A golfer’s healthy posture begins with full-body strength, flexibility and the maintenance of muscle balance. You need strength in the upper- and lower-body musculature and the postural and rotational muscles. You also need to be mindful of muscular symmetry (balanced musculature). Asymmetry is pervasive among golfers; the shoulder, biceps, forearm and upper back tend to develop more on a golfer’s dominant side. The stronger muscles are tighter, while the weaker muscles are more flexible. Many golfers desire a better bilateral balance in their musculature, as do most one-sided athletes (for example, baseball pitchers and tennis players).
Think of the Golf swing as an efficient machine. Each part of it depends upon the other parts; if one part is functioning incorrectly the other part will be affected. But working together they deliver the same effective results time after time. The spine is the axis of rotation. If it is held in good dynamic alignment by well-balanced muscles, the rotation is optimal. If the postural alignment is poor, the rotational energy is expended in all directions, which results in dissipation of energy through a constantly changing axis of rotation. When the axis of rotation changes during a golf swing, the arc of the club head is compromised and your lose control of your stabilizers. Then the big muscles start to fire out of sequence and the kinetic chain begins to break.
At Sana Vita Studio, we evaluate the golfer’s posture and functional movement patterns to determine where the muscle imbalances exist. The instructor then customizes a golf specific Pilates workout session to restore length, strength, and endurance to the postural musculature. If you are new to the game: Your Pilates practice will teach you how to play golf with a new found sense of ease, grace, fun and deep satisfaction. And for the experienced golfer: We promise all that, plus you’ll knock several strokes off your game, drive the ball further and improve your overall strength and flexibility. No kidding!