Golf Fitness Program

To Get Better Feel In Your Golf Swing,

You Need A Golf Fitness Program





Probably what separates the PGA Touring pro and the amateur golfer is feel. Every pro I

know can feel where the club and clubhead are at any point during the swing.



Not an easy task, especially for the weekend golfer.



Many amateurs struggle with the idea, concept, or understanding of how to develop feel

for the swing. It is a process that requires time, patience, and practice.



Part of the process of developing feel for the golf club is through proprioception. This

may or may not be a term you have heard, but it is vitally important to the golf swing.



Proprioception is a big word that, simply put, is defined as knowing where your body is

in space. Essentially, it means consciously knowing where your body is when moving,

what your limbs are doing, and in what order. To simplify it further, it is feel. Some of

us are better at it, others worse.



The good news is that you can improve your proprioception, or your feel.



Think about this for a moment: what is one of the most important aspects of improving

your golf swing?



It is feel for the golf club at every position within the golf swing. Beginning with

address, into take-away, your backswing, downswing, and follow through. Feeling

where the club is at every moment is key.



PGA Tour pros feel the club during the swing, or in other words they have excellent

proprioceptive abilities. As a result, they have the ability to make the little adjustments

that are crucial in the golf swing. Additionally, their outstanding level of proprioception

allows them to know what is going on with their golf swing the majority of the time.



How do you develop your ability to better feel the golf club and clubhead?



First and foremost, your development of better golf swing mechanics is center stage.

Understanding the mechanics and where the clubhead should be is the first step.



This allows you to consciously know and practice the positions of where the golf club

and body should be at any moment in the golf swing. Mentally understanding golf swing

mechanics allows you to have a map to refer to when developing your golf swing.



Secondly, when it comes to golf swing mechanics we look at practice. We all know the

body learns a new movement through repetition. The mind and body learn either the

correct or incorrect golf swing through practice.



This is the point where the proprioceptive or feel abilities of your body for your golf

swing begin to form. The movement pattern begins to be ingrained as you continue to

practice your golf swing.



This is where the third component of developing feel comes into play. The third

component of developing feel is the body.



Golf swing mechanics are performed by your body, and, as a result, the body is critically

involved in developing feel in your golf swing.



Developing feel is linked to your nervous system and the ability of the brain/nerves to

input/output information efficiently.



Improving the process by which your brain and nerves input (learning the golf swing

mechanics) and output (execution of the golf swing) has a direct effect on your ability to

feel the club.



How do you improve the proprioceptive qualities of the body that directly affects your

ability to feel the golf club? Improvement in this area lies within performing exercises

that increase the efficiency with which the nervous system operates.



Exercises that improve proprioception and feel during the swing are called balance

exercises. Balance exercises challenge the nervous system, creating more efficiency in

the input/output system of the body.



Better balance allows for the body to learn new movements (i.e. golf swing) more

quickly and efficiently. Additionally, these exercises increase the ability of the body to

feel athletic movements like the golf swing.



In summary, we have three components that improve our feel for the golf club. Number

one is an understanding of golf swing mechanics. You must have a conscious road map

of the golf swing. This allows you a reference point to develop the correct swing

mechanics.



Secondly, practice is required. The body learns through repetition. Practice allows the

brain and the body to learn the movement sequence of the golf swing. Practice is also the

point where the body begins to develop the proprioceptive qualities required for the golf

swing.



Finally, you need to develop the proprioceptive capacities of the body itself through

balance exercises. These types of exercises improve the input/output system of the body

allowing for improved learning capacities by the body, better feel of where the body is

in space, and a greater capacity to feel the golf swing.



All in all, it is a combination of developing these three entities within your golf swing

and body that creates feel for the swing. They all work together and cannot be separated.



If you truly want to develop a PGA-Tour-type swing, you will need to have a better

understanding of the golf swing, practice, and development of the body.



Sean



About the author: Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in

the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA & 2004 Masters

Champion Phil Mickelson. He has made many of his golf tips, golf instruction and golf

swing improvement techniques available to amateur golfers on the website

http://www.bioforcegolf.com. To contact Sean, you can email him at

support@bioforcegolf.com.