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GOLF RESOURCE GUIDE:
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Traditionally, teaching pros rely on drills, videotapes and special equipment to guide golfers through the sequence of motions that pays off with accurate shot making and length off the tee. These tools work, but they’re not for everyone. Instructors are realizing that their students’ minds may be willing, but their bodies — at certain points in the swing — are weak. The most recent advancement in the science of playing golf has teaching pros such as Erik Horve at Tustin Ranch partnering with fitness trainers such as Mike Hansen. Horve and Hansen met at the Titleist Performance Institute in Carlsbad, where they both earned certification in a methodology that stresses swing efficiency through expert instruction, physical conditioning and custom equipment fitting. Working together, Horve and Hansen evaluate a golfer’s physical abilities, identify physical limitations and design an individualized program to repair breakdowns in the golfer’s swing. “Say Erik has a client who has to change something in his swing but then can’t get into the desired position because of a physical limitation,” Hansen said. “He’ll send that golfer to me so that we can get past the limitation through specific exercises.” Those exercises might target tight lats (the back muscles) or tight hip flexors (pelvis muscles that flex the hips and help rotate the spine). These muscles in particular, when contracted, can inhibit a golfer’s range of motion, Hansen said. In a worst-case scenario, a golfer can sustain injuries if these muscles contract to the point of overexertion, he added. Hansen and Horve, and now more golfers, are recognizing that physical conditioning is an essential component in the golf swing equation. The instructor and the trainer are quick to point out that the golf swing is a complex kinetic sequence of motion involving a rotating body, swinging arms and hands, and a clubhead traveling at various distances and rates of speed. Their goal is to help golfers get the parts moving in proper sequence and range of motion to deliver a powerful and accurate shot. “The swing fault or whatever the golf instructor wants to fix will come back if you don’t fix the physical limitations,” Hansen said. “We each have our individual expertise and we work off each other to help the golfer.” Horve sees the combination of physical evaluation and conditioning as the new “X factor” in golf instruction. “There are certain students that when I try to get them to move to a certain position, they just can’t get to that position,” Horve said. “It’s been a mystery. Why can’t I get them to do what I want? I realized there is something going on with my student’s body.” Tustin Ranch member Ray Biggerstaff is an insurance broker and frequent golfer and tournament player who took up golf 17 years ago at age 39. He has noticed improved flexibility, balance and core muscle strength through fitness training with Hansen. And he’s pleased to be converting the results in Hansen’s gym into achievements of lesson goals at the practice range under Horve’s tutelage. “I find that I don’t have to use so much of my body to turn,” said Biggerstaff, noting the wider range of motion he’s achieved with increased flexibility in his golf swing. He said he often felt his legs collapse before strengthening his core and leg muscles. “I physically wasn’t able to stay in balance and make a move,” said Biggerstaff, who typically plays to a 5 handicap. Once Horve has identified a swing fault and physical limitation in a student on the driving range, he’ll refer the student to Hansen, who determines the extent of the physical limitation and tests the student’s flexibility, range of motion and overall fitness. Hansen will recommend a regimen to correct the limitation or improve flexibility, usually over a six-week, 18-session program at his Irvine gym. Upon completing the sessions, the golfer’s physicality is reassessed. With the TPI methodology, Hansen and Horve focus on identifying and correcting any of 12 common swing faults, along with problems that crop up in a golfer’s address, posture and balance. Horve likens the TPI method to a triangle: one side swing fundamentals, the second side custom club fitting and the third side fitness. Addressing all the sides simultaneously will help golfers achieve their goals at an accelerated rate, he said. That seems to be the case for Scot Ellingson, who over five years of traditional instruction with Horve steadily improved as a golfer before hitting a plateau. “He had a major swing flaw that I couldn’t correct because it involved poor hip rotation,” Horve said. “But in the last two months of him working with Mike, the difference in his swing has been unbelievable.” SG For more information, contact Mike Hansen at (949) 251-0533 or Erik Horve at (714) 734-2104. |
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