TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Seminar

There's a famous story about a club member who goes for a lesson and says " I want to swing like Sam Snead" to which the Professional responded "Come up to the putting green and lets see you pick the ball out the hole keeping both legs straight". To which the member said" There's no way I could do that". To which the Pro said "Well you'll never swing like Sam Snead then!"

If anyone of you have played Longniddry there's a picture of Sam Snead in the locker room doing a high kick and hitting the ceiling with his golf shoe! Amazing flexibility. So remember, be realistic if you are going to try and model your swing on someone make sure their physically similar to you.Swing flaws can be compensations for physical limitations. If you can't physically get into the right positions what chance have you of putting yourself into that position in the golf swing?

I thought this was a good introduction into my report from the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) seminar last Thursday at Gleneagles.I remember attending a seminar in 1994 at Heriot watt with Denis Pugh and Bob Torrance, speaking to Bob Torrance in the Barnton Hotel afterwards he kept reiterating "The golf swing starts from the feet up" I think now I fully appreciate what he was talking about.To most golfers it feels natural to hit hard with the hands and the upper body, instead of using the glutes (bottom muscles) and hamstrings. These muscles are essential for control, stability and power generation in the golf swing. So assuring they work effectively in the golf swing can assure the correct sequence of movements and maximise power transfer.

"Pain follows disfunction" "Pain cannot precede disfunction" Are you sore after a round of golf?There's hardly a week goes by where I don't hear of someone who's hurt their back, wrist or have some sort of injury. Sometimes these injuries are caused by playing golf! If that is you, how you swing the golf club is contributing to your ailment and can be avoided.

A simple warm up routine which takes 5 mins can make all the difference(Please ask me in the shop and will be only too happy to show you)and prevent an injury.POSTURE- Everyday posture reflects our golf posture, so by improving our everyday posture we can improve our golf posture. Why is posture SO important? If the pelvis is in the right position at the address the power generation from the legs/glutes can be transferred through to the torso down the arms to the clubhead. Make sense?

So if you feel you're putting a lot of effort in and feel you are hitting the ball nowhere then this is a good starting point.

To conclude, the better the technique you employ, that suits your physical make up is key to injury prevention and optimising your energy transfer in the golf swing. So ask yourself 2 things, 1-Is my swing efficient and have no energy leaks? 2.Is there potential for injury in the way I swing or does it cause me pain?

If the answer is yes, then take action. Book a lesson and swing they way that matches YOUR physical attributes! 0131-445-2288