A number of top players are shying away from traditional strength and conditioning methods due to fear of injury. There is an air of anxiety on tour around lifting heavy weights, so with the Presidents Cup fast approaching, what are the Internationals and Team USA doing to physically prepare for a week of battle at the famous Royal Melbourne Golf Club?
Across both the teams there are a wide range of approaches being undertaken in order to physically prepare for tournament play. Some players prefer a more clinical approach to their prep, seeking the advice of physios and osteos, while others prefer more traditional strength and conditioning methods like lifting heavy in the gym.
King of the Internationals, Adam Scott has been outspoken in his support of osteopathy and widely credits the clinical approach for keeping his career largely free of injury. Interestingly, Scotty is actually hypermobile, which means he has extreme joint mobility. Hypermobility requires strength training in order to have control over the tremendous joint range of motion.
Fellow Queenslander, and Internationals debutant, Cameron Smith has had a strength and conditioning coach for a long time and performs a traditional strength and conditioning program as part of his physical preparation. While Cam isn’t a bulky guy, he is strong for his size and his training has allowed him to increase his clubhead speed. This has ultimately improved his performance, enabling him to compete at the highest level.
Over at Team USA, there is a long list of heavy-lifting, big-hitting bombers who really are the poster boys for golfers who pump iron in the gym. It’s hard to deny the benefits of lifting heavy when the top three automatic picks for Team USA are all massive gym junkies. Brooks Koepka, Dustin Johnson [above] and Justin Thomas are all among the longest hitters on tour and all actually train with the same strength coach – not a bad stable! Of the three, Koepka and DJ both like to lift weights before their rounds, where JT focuses more on a dynamic warm-up.
Controversy surrounds arguably the greatest of all-time, US captain Tiger Woods. Tiger has been known to push the limits on the training track, regularly training with Navy Seals, running hundreds of kilometres every week and lifting heavy on a daily basis. There is a suggestion that Tiger’s heavy training routines contributed to his back and knee problems. We will never know if that is true, but if his hard work off the course contributed in any way to his phenomenal success, it’s no surprise that we are seeing the younger members of Team USA following in their captain’s footsteps on the training track.
Since Tiger’s spinal fusion, his pre-game routine consists of extensive physio and massage to loosen up his back ready for play. So, is there a right or wrong method? To lift or not to lift? The truth is, a player needs to find what it is that they need and build that into their weekly routine. It’s important not to take a one-size-fits-all approach and actually be mindful of the benefits of various methods and how they might assist the player. Lifting heavy is extremely important for building strength, but core strength and flexibility are also very important when it comes to injury prevention.
Find yourself a TPI-certified strength coach and get your body assessed. Then get to the gym. While you’re at it, find yourself a good physio or osteo to help with your mobility and soon your body will be the biggest weapon in your bag.
*With nearly 20 years’ experience as a player, Oliver Yourn’s interests now lie in helping other golfers achieve their goals through specialist golf fitness programs and training. As a strength and conditioning coach, he has worked with Asian Tour and tier 1 Australasian Tour professionals. See FitGolf.com.au for more.
Read on for more Healthy Golfer tips from Oliver Yourn and Australian Golf Digest. Â
