SWS Golf

Springfield, Missouri

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“It’s more than a lesson, it’s Improvement by design.”

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Greatest Lesson #6 – Find the Source & Learn from the Minority (Pros)

March 14, 2017 By Sean W. Saunders Leave a Comment

Written by: Sean W. Saunders, PGA, TPI

I will never forget what Dr. Greg Rose told us at a TPI (Titleist Performance Institute) Level 3 Fitness Seminar Q & A session about not being an amateur who tries to fix where the pain is but rather find the source of the pain above or below it and focus your attention there.  I’ve used this valuable information going forward when I train and coach clients. An example of Dr. Greg’s point is when I screen golfers who often have lower back pain or tightness. They often have lower crossed syndrome (s-posture) with tight hip flexors and quadriceps. When I ask these golfers what they focus on when stretching to relieve their back pain it is often the posterior muscles specifically the hamstrings because that is what they think or feel helps. These golfers are usually busy professionals who sit long hours at their computer or travel a lot.

After I perform the TPI level 1 screens, I find they often have a difficult time flattening their back on the pelvic tilt screen, limited rotation & disassociation in pelvic rotation screen, and limited internal & external rotation in lower quarter rotation screen.  We don’t know this information until we screen them since every golfer’s body is unique. Once we gather this information, we can now coach and train them on improving the mobility of their hips as well as flexibility of the anterior chain if they struggle with the screens above. I have learned from the leaders in golf coaching, bio-mechanics, and fitness training how important it is to try and find the source of the problem versus what the majority thinks may be the solution. We also need to learn and follow what the minority are doing (Tour Players) rather than the majority (average 20 handicap golfer) for best results. This is why I was sold on TPI because of all the research and data they have from the best players in the world like Adam Hadwin, Justin Thomas, Jordan Spieth, Phil Mickelson, Ryan Moore, & Jimmy Walker, who credit their TPI certified trainer & coach for their long term success and health.

I had a potential client that is now a long term client call me up and interview me to see if I was the best fit for coaching his golf game. He took golf lessons before and knew the basic fundamentals. He said he hit a plateau in his game and he wasn’t getting any better from taking lessons. He asked me what my philosophy was and how I could help him improve. I told him I really don’t teach lessons anymore especially on the driving range unless I am teaching foundation work and ball flight laws to a beginner or recreational level player that has never been taught before. Most of my coaching for learning new movement patterns is done inside my studio. I do the majority of my coaching on the course if possible. That is why my tagline for my golf academy is, “It is more than a lesson, it’s improvement by design”. I also told him I first try and gather as much information as I can on their entire body and swing by performing a TPI body and swing evaluation before giving any feedback or improvement plan. I then build a program that includes exercises based off their screens as well as drills to help improve movement patterns and swing characteristics. After hearing this response, he realized he was doing what many of his golfer friends were doing who were having the same problems.

After our first 90 minute session of me screening and explaining the body-swing connection, we came to the conclusion that his tight hips, weak core & glutes, as well as his s-posture were part of the problem / source of his early extension, loss of posture, sway, and slide swing characteristics. These swing characteristics were a major reason for his inconsistency of not squaring the club-face at impact and making solid contact. He had to rely on the correct timing of his arms, hands, and club at impact. He said a light bulb came on. It wasn’t just his swing technique that was keeping him from improving. It actually had very little to do with technique. He didn’t understand what golf performance training is and how important it is to be an integral part of his long term improvement plan.

I experienced the same thoughts when I first found out about Titleist Performance Institute and I decided to get screened by a TPI certified medical professional. I soon realized why I hit a plateau in college golf because of my tight lower legs and hips causing early extension and loss of posture swing characteristics. I also had an s-posture setup which makes early extension and loss of posture even worse at impact. It made my lower back sore as well. My miss was usually hooking the ball left especially when the nerves kicked in because my tempo sped up due to flipping the hands and closing the club-face to my path at impact.  Since practicing what the top golfers in the world do (minority), which is basically working on engaging more core and flattening my lower back at set-up position, foam rolling, stretching at least 30 minutes a day, performing specific exercises and drills based on my screens and swing characteristics, I have improved my ball striking greatly. I have also improved my swing characteristics.  I’ve learned from this experience that there are no quick fixes to reaching long term results. If you want to continue to improve in golf, you have to add a trainer & coach to your team that understands the body-swing connection and can help find the source. There are a ton of drills and exercise to help improve your swing characteristic so that is why I didn’t post any in this article. An experienced golf performance coach should be able to create a well rounded program that includes everything you need to improve your swing characteristics and perform your best where it matters most on the golf course. It takes a daily commitment and focus on a plan that is practiced by the best players in the world in order for you to play your best golf.

