# Flexibility vs strength



## turkish (Feb 11, 2015)

I've just joined the gym after a year long "hiatus" done a health MOT with them and been told I have general good fitness but raised level of cholestorol so need to get to work on that.

On top of improving my cardio fitness and nutrition I want to increase strength and flexibility so I'm getting my PT to write up a fitness programme for me.

On top of general fitness I want to help improve at golf. As much as I know distance is a lot more about technique than anything else I know flexibility and and strength obviously have an impact.

In your opinion what is more important for a good and long golf swing- flexibility or strength?


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## Region3 (Feb 11, 2015)

I am definitely not strong so my vote goes to flexibility.

I am not very flexible either, but am just enough to be able to knock it round in a decent score sometimes in spite of my lack of strength.


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## Foxholer (Feb 11, 2015)

turkish said:



			I've just joined the gym after a year long "hiatus" done a health MOT with them and been told I have general good fitness but raised level of cholestorol so need to get to work on that.

On top of improving my cardio fitness and nutrition I want to increase strength and flexibility so I'm getting my PT to write up a fitness programme for me.

On top of general fitness I want to help improve at golf. As much as I know distance is a lot more about technique than anything else I know flexibility and and strength obviously have an impact.

In your opinion what is more important for a good and long golf swing- flexibility or strength?
		
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Both! It's a case of getting the balance right - for you!

Gary Player wasn't all that big, but was (and still is for his age) strong in the right areas and very flexible.
Rory, also quite short of stature, has always been very flexible, with extremely quick hips, and his upper body is now seriously powerful!

You don't see many muscle bound Pro Golfers though. Rory (check the size of his biceps) looks pretty close to his limit imo. Tiger had a period of large muscle mass - that didn't particularly help him - a while ago too!

While Strength is somewhat easier to train for (and measure), I believe flexibility is better. Pilates is particularly appropriate for Golf and many TPI exercises use that technique. But if you really want to improve your Golf, practice your short game!


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## MendieGK (Feb 11, 2015)

My dad's coach down at Goodwood is good mates with Justin Rose and apparently he spends about an hour a day stretching...

However, he along with all of the PGA tour pros have spend a long time getting stronger, which means they can now focus on stability to match the power.

Squats and Deadlifts, Squats and Deadlifts. They will improve your core strength as well as fitness. Follow that with proper stretching and you will ne laughing.

Improving your strength will 100% make you hit the ball further. I was already fairly long but since I started 'lifting' about 2 years ago i've added a significant amount of distance to shots.


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## Jabba (Feb 11, 2015)

Flexibility. I'd also rate power a long way above strength. It's no use having great static strength if you can't generate speed. Most of us high handicappers don't use the bigger muscles in our bodies very well, we tend to swing mostly from the chest upwards. Learn to use the big muscles properly and you'll hit it far enough.

Watch a skinny, flexible, 10 stone teenager with a low handicap belt the ball 50 yards past you and you'll see the benefits of flexibility and speed.


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## stevek1969 (Feb 11, 2015)

I've been seeing a TPI instructor for the past while and the exercises she as me doing are all about flexability and rotation and also building up my hamstrings and gluts.

I was always hammering weights which made me a wooden golf swing, im now moving better into the ball,its definately worth trying. check out the TPI WEBSITE or get a session with one.


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## MadAdey (Feb 12, 2015)

Strength is not something that is going to hit the ball further. You hit the ball further by improving ball strike and increasing club head speed. Head speed can be increased by better flexibility enabling you to swing on plain better and a longer backswing. Hitting the ball harder is improved by power transfer, not just being strong and be able to bench 200lb. 

As already mentioned I have seen plenty of skinny kids knocking it 300 yards. They can barely lift their bag out the car, but they strike the ball sweetly and power it through the impact zone getting them that fantastic distance.

I give the ball a good old rip, but I am not in the best shape anymore and through injuries I'm not very flexible either. 

I would probably rate myself 6/10 flexibility and 6/10 for strength. But when it comes to power I would rate myself 9/10, one of my nicknames in the RAF was Mongo after the character from blazing saddles as I could undo fasteners or connector with my hand that people struggled to move with special kit.

so I'm not really strong or flexible, but I am powerful.


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## Smiffy (Feb 12, 2015)

If you can, go out and have a game with Craig, aka "Topoftheflop".....

He is a professional ballroom dancer and is stick thin. There is nothing of him. He must weigh about 10 stone soaking wet.
But because of his dancing, he is flexible.
He hits the ball absolutely miles. Nuts it. Straight (usually) but long.
He annoys me immensely


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## MadAdey (Feb 12, 2015)

Smiffy said:



			If you can, go out and have a game with Craig, aka "Topoftheflop".....

He is a professional ballroom dancer and is stick thin. There is nothing of him. He must weigh about 10 stone soaking wet.
But because of his dancing, he is flexible.
He hits the ball absolutely miles. Nuts it. Straight (usually) but long.
He annoys me immensely 


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played with him at the king of kings final last year. He does give it a good rip and his build says he shouldn't. But what he lacks in size he makes up by having a fluid smooth swing, enabled by that flexibility.


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## Smiffy (Feb 12, 2015)

MadAdey said:



			played with him at the king of kings final last year. He does give it a good rip and his build says he shouldn't. But what he lacks in size he makes up by having a fluid smooth swing, enabled by that flexibility.
		
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He's tall, which helps. A nice wide arc.
As I say, he absolutely smashes it. Puts it out there a long way.
He's off 18 at the moment, but once he starts playing regularly and his short game improves he'll hold a 10 handicap no problem at all.


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## tsