169: Golf Fitness Pros to Avoid

This past week Golf Digest put out its List of the 50 Best Golf Fitness Pros in America.  I thought we could have a little fun while at the same time prevent you from making a mistake when searching for the right professional to help you get your body in golf shape over the winter months. 5 Golf Fitness Pros to Avoid: 1.) Nothing But Golf (NBG)  ADVICE: A good program is not just about rotating and challenging your golf postures with resistance or balance devices. 2.) The Crusher ADVICE: The goal of a program shouldn’t simply be to break you down. It should be to improve on where you are weak, improve your quality of movement, increase your strength. Programs like these have a high risk of injury due to terrible form, exhaustion, and not addressing the real issues that may be impacting your golf game. 3.) Go heavy or go home (GH2)  ADVICE: As much as I cringe when I say this, but I think Brandle might be right!! All of this talk about training being bad for golf probably stems mainly from this and the last category. Does a golfer need to deadlift and squat 500 pounds? Probably not. Going crazy heavy just doesn’t seem like it’s worth it to mee, much like standing on a Swiss ball with a golf club. The risk just seems too high. 4.) The Guru ADVICE: Maybe its just me, but working with someone like this would just get old and suck the fun out of what can be a very enjoyable process. Find someone that is always learning. Someone that has your interest at the forefront and actively seeks out ways to get better. 5.) The One Man Band ADVICE: Find someone that is great at being a golf fitness pro, not a golf instructor, not a mental game coach, not a medical professional.  A Jack of all trades is a master of none! What should you really look for in a golf fitness pro? Your golf fitness pro should be someone that has you and your goals in mind first and foremost. Someone that knows the game, knows the swing and has had some success with helping his or her golfers stay healthy and consistently get better. A focus on getting you to Move well Eliminate or balance out weaknesses (talked about this last week) Fitting a program into your lifestyle (time, enjoyment, goals, challenging) Someone that’s not afraid to push you, but knows the limits and has a reason for doing what they are doing, not just to exhaust you Certifications are great but everyone has a certification these days. As mentioned in the article a few of the bigger ones are (TPI, NSCA, NASM, FRC, CHEK) Someone that actually plays golf.  Even if it’s only on occasion.  Having an understanding of the game and what it literally feels like is much different than just putting together a workout program that “should” work for a golfer. Episode Sponsors SKRATCH SuperSpeed Golf Connect with 18STRONG Facebook Page       Twitter Profile       Instagram Profile Join The 18STRONG Movement! If you listened to the very end of this episode, then you know that there is a movement happening in golf and fitness.  To join, simply follow this link to the private Facebook group and ask to join!  Once you’re accepted, you are officially part of The 18STRONG Movement!  Introduce yourself to the group and let’s get connected!