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Adam Hadwin, coaching, Dr. Greg Rose, early extension, fitness, golf, Jimmy Walker, Jordan Spieth, Justin Thomas, loss of posture, lower quarter rotation, pelvic rotation, pelvic tilt, Performance, Phil Mickelson, Ryan Moore, screen, Titleist, TPI

The Greatest Lesson #5 – Maximize On Course Performance

June 1, 2016 By Sean W. Saunders 1 Comment

Golf: example of short game using a wedge iron club.

The Missing Link

Have you ever wondered why you often play great shots on the driving range and practice area but can’t seem to take it to the golf course even after taking lessons? This is a common theme for many golfers who are missing the link to on-course performance. If you want to improve and maximize your performance on the golf course and not just at the driving range, it is important to find the source of your problems first by doing a skill assessment. It is necessary to test each skill and then provide an individualized practice plan that follows the four steps below.   At our Academy, we do an on-course assessment that we turned into a skills contest as well as a scoring zone assessment from 100 yards and in. Once we see the snapshot of the student’s entire game, we can create an effective program that maximizes results by following the four steps below. 

STEP ONE – Understanding Cause & Effect

This step determines which skill is costing you the most strokes, seek understanding what you are doing wrong, and identify what you need to do to fix it. Skill testing and tracking statistics is part of this step.  

STEP TWO – Supervised Practice & Coaching

The majority of golfers don’t know how to practice effectively because they have never been taught.  Finding a golf instructor or coach that offers skill testing and supervised practice is a great place to start.  

What Effective Practice Looks Like

Henry Brunton’s book, High Performance Golf, explains the types of practice routines that are effective for training and improving a skill especially in competition. It states that the “frequency, quality and intensity of practice plays a huge role in building the skills and confidence necessary to perform successfully under pressure”. 

Blocked Practice: Practice hitting the same club and shot to the same target over and over again. It is an effective way for building skills and establishing motor patterns as long as you establish a precise target and use alignment sticks to ensure you are aimed correctly and ingraining the pattern that you are trying to repeat.  This should not be the only way to practice. It is important to have a goal in mind or focus for this type of practice. Avoid the “rake and hit” approach of going through the motions when practicing. 

Random Practice: Practice hitting random shots using different clubs and targets frequently.  The “54 Shot Challenge” developed by Pia Nilsson and Kjell Enhager is a great example of random practice.  This challenge is where you take 54 shots, randomly changing clubs and targets after each shot.  This type of practice is performed by the top players in the world and research shows that athletes that train using random practice techniques are likely to outperform those who employ only traditional blocked practice over time. (Below is a chart from Trevor Ragan of Train Ugly. Retention of Random Practice was basically twice as high than retention from Blocked Practice in a 1994 study conducted on baseball players throwing accuracy)

 Transfer Training: This type of practice is where the player simulates actual playing conditions just like playing in a tournament.  This type of practice involves competitive games that involve pressure or imagining playing the actual golf course on the practice range or green going through the exact same routine, thoughts, and movements as if playing the actual shot you’re going to play on the course.

Creating a practice journal along with performance goals for each session is an effective way to track what works and the thoughts that take place when experiencing positive results. You can go back to your journal when you are struggling as a reminder of what thoughts and feelings that helped you perform at your best.       

Why Traditional Training Doesn’t Work

High Performance Golf gives a list of problems why traditional golf training that you see at the majority of driving ranges across the country is ineffective:  

  • It’s not deliberate practice.
  • Players are generally not mentally engaged (going through the motions thinking muscle memory will take place).
  • Players are not encouraged to learn to perform golf skills in context of how shots are actually played on the golf course (No transfer training).
  • Players depend too heavily on their instructors or coaches.
  • There is too little practice of the pre-shot routine.
  • Golf skills are taught and practiced under conditions very different than those during play.
  • Their practice doesn’t simulate the competitive pressures involved in play.
  • It promotes a false sense of confidence.
  • There is little focus on reacting to targets.  

STEP THREE – Transfer Training

Why is golf generally practiced on a different location than where the sport is actually played? This is why step three is so important for maximizing on-course performance. Transfer training is taking the same approach you would as if you are playing a competitive round of golf. Your process (pre-shot routine, thoughts, and how you play each shot) shouldn’t change from the driving range to the golf course. Transfer training that takes place at a driving range is effective as long as you are practicing from different lies that you will experience on the golf course and you are following the same process.  

