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 The body is the most important piece of golf equipment, and every body is different. That, in a nutshell, is the basis for Body Balance for Performance, a program created by Paul Callaway, the first director of physical therapy for the PGA Tour, who designed a training program tailored to a golfer’s physique and fitness level. The program’s success helped it grow into a nationwide franchise company with more than 50 licensed centers, with six in the Southland including the Orange County Body Balance Center in Irvine. I met center director and golf performance specialist Stephanie Overbaugh to learn more by being put through the paces. Her roomy studio carries all the accoutrements of a personal gym with weights, resistance tubing, balance balls, a slant board and a 10-foot metal circle called an Explanar that looks like it could “beam up” folks to Starfleet’s USS Enterprise. First up was a Golf Performance Evaluation — an assessment to test level of fitness, strength, posture, balance and flexibility. Touching my toes was easy enough, but balancing on one leg while holding the other bent at the knee and waist high was tricky. Bending sideways at the waist and reaching down the side of my leg was slightly painful, as was arching my back with my hands on hips. I starting feeling a kinship with the Tin Man. Where’s my oil can? Other tests followed, but it was easy to see — and feel — that my most limber days are behind me. Restrictions in movement don’t lead to a smooth and effortless golf swing. “If the body isn’t able to engage certain muscles, if the range of motion is poor, the body is going to draw from other places to get where it needs to go,” said Overbaugh, who holds a master’s degree in physical therapy. Overbaugh has trained Nationwide Tour players, junior golfers and former professional football players such as Vince Ferragamo who have taken up golf in retirement. “Golf is a hard sport. It’s more physical than most people think because the muscles have to work in a complicated sequence of motion,” Overbaugh said. “The benefit of Body Balance is that it can limit injuries by helping the individual golfer use his or her body in the most efficient way. You learn how to swing the golf club effectively through balance and conditioning exercises.” Video and computer technologies are a big part of Body Balance, as they come together to show a golfer the graphic details of their balance and movement throughout the swing. I stood on a mat — known as a Dynamic Balance System — wired to a laptop computer that captured the motions of my swing. For the assessment with the Body Motion System, I slipped into a vest wired with a 3-D motion technology system. The BMS pinpoints the range of motion for the shoulders and hips. Bad news awaited on both fronts. The S-curve in my back means I’m bending over too much and not engaging my abdominal muscles; my head lifting up and out of position initiates a reverse pivot; and my swing path moves from the outside in and ends across my body. Did I mention the breakdown of my backswing, resulting in the dreaded chicken wing? In addition, there’s no separate rotation of my hips and upper body; my left leg slides rather than my hips rotating during the weight transfer; and my clubface stays open at impact. Hmmm. Is that why my drives travel a wimpy 125 yards and land way right of the fairway? There was more bad news, but a glimmer of hope as well. It’s possible to fix these flaws by improving my flexibility balance, strength and core conditioning. How long this takes varies from golfer to golfer. Many reach fitness and performance goals by meeting with Overbaugh once a week for three months and practicing five or six drills daily between appointments. “It’s all part of the equation,” Over-baugh said. “Lessons, clubfitting and fitness must come together for the individual who wants to play better golf.” SG For more information, call (949) 595-0700 or visit fitgolf.com. |
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