Want to be a better golfer?
Want to be a better golfer? Biomechanics assessment might provide the answers.
Apparently I’m unbalanced, which isn’t much of a surprise.
Mental state aside, my left shoulder is higher than my right, my right knee is weaker than my left, I have below average range of motion in various joints, lean to the left, and if I were a horse then stabling costs would not be a concern for much longer.
It’s amazing what a trip to the gym can do for the self-confidence.
Fascinating though these facts are, they’re not exactly for public consumption. Except that I discovered all this when going through a biomechanics assessment at Court House Squash & Wellness Centre as part of my ‘Single figures or bust’ challenge, and so am honour bound to reveal the results.
It took an hour of prodding and poking by Colin Ayliffe, a qualified ‘CHEK Golf Performance Specialist’ and the gym’s senior personal trainer, to amass all the data; something he assured me had a purpose, and not just to give everyone a good laugh.
Ultimately the purpose is about designing a fitness regime to improve posture, stamina, and power so that, theoretically at least, the work in the gym goes hand-in-hand with the work on the driving range to turn you into a better golfer.
Depending on time, money, or your significant other, Ayliffe can tailor a programme to your specific needs. An in-depth consultation into your golfing and activity history and lifestyle is followed by a series of clinical assessments that test flexibility, stability, balance and strength to highlight any biomechanical disadvantages that may be affecting your golf swing.
In my case, after my shoulder, knee, back, etc have been replaced, that’s going to be three months worth of work, at least, and having already been put through some of the exercises, it’s probably going to hurt.
From short bursts of sprinting attached to a bungee cord, to balancing on a bosu ball with a golf club across the shoulders, the exercises are not your normal gym fare. Court House also has a Kineses machine that is a modern day rack, involves ropes, and in the hands of a personal trainer (torturer) also causes pain.
Not that you don’t get a good work out, you do, it’s just geared more towards golf conditioning than toning up for summer.
Already booked solid with regular training sessions, Ayliffe won’t be taking on additional weekly clients just yet, but he will be running assessments for those that want them.
Court House is offering three different packages, running from $400 to $640, for golfers interested in improving their overall fitness: The Birdie Package ($400), which includes an in-depth biomechanical assessment and hour-long one-on-one session to cover exercise selection, technique and form.
The Eagle Package ($530), a two month investment in ‘Golf Performance Conditioning’ with two, one-hour sessions, and the Whole-in-one Package ($640), a three-month whistle and bells deal, that should have you hitting the ball like Tiger in no time.
Right now I’d just settle for having a back that doesn’t feel like it’s being shredded every time I stand up. However, the year is still young, and who knows, in three months I might not be as unbalanced as I am at the moment, physically anyway.
* For more information on Court House’s golf fitness packages, contact Colin Ayliffe on 292-8357 or via e-mail at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
