As we enter into the final half of Winter, and with one eye on the upcoming golf season, many of us keen golfers are heading off on a golfing trip to the Algarve or Spain for some warm weather training to dust off the cobwebs in our golf swings. Nothing beats playing golf in the sun, and a week away always does wonders for our golf games after a winter of playing in waterproofs. Generally, due to poor weather over the winter months many of us don’t get out on to the golf course for 18 holes that often. One of the big things we struggle with to get ourselves “golf fit” is the ability to be able to walk 18 holes 3-4 days in a row. Over the years on several occasions I’ve seen many of my friends on golf trips absolutely shattered after the first round in the sun due to the simple fact they have not played a whole lot of golf over the previous months and are doing little or no physical fitness strength or conditioning.
To get yourself in great physical shape for the new golf season, it’s a sensible idea to get yourself evaluated by a highly qualified golf fitness specialist. Every one of us is individual with our own unique movement patterns and characteristics – A full body movement screen will be able to allow your movement coach design a individual workout programme specifically for you. Following a generic workout programme will have some benefits for sure, but it may also produce some issues and possibly even injury. If you’re injured, you can’t play golf and that’s the last thing you want from a fitness programme. A well designed fitness programme should consist of a 3-4 weeks of foundation building, preparing the body to train. Think of it like building a house. You would not build a house without solid foundations, otherwise the house will fall down. Lifting heavy weights without 3-4 weeks of base training could lead to you breaking down with an injury.
After the initial period of preparing your body to train, you can then move on to more advanced training of strength, speed and power. Coupled with solid swing mechanics from working with your golf professional, increasing strength, speed and power in your body will lead to better ball striking and increased distance. That’s always a successful combination for any golfer and will help to make the upcoming golf season your most enjoyable yet.
Yours in Golf,
Robbie Cannon,
Cannon Performance.
Robbie Cannon won the Irish Amateur Open in 2013 and the South of Ireland in 2009. Robbie is a fully qualified strength and conditioning coach with a bachelors degree in strength and conditioning. He is currently doing a masters in strength and conditioning. He is also an ambassador for the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) and is a level 3 TPI certified Golf Fitness Instructor. He works with several European and Challenge Tour players and Elite male and female amateurs. Some of Robbies most enjoyable career moments have been helping club golfers achieve their golfing goals such as winning club titles and helping them play pain free.
You can find out more on his website www.cannonperformance.ie or email – info@cannonperformance.ie
