Improve your Golf Swing
How Pilates Can Improve Your Golf Game
Golf is a sport requiring a great deal of skill, strength, and flexibility.
For a golfer, muscle imbalances can affect the legs, hips, arms, shoulders, and the lower back. It can also affect your game, particularly for those over the age of 50. Your drives may be shorter and less accurate, your stamina may decrease, and the potential for debilitating strains, pulls and tears becomes much higher. (1)
Elaine rotating into a back swing on the 2nd at Greenacres Golf Club, Tasman.
Many golfers turn to Pilates to help improve their game, and for good reason. Pilates is a form of exercise focusing on strengthening the core, improving posture, and increasing flexibility, all of which can directly benefit golfers.
In this blog post, we will explore the benefits of Pilates for golfers and specific Pilates movements that can help golfers improve their game.
A study published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy (2) found that a 6-week Pilates program improved golfers' swing performance, posture, and balance. The study also found that Pilates helped to reduce pain and improve overall quality of life for the golfers.
Benefits of Pilates for Golfers
Core Strength: Pilates exercises target the core muscles, which are essential for golfers. A strong core can improve posture, increase stability, and generate power in the swing.
Flexibility: Pilates exercises help to increase flexibility, which is essential for golfers who need to be able to rotate their torso and hips through a full range of motion during the swing.
Balance and Stability: Pilates exercises can improve balance and stability, which can help golfers maintain their stance during the swing and improve their overall control over their body.
Injury Prevention: Pilates exercises can help prevent injuries by improving muscle imbalances and correcting postural imbalances.
Pilates movements Golfers can do at home
The Hundred: This exercise targets the core muscles and helps to improve overall strength and endurance. To perform this exercise, lie on your back with your legs together straight in front and your arms by your sides. Lift your head and shoulders off the mat and pump your arms up and down, breathing in for 5 counts and out for 5 counts until you reach for 100 counts.
Single Leg Circles: This exercise helps to improve hip mobility and flexibility, which is essential for the golf swing. To perform this exercise, lie on your back with your left leg straight and the right leg lifted towards the ceiling. Circle the right leg clockwise for 5 repetitions then counterclockwise for 5 repetitions before switching legs, and repeating with the left leg.
Spine Stretch Forward: This exercise targets the spine and helps to improve flexibility and posture. To perform this exercise, sit tall with your legs apart and extended, flex your feet. Arms in the centre. Inhale, lift tall and exhale as you reach forward and lengthen your spine then inhale back to the start position. Do 5 times.
Spine Twist: This exercise helps to improve spinal rotation flexibility. To perform this exercise, sit tall with legs together extended out front and flex your feet. With arms lifted at shoulder height out to the side, inhale lifting tall and exhale rotating the spine and head to the right, inhale back to the start position, repeat the other way. Do 3 sets.
The Stomach Massage series (shown below) on the Reformer using tall and twist spine shapes can improve spinal flexibility, posture, upper body strength and balance.
Stomach Massage - Tall Back
Stomach Massage - Twist
Pilates is an excellent exercise option for golfers looking to improve their game. By targeting core strength, flexibility, balance, and stability, Pilates can help golfers improve their swing performance and reduce the risk of injury. Specific Pilates movements, such as the Hundred, Single Leg Circles, Spine Stretch Forward, Spine Twist and Stomach Massage can target areas that are essential for golfers. The research also supports the benefits of Pilates for golfers, showing improvements in swing performance, posture, balance, and quality of life.
If you're a golfer looking to improve your game, consider incorporating Pilates into your exercise routine.
As an avid golfer and expert Pilates teacher, Elaine understands the benefits of Pilates for golfers and can help you improve your game.
Learn more by joining Upgrade Pilates in studio or online. Contact Elaine on info@upgradepilates.co or call 027 949 8901.
References:
Balanced Body – Pilates for Golf. https://www.pilates.com/pilates/your-sport/golf/.
Kao, Y. H., Jeng, Y. J., Wu, W. L., Huang, M. H., & Chen, C. H. (2018). The effect of Pilates on golf performance and the enjoyment of golf in recreational golfers. International journal of sports physical therapy, 13(4), 631–640. https://doi.org/10.26603/ijspt20180631.
