If you follow me on Twitter (@CoachJoeyD), you'll see I add the hashtag #GolfBody to a lot of my tweets.
It's great that so many golfers -- both the pros on the PGA and LPGA Tours as well as recreational players -- are now adding a fitness component to their game. What I'm seeing, though, is that a lot of these workouts aren't all that focused on improving the way people play.
Balance is one of the least understood components of golf fitness training.
Balance is about being aware of where your body is and then being able to control and stabilize it. When you add movement into the equation -- like you do when you swing a golf club -- you're really upping the challenge. Without good balance, the 50 mph that your club head is moving during your takeaway will be enough to pull you out of position on your backswing.
Once you've lost that posture, it's anyone's guess where your club face will be at impact.
You create movement and then you control movement. The movement that you create starts with your takeaway and must be controlled all the way up to the top of your backswing and then down through impact and follow through. The best golfers in the world are able to create and control their movements perfectly because they work at it. A lot. Soon-to-be-better golfers are starting to use golf fitness exercises to build awareness and strength that lead to more control.
