Did you know there are benefits of Pilates for golf?

How can Pilates help golf?

Spring is just around the corner and the golf season is not far behind.   It may not seem like Pilates would help, but the benefits of Pilates for golf are huge. Just working on balancing out muscular imbalances due to swinging on one side, came a make difference in your life and game.

During a golf game the player is constantly bending forward and twisting to one side causing the same muscles to be used over and over again upsetting the body’s muscular balance. Learning to swing from you center and not from your limbs will help create less torque in the spine.  Pilates can help with this resulting in the muscles to work more efficiently.  Tight chest muscles, reduced flexibility in the torso, strained shoulders  and sore back is a common description of many amateur and weekend golfers.  There is the tendency to bend and twist resulting in strained backs and shoulders creating muscular imbalances that invite injuries.

Golfers need to be mindful of muscular symmetry.    Asymmetry is prevalent among golfers.  Shoulders, biceps, forearms and upper back tend to be more developed on the golfer’s dominant side.  Stronger muscles being tighter and weaker muscles more flexible.  Many golfers and other one-sided athletes, baseball, tennis, desire more muscular bilateral balance.

Flexibility increases the range of a swing and reduces the frequency of tears and strains in ligaments and tendons, resulting in a longer golf season.

The abdominals, erector spinae and latissimus dorsi are used to stabilize the trunk.  Hips are used for power.  Hip rotators are important during the downswing while abductors and adductors act to stabilize and maintain balance throughout the movement.  When strong hip rotators are absent the low back and arms make up the work potentially causing back strain.

Balance, flexibility and strength is the foundation for a golfer looking to take their game to the next level.

Working on your golf swing does not only mean hitting more balls but also strengthening and training the muscles used in golf.

What muscles are used in golf?

Core muscles: used for rotation.  Training the core muscles in strength and flexibility will result in improvements in power and distance.  Balance will also be improved with stronger core muscles.  (Working on the deeper, stabilizing muscles, i.e. the transverse abdominals and pelvic floor muscles, will help improve balance and stability.

Hamstrings: used for maintaining the golf posture.  Strong hamstrings will also prevent the possibility of low-back pain injury. 

Quadriceps: used to help maintain a dynamic golf posture with flexed knees throughout the swing.

Upper back muscles: used to help keep an erect spine for ease or rotation.  Many golfers are not able to maintain an erect position when standing inhibiting their rotation in the backswing.   The only way to improve posture is through strengthening of the spinal muscles and upper back.

Shoulder muscles:  used to allow for better and consistent control of the club throughout the swing.

Forearms: used for a strong impact position without bending at the wrists resulting in greater distance.

Benefits of Pilates for Golf

Most of the professional golfers on the PGA TOUR are exercising to improve their bodies and their games, and many of them including Tiger Woods and Camilo Villegas are using Pilates. Golfers of all levels find that consistent Pilates practice improves their games and reduces pain and injuries. However, golfers practicing golf specific Pilates experience superior results in less time.

The golf swing is a complex, asymmetrical, full body movement. For the right handed (left side dominant) swing, the left or leading side of the body is more commonly injured than the right or trailing side, and vice versa. Golf stresses the body in unique ways that can lead to acute and chronic injuries. Luckily, preventive measures can minimize golf-related injuries of the back, shoulders, elbows, hands, and wrists. For example, maintaining optimum dynamic posture and spine angle can reduce lower back strain and improved shoulder girdle stability can relieve shoulder, wrist and elbow pain. Proper mechanics and swing plane require strength, flexibility, and a strong core, all of which can be attained in 15 minutes a day of golf specific Pilates exercises combined with technical assistance from a PGA Professional. Golf specific Pilates gives golfers the edge they have been looking for. 

Joseph Pilates was born in Germany and developed what he called Contrology in the early 1900s. Pilates principles match perfectly with golf and golf exercise (more on this in the next article). Due to its effectiveness Pilates is now one of the fastest growing fitness systems in the world, nearly doubling in participants every year. Pilates lengthens and strengthens muscles while building a uniformly developed balanced body, focusing on core strength—-abs, gluteals, lower back, pelvic muscles, inner thighs, and intrinsic, deep stabilizers throughout all joints of the body. Pilates is whole body exercise just as the golf swing is. Pilates works all 7 physical performance factors and demands integration of breath, control, flexibility, strength, precision, and body awareness. When you develop awareness of moving from your core first, you will initiate every shot or putt from the same place, leading to increased repeatable and consistent shots and putts.

While classical Pilates is great for all around conditioning and will certainly help you perform better in all aspects of your life, golf specific Pilates is functional because you are mirroring functional golf positions relating to various swing phases. Joseph Pilates also developed machines and equipment to work the body in various other ways that challenge balance and coordination while lengthening and strengthening muscles. Hundreds of exercises can be done using the Universal Reformer and other Pilates apparatus. Individualized instruction by a qualified specialist is critical. 

Pilates Patio will help you delve into the core and relate the principles of Pilates directly to the principles of Golf. 

In the meantime, here is a great Pilates exercise for you to try at home. The Roll Down to Push Up may look like a traditional push up, but it has a twist. Rolling down and walking out and back requires balance, flexibility, stability, and strength due to the dynamic sequencing. It’s not easy, but the results are worth it!

Begin standing with feet hip bone width apart in good posture with abs pulled in and shoulders down. Inhale and as you exhale bow your head and roll down your spine until your hands touch the floor (bend knees if necessary). Walk out hand after hand until you are in a straight plank push up position, breathing as needed. Keeping buttocks squeezed and abs engaged, inhale as you bend elbows until chest is close to the mat, exhale to extend arms. Repeat 3-5 times. Return by picking hips to ceiling and walking back towards your feet, finally rolling back up to standing one vertebrae at a time.