Any HS or colleigate golfers, coaches, or parents-Please offer some insight

[clubmaker15]

I am a sophomore in high school and am on the JV golf team. Our team right now has NO off-season training or any team workouts. I plan to design a training program this season to have done by sometime in early November. I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice on where to start and/or any reference materials to building a golf-specific training program, suitable for high school golfers? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[golf_junkie27]

Hi

I realize that you are not in New York. However, there is a new company called "Drive 495." Perhaps, they can assist you and make recommendations.

The website is www.driveclubs.com .

[x-forged]

i played high school golf. if you want to get started practicing, i would suggest go to your home course and start playing the course. and learn who plays best with who, sometimes that is a factor.

[bwgolfer]

First my background is 3 yrs of high school and 4 yrs of college golf on scholarship and 45 yrs of golf overall. As far as developing a workout program for golf, just remember it's about flexibility, core strength and alot of strength in your hands and forearms. Distance comes from your core or your legs, stomach, lower back and hips which creates club head speed, strength in your hands and forearms is for control and balance makes it all work. Go to your local 24 hour fitness and tell them you would like to improve these areas and you can take care of that part. After that spend 1/2 hr a day on practice which consists of 10 mins on putting from 25, 15, 10 and 5 ft away, then 10 mins of chipping from off the green(5 mins up hill, and 5 mins down hill to the pin) Then take 5 mins of wedge shots from 100 yards. The last 5 mins hit 5 balls with a 5 iron with a real game mind set, and then hit 5 balls with your driver just so you have the feel of it for the first hole. As you can tell, to be a player you have to have a short game. Now to groove your swing take and old driver and drill a hole in the top of the head just large enough to fill the head with sand. find a way to plug the hole and swing away every day. Start slow and smooth and build up to a strong controlled swing. 2 things will happen, you will build up your golf muscles and the weight of the head will force your swing on to the correct swing plane. Do not try to swing the club to hard or you'll hurt yourself. Now I know these things are not very high tech and sexy but give them a try you maybe surprized how well they can work for you....bwgolfer ps after all of this play as much golf as you can it's the only way you use all the things you've done and get better!

[Ben]

^^ That's pretty solid sounding advice bwgolfer. I really like the advice on flexibilty. I know that's the key to longevity in this game. I've really got to work on that harder. Sounds like its helped you lead a long golf life, and you're still low!

[Richie3Jack]

I am a sophomore in high school and am on the JV golf team. Our team right now has NO off-season training or any team workouts. I plan to design a training program this season to have done by sometime in early November. I was wondering if anyone can give me any advice on where to start and/or any reference materials to building a golf-specific training program, suitable for high school golfers? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

You should try and get into yoga. Stretching is 3 times more important than lifting weights when it comes to golf. Flexibility is paramount in golf. Fred Couples is 48 years old, doesn't lift a weight, doesn't hit a lot of golf balls, yet is still in the top 10 in driving distance and is still one of the best golf ball strikers in the world because he's got great flexibility, particularly in his hips and shoulders, and utilizes the proper rotation of the hips and shoulders in the golf swing that allow him to hit the ball so long and well with relative ease and a relative lack of practice. And if you take up yoga now, you'll thank me later. You may think you're flexible now, but chances are you're not as flexible as you should be and at the very worst yoga will allow you to maintain your flexibility for a longer time. Plus, chicks dig yoga.

Other than that, I would also get a camcorder and golf lessons so you can work with a golf pro to improve your swing and have a camcorder so eventually you can record your swing once a week and make sure your doing the things you want to. I'd also work feverishly on the short game. Do those things and I bet you can be a better golfer than if you were to start some weight training program which is likely to hurt flexibility or make flexibility tougher. 3JACK