Alex Hutchinson draws on the latest research to answer your fitness and workout questions
in this biweekly column on the science of sport.
The question
What can I do right now to get ready for golf season?
The answer
The gold standard in golf conditioning is Tiger Woods's gruelling regimen of weights, stretching and running, for two to three hours a day, six days a week. Mr. Woods and other players such as Annika Sorenstam have "transformed golf from an activity into a sport," says Greg Wells, an exercise physiologist with the Royal Canadian Golf Association and director of physiology for the Canadian Sport Centre.
Still, Mr. Woods was able to win the Masters by a record 12 strokes in his first year as a pro way back in 1997, when he had 30 pounds less muscle on his slender frame than he does now. Can hitting the gym really improve your game before you even hit the green?
Coaches and athletes from the Canadian amateur golf team had similar questions about the exercise regimen Dr. Wells developed for them. To answer them, he and two colleagues at the University of Toronto, Maryam Elmi and Scott Thomas, took detailed measurements of the flexibility, strength and fitness of 24 national team golfers. They then analyzed the performance of these golfers in the lab (for ball speed and distance) and in a shot-by-shot analysis of a full season of tournaments.
The results, which appear in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research this month, connected some fairly obvious dots - those who could do more pull-ups and push-ups had longer drives, for instance. But they also exposed some more unexpected correlations.
STEADY AS YOU GO
Balance, as measured by how long the athletes could stand on one leg on tip-toe, was associated with the percentage of greens they hit in regulation. That's because second and third shots are often hit from sloping terrain, sand traps, or uneven rough, Dr. Wells says.
SOLID TO THE CORE
Better core strength translated into longer drives and more accurate chip shots. Perhaps more importantly, Dr. Wells notes, it also resulted in fewer lower-back injuries.
A review of golf injuries by Andrew McHardy of Macquarie University in Australia found that the lower back was the most common injury site for golfers. These injuries usually result from the swing itself, which can produce a compressive load on the spine of eight times bodyweight, Dr. McHardy notes. The problems arise with excess side-to-side motion - something that good core strength can forestall.
A RUNNING START
The most surprising result was the strong link between aerobic fitness, measured by a running test, and golf performance. "In hindsight it makes perfect sense," Dr. Wells says. "Those with the best cardio fitness can practise more, for longer hours, without getting tired, and play at a higher level all through the round."
While golf may seem leisurely, pulling a cart up and down 18 fairways requires you to sustain a workload of about eight times your basal metabolic rate (resting rate) for several hours.
This advice - to build better balance, core strength and cardiovascular fitness - sounds suspiciously like the functional fitness we should all pursue.
"Training for golf is a great way to build a well-rounded exercise routine that not only helps you play better, but will keep you healthy and free of injuries," Dr. Wells says. "As long as you don't drink too much beer on the course."
Alex Hutchinson is a former member of Canada's long-distance running team, and has a PhD in physics.
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From the carpet to the green
Exercise physiologist Greg Wells has developed a strength and conditioning program for the national golf team, focusing on exercises that translate directly to fewer injuries and lower scores on the golf course. The examples shown here should be part of a well-rounded program that includes cardiovascular training.
CORE STRENGTH
Self-test: Assume the "plank" position, supporting yourself with your forearms and your toes, keeping the body straight. The golfers averaged 153.3 seconds for this test of anterior abdominal muscle endurance. Turn on one side and repeat as shown to test side abdominals.
Exercise: To start, hold the plank position as long as you can. To progress, try slowly raising one arm until it's parallel to the ground; hold for five seconds, then switch sides. Then try raising one leg at a time. Finally, try raising one arm and the opposite foot at the same time.
BALANCE
Self-test: With hands on hips, stand on one foot, and place the other foot just below the knee of the leg you're standing on. Now see how long you can keep the heel of the support foot off the ground without moving your arms. The national team golfers averaged 31.6 seconds for the other leg.
Exercise: Take your pre-swing stance, then lift one foot off the ground while remaining otherwise still. Take a half swing. Repeat while standing on the other foot. Start very slowly, then gradually progress to faster movements and a greater range of motion until you're taking a full swing.
TRISH McALASTER / THE GLOBE AND MAIL; SOURCE: GREG WELLS, JOURNAL OF STRENGTH AND CONDITIONING RESEARCH
