I have extracted a few paragraphs from ‘The Golf Biomechanics Manual’ by Paul Chek, to explain the Golf Biomechanical Conditioning concept.
Paul states;‘There is no doubt that golf is a game of “action and reaction.” The flight and destination of the ball is dependent upon five factors that any good golf pro will point out.’
Factors that Determine the Flight and Destination of a Ball
- Clubface Alignment
- Swing Path
- Angle of Attack / Impact
- Speed
- Sweet Spot
What golf pros generally don’t know and therefore don’t tell you are the physical pre-requisites that accurately and consistently enable the player to meet the above five factors. No matter how technologically advanced the equipment, it cannot endow the golfer with a physical capacity that he or she does not possess; even the best clubs don’t play the game for you! This is the mental rut golfers must get out of.
Golfers, who want to improve their ‘golfer conditioning’, are beginning to realize that golf is an athletic game and that they are athletes. Until they adopt an athletic attitude and condition for their sport, they will continue to suffer stagnation as demonstrated by the almost nonexistent improvement in golf scores over the past thirty plus years.Understanding the Whole in One Concept
Whole in One Golf Conditioning is based upon the principles of functional exercise, that are designed to restore balance, length, strength and coordination of movement patterns specific to the sport in question – in this case, golf. These same principles are successfully used by many of the world’s greatest athletes, simply by adapting the concepts to relate to the particular sport in question. The term “functional exercise,” like the term “fat free,” has been abused by those hoping to attract golfers and other athletes into their machine-based programs. The problem with this is that machines are designed to isolate muscle function. Unfortunately, the brain that controls these muscles does not think in terms of individual or isolated muscles. The brain recruits groups of muscles in uniquely programmed sequences. Any effective exercise program that is designed to improve function in a golfer, or any athlete, must therefore be designed to integrate the whole body. To do this requires consideration of five key components:
Factors in an Exercise Program that Improve Function
- Flexibility
- Maintenance of Center of Gravity
- Generalized Motor Program Development
- Selection of Open vs. Closed Chain Exercises
- Promotion of Good Posture
Before implementing an exercise program for a golfer, the exercises selected and the program design strategy should be evaluated, considering each of the five components above, to ensure that function will be improved.