Longer Drives…wouldn’t that be nice?
One of the most common complaints I get is a loss of club head speed over time.
“I am 65 years old and have been a competitive golfer since Jr Golf. That said, I am noticing a loss of club head speed, in particular with my driver.”
Well, of course, you are losing club head speed. Every physical prerequisite for speed is diminishing as you age.
Those physical prerequisites are:
- flexibilty *(the elasticity of the muscles and fascia)
- mobility *(the available and controllable range of motion of particular joints or segments-most notably your hips and thoracis spine)
- strength *(as you age you lose muscle mass (known as sarcopenia), and this accelerates rapidly after 60)
- power *(power is the expression of strength x speed). When was the last time you did something fast?
How Do You Change All That?
Training! What you don’t use, you lose. Everyone has heard that before, and it’s true.
Where Do You Begin?
Well, not with the sprint you see in the above video. You start with the physical prerequisite you need the most. We determine that by using a physical screening process.
In the TPI Level 1 screen, we test for the following physical qualities:
- Flexibility
- Mobility
- Core strength
- Balance
- The ability to separate or disassociate the upper body from the lower body and the lower body from the upper body.
If you are struggling with the above (and most of you are with all of these qualities), then this is where your training begins. Improve upon these physical qualities and your ability to sequence better, and you will gain tons of yards without ever lifting weights or jumping on boxes.
Sequencing-What’s That?
I’m going to talk about the downswing sequence here, because that leads you to impact.
Remember, that’s all the ball cares about-IMPACT.
The fastest way to create more power is to create maximum compression of the ball, which is controlled by the attack angle of the club head’s center of gravity at impact.
The attack angle and club path are directly related to your ability to start the downswing with your lower body, as seen in the image above.
If you fail certain Level 1 Screens, we can predict with great certainty that you will not sequence efficiently.
Improving your mobility and sequencing skills happens in The Preparatory Phase.
The primary objective of this preparatory phase is to prepare the body for the more strenuous phases that follow. The focus of this phase is on improving mobility, building a foundation of stability, and establishing a cardiovascular base.
What’s Next?
By now, you should be feeling better, moving better, and playing golf better. But there’s so much more. To become the best golfer you can be, to become the best you-you can be, we want to add strength and speed.
We test what you need in the TPI Level 2 Screen.
In this screen, we look at strength and power expression in various patterns. See the video below for some examples of that.
If we see sufficient amounts of strength, but insufficient power at the same segment (lower body being a prime example), then we know we need more speed at that segment.
The Strength Phase is usually the next phase in which the primary objective is to increase force production by increasing maximal strength.
Lower body strength in the hip hinge pattern. In this phase, we are not concerned with speed as much as we are with increasing force production.
The Power Phase is typically the next phase in which the primary objective is to add speed to the strength gains, which has greater specificity to the sport. , and the intensity should increase as well:
The box jump is the same hip hinge pattern, but now unloaded. It’s an expression of vertical forces, which is a key factor in producing club head speed.
Brett’s Bottom Line:
If you’re frustrated by not only a lack of progress in your golf game, but have an awareness that you are moving in the wrong direction, then this program is for you!
It’s not a one-off lesson that’s going to fix your swing problems.
It’s not a new driver either!
It’s having someone like me, who can give you the strategies, tools, and coaching you need to help you eliminate the physical restrictions that are preventing you from playing your best golf so you can PLAY GOLF BETTER.
Let’s Get Started…
“Brett has changed my perspective on fitness and what it takes to have the proper mobility and stability to have a pain-free swing. He’s set me on my path to be able to play this game for life. Whatever stage you are in – in your golf game and in life – Brett has the answers you’re looking for. It’s so great to have a golf-focused fitness expert with us here in CLT. Highly recommend!” __Greg Miller