STEP FOUR – Playing with the Skill

The final step involves playing with your weakest skill while keeping score on the course. This is the process of actually executing the type of shot that you have been practicing under playing conditions on the golf course. If you want to see if you have mastered steps two and three for that skill you are working on, try playing in a local tournament and see if your shot holds up under pressure. When your nerves come into play and there is pressure on the line, it will expose your weaknesses.  

If you do a skills assessment first to find out where you are weakest and then follow the four steps to maximizing on-course performance, you will shoot lower scores.  It is similar to performing TPI screens to find out where the body is lacking mobility, stability, flexibility, and balance before building an effective exercise program.  Otherwise, you are guessing and may never reach your potential and long term goals.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: coaching, golf, Performance, skills, Titleist, TPI

Greatest Lesson #3 – The Body & Swing Connection

November 3, 2015 By Sean W. Saunders Leave a Comment

Written by: Sean W. Saunders, PGA, TPI

Health and fitness has become top priority and focus for the majority of skilled golfers. Before fitness was popular, many golfers overlooked the importance of their health and body. They primarily focused on their equipment, mental game, and technique. The golf performance world has exploded on the scene since Greg Norman and Tiger Woods started dominating the rest of the field with their confidence and power. Now fitness is the norm for the top players in the world like Jordan Spieth, Ricky Fowler, and Rory McIlroy who credit their fitness trainers and programs as a big part of their success.

THE DISTANCE FACTOR

The latest list of top PGA Tour driving distance statistics report the average driving distance to be over 290 yards for the top 150 PGA Tour players and over 250 yards for the top LPGA Tour. Based off the data from Golf WRX, the average player on the PGA Tour has at least a 114 mph swing speed to average around 290 – 300 yards.  The LPGA Tour players average at least 95 mph swing speed. Not long ago, a 300 yard driving distance average was not that common on the PGA Tour. These new age tour players are using short irons into long par 4’s instead of mid to long irons that many of the golfers would have used 15-20 years ago. That makes a big difference in hitting greens in regulation and the average distance from the hole being closer for birdie and eagle putts. Good putting statistics may be the equalizer to lower scores. I still would be willing to bet my money on the golfer who is playing a more lofted club on their approach shot and on average gets the ball closer to the hole versus the golfer who is 25-50 yards farther back.

THE BODY

Kinetic Chain Diagram

The diagram above demonstrates the correct sequence of mobility / stability pattern for each joint throughout the body. When this pattern is disrupted due to muscle imbalances or restrictions there will be over compensation of the body that will result in swing characteristics that will cause ball flight issues. The goal for any TPI certified fitness trainer or medical expert is to find out where the source of the problem is by screening each joint before creating an effective exercise or therapy program that improves the mobility or stability of each joint segment.

THE MISTAKE

A common mistake that many golfers make is they focus on the symptom(s) rather than the source of the problem. An example, is a golfer that tops the ball (loss of posture at impact) so they focus on keeping their head still or down throughout the swing to prevent them from coming up.  This golfer may do better on the next golf swing by staying down but it doesn’t solve the underlying problem. It actually creates more long term issues (trying to keep head down) because it limits the rotation of the upper trunk, which is necessary for finding a consistent impact position.

THE SOLUTION

The best solution is to first find out if the golfer who experiences loss of posture has tight hips, hamstrings, calves, or upper trunk by performing TPI Screens. Next, a certified TPI expert can use other forms of feedback to further assess if the golfer is struggling with body restrictions, swing sequencing problems, or lack of understanding the correct movement / technique for their swing.  Because every golfer is unique, there isn’t a one size fits all approach that will work. If you want to improve the source of the problem for long term results, you must follow the four steps below.

  1. Assess the Skill & Body for Feedback (TPI Evaluation)
  2. Develop an Exercise & Practice Plan with Coaching
  3. Experience the Learning Process (Transfer it to the Course)
  4. Re-Assess

LEARN FROM THE BEST

There is a reason the top players in the world are constantly working on their bodies and health to gain a competitive advantage over their competition. Your body is the extra club in your bag that can help or hinder the consistency and power in your golf game. The off season is the best time to groove your swing and get it ready for the next season by performing exercises and movement pattern drills. SWS Golf Performance offers fitness programs that focus on the body-swing connection.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Academy, fitness, golf, Greg Norman, health, Jordan Spieth, Missouri, MO, nutrition, Performance, Ricky Fowler, Rory McIlroy, Springfield, SWS Golf, SWS Performance, Tiger Woods, Titleist, TPI

Golf Articles

Greatest Lesson #6 – Find the Source & Learn from the Minority (Pros)

The Greatest Lesson #5 – Maximize On Course Performance

Greatest Lesson #4 – SIP-FATS Process

Greatest Lesson #3 – The Body & Swing Connection

Greatest Lesson #2 – The Learning Process

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