Hitting it longer

A couple of golfing friends said they had joined the gym and they asked “what muscles should I specifically train to hit longer tee shots?”

One of the fantastic sources of information in the modern world is of course the internet. It is so easy to find different ways to exercise certain muscles and I think that it is good practice to keep changing your gym routines so it doesn’t become stale or boring. There is no doubt that if done properly going to the gym can have a positive effect on your golf but in hitting the ball longer other factors have to be taken into consideration. Distance is a by product of many variables such as swing mechanics, swing paths and angles, club-head speed, centeredness of contact, spin rate, equipment etc. It makes you wonder how we hit the ball at all!

But from a physical perspective, there are a number of things that can have an effect on assisting the above. Flexibility/mobility exercises in three key areas, upper half rotation, wrist and neck, should certainly be part of any golfers work out. Also working on being able to stabilize the upper body while initiating the transition with the lower-body would be one key area. Use anti-rotation/rotary stability exercises for the core to do this. One of the strongest areas of muscles we should have is our glute or bum muscles. Electromyography (EMG) studies have shown that the glutes are the only muscle in the body firing 100 percent during the downswing. Unfortunately a lot of us have poor strength in this area. For male golfers especially I would discourage over developing the bicep and pectorals (chest) areas. These may look good on the beach but will not really help in achieving your goal of hitting longer tee shots.

Appointments with Paul for golf lessons in Wicklow can be booked via Powerscourt Golf Club Reception: Tel (01) 204 6033 or the Golf Shop Tel (01) 204 6031. Read more about lessons from Paul Thompson by visiting the Powerscourt Golf Club Website.