. Simply put, that’s keeping the spine angle and core portion of body in the correct position as begin movement in swing.

Another great exercise that helps in developing stabilization in the core region of the body is called the side hold. It’s one of the best exercises for creating a stable core for the golf swing. It targets the internal and external obliques, which are on the side of the core region and are integral to the golf swing and maintaining stabilization in the takeaway portion of the swing.

Begin this exercise by lying on your left side, placing your left elbow directly under your left shoulder. Do not permit the elbow to be in front or behind the shoulder on this exercise. Doing that may cause discomfort to your shoulder capsule. Your legs should be extended straight with right leg resting on top of left. Place your right hand on your right hip. From this position elevate the hips off the floor to a point where a line can be drawn from the head thru the spine to the toes. The hips must not sag toward the floor in this exercise. When fully elevated to the straight line position, squeeze the gluts and hold the position for anywhere from 15 to 30 seconds, to start, and as your build up strength and endurance, this will progress up to 60 seconds. Once the left side is completed, repeat the exercise sequence using the right side.

Again, this is a great exercise to develop stabilization strength and endurance in the core region, which is a key to the takeaway.

Q&A With Sean Cochran

Hi Sean
I am from India who came to US for Higher studies and my genuine interest in sports got me very fascinated with golf. Before 2001 (that was when I came to US) I did not know anything about this game as we in India are pretty much into Cricket (Congrats that the USA cricket team is qualified to cricket World Cup for the first time) I was a cricket player and a big hitter of the cricket ball (pretty straight hits most of the time). I am a big fan of Tiger Woods and seeing him play makes me want to pursue a career in golf (I am 25 now is it too late for starting?? My first question.) I being a perfectionist in everything I do went through many websites got lot of information studied them bought some used clubs and started hitting the driving range, but I for sure know that this will not be enough. As a part of my research I saw this training tips article which helped me get to know some very important points about making my body golf fit. I have taken up your advice and started the exercises mentioned in your previous articles My next question is on golf diet and fitness routine -- what all and in what amount needs to be done? I know the question is kind of vague but what diet do we need to follow on a regular basis and what exercise need to be on my daily schedule is my prime worry Thanks,
Ranjeet Rajanala

Ranjeet,
Thanks for the e-mail and couple of great questions. First off and foremost, I would encourage you in the pursuit of your goals in the sport of golf. One great characteristic of golf is it is a sport that can be played your entire life. The opportunity to compete is available regardless of your age. Success in any professional sport requires commitment and dedication to your goals and dreams. Secondly, it is good to hear you understand the connection between the golf swing and the body. You realize the importance of conditioning your body relative to the golf swing. A little saying I like to use is: “it is your body swinging the golf club, not the other way around.” In order for you to be able to swing the golf club efficiently and with power. Your body requires certain levels of flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, and power. This is achieved through the utilization of golf fitness training. This leads right into your question about nutrition relative to the development of your golf game. Essentially, food is fuel for your body. Food allows your body to operate either efficiently or inefficiently. Let’s use the example of a race car. If you put regular gas in a high performance race car, how well is the car going to run? Not to well. This is exactly the same as your body. Give your body bad fuel it will not run well. In regards to the specifics of nutrition for golf, I would recommend you take a look at an article I wrote for PGATOUR.com a few weeks ago. It discusses the specifics of nutrition relative to golf. Thanks for the great questions and best of luck.

Hi,

Any advice about strengthening hurting rotator cuffs and shoulder aches in general. It is really restricting my backswing and follow-through.

Thanks!

Bill Madson

Bill,
The rotator cuff is an integral part of the golf swing. Research on the biomechanics of the golf swing indicates the amount of activity these muscles relative to the golf swing is high. Just to get us all on the same page, a brief discussion of the rotator cuff is needed. The rotator cuff is a series of four muscles (supraspiantus, infraspinatus, teres minor, and subscapularis) all of which are important stabilizers and movers of the shoulder. The rotator cuff muscles assist in stabilizing and essentially holding your shoulder socket together. The shoulder joint is very shallow and requires these four muscles to stabilize and essentially hold your arm in socket. In addition to stabilizing the shoulder these four muscles assist in the internal rotation, external rotation, and elevation of the arm. All of which are movements involved in the golf swing. I think with this brief description we can see the relevance the rotator cuff has upon the golf swing. My previous experience in professional baseball has provided me with a great amount of knowledge and “hands-on” experience dealing with the rotator cuff and shoulders in general. The situation with the rotator cuff in general is the muscles are very small. As a result the amount of strength and endurance in these muscles is very little (unless you train them). These muscles can easily become fatigued resulting in decreases in performance, fatigue, and possible injury. It is necessary to increase the amount of strength and endurance in the rotator cuff to handle the amount of stress they are placed upon during any athletic activity. The golf swing requires the rotator cuff muscles to actively stabilize and rotate the arm. In order to counteract the possibility of these muscles becoming fatigued and possibly injured it is necessary to implement a rotator cuff strengthening program. This type of program will develop the needed endurance and strength in these small muscles to withstand the stressors placed upon them during the golf swing. Bill, in your specific situation it sounds as though the muscles of your rotator cuff are fatigued and possibly inflamed. My suggestion to you is get your shoulder checked out by a sports medicine doctor. This type of specialist can then recommend the correct process of reducing the inflammation in the shoulder joint and get it back to where it needs to be. Once your shoulder is feeling better and cleared by your physician. I would suggest implementing a rotator cuff program as we discussed above to prevent such a situation from occurring in the future. Best of luck to you.

Sean,
I am a 22-year-old college student looking to eventually make it to the TOUR after I graduate. At this point I need to implement a golf fitness program of some sort. I play to about a 2-handicap now but am looking to gain a little strength for more consistency in my game and more importantly, my flexibility could use a lot of work. The problem is there is so much information out there I don't really know where to start. What would you recommend?

Thanks,
Tyler Sellmeyer

Tyler,
It is good to hear you are aware of the need to implement golf fitness training into your current program. You are correct that a great deal of information is available on golf fitness and it can very difficult to discern what is good from bad.

I would suggest utilizing the information below as somewhat of a “litmus test” to discern the best golf fitness program for you.

First and foremost, the exercises within the golf fitness program must be cross-specific to the golf swing. This simply means the exercises within the program. Train the body to the positions, movements, and physical requirements of the golf swing.

For example, the golf swing requires you to rotate around a fixed spine angle. A cross-specific training program for golf will incorporate exercises to develop the stabilization strength in the core to maintain a fixed spine angle. This results in what we call a transfer of training effect. A transfer of training effect simply means the exercises within your golf fitness program have a positive benefit on your golf swing and scores.

Secondly, I would suggest seeking out a golf fitness program developing parameters specifically required of the body in the golf swing. The golf swing requires certain levels of flexibility, balance, muscular strength, endurance, and power to execute correctly. A comprehensive golf fitness program should contain exercises within all these categories (flexibility, balance, strength, endurance, power) to cross-specifically develop your body around the golf swing.

Keep these simple guidelines in my mind and you should be able to choose a golf fitness program that is right for you. Best of luck!