Improving golf performance with a warm up conditioning programme

Objectives: To determine whether a golf specific warm up programme (both immediately prior to play and after performing it five times a week for 5 weeks) improved performance in 10 male golfers compared with 10 controls matched for age, sex, and handicap.

Methods: Twenty male golfers were matched for age (±2 years) and handicap (±1 stroke). Club head speed was assessed by two dimensional video analysis in a laboratory setting. In week 1, all golfers performed 10 strokes. In weeks 2 and 7, the controls underwent the same procedure as in week 1. The exercise group performed the golf specific warm up followed by their 10 strokes. Between weeks 2 and 7, the exercise group performed the specially designed warm up five times a week for 5 weeks.

Results: The mean club head speeds of the exercise group improved at each testing week. Between weeks 1 and 2, golfers in the exercise group improved their club head speed on average by 3–6 m/s (12.8%), and between weeks 1 and 7, they increased their club head speeds by 7–10 m/s (24.0%). With the exception of one golfer whose club head speed varied by 1.7 m/s, the mean club head speeds of the golfers in the control group hardly varied over the testing period (range: 0.3–0.8 m/s). A significant difference (p = 0.029) was found between the mean club head speeds of the exercise and control groups over the duration of the study, and a significant interaction over time (p<0.001) was also found.

Conclusions: This study has shown that golfers’ performances will be significantly improved by undertaking a golf specific warm up programme compared with not performing the warm up.

How well does club head speed correlate with gold handicaps?

The velocity at which a golf club impacts with a golf ball is known as club head speed. Although club head speed has been used to measure performance changes in a number of golf studies, it has not been validated as a golf performance measure. As handicap is the usual measure of performance, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between club head speed and handicap, and to determine whether club head speed at impact is a valid measure of golfing performance. Forty-five male golfers aged 18–80 years, all with registered golfing handicaps (2–27), participated in this study. Each golfer performed 10 golf swings captured by a high-speed camera. Golfers' club head speeds were determined using Video Expert 2, a biomechanical computer program. Golfers with a lower handicap (ie, a better skill level) had faster club head speeds than higher handicap golfers. Linear regression analysis found club head speed to be highly correlated with handicap (r= 0.950). This relationship was described by the equation: In (club head speed)= 4.065 − 0.0214 x handicap. In conclusion, this study has shown that club head speed is a valid indicator of performance in golfers and may therefore be a useful performance measure in future laboratory-based studies.

Effects of a warm-up program on club head speed in male golfers

This research investigates whether club head speed is a valid determinant of golfing performance and the effects of a golf-specific warm-up program on club-head speed in male golfers in the immediate and short term (five-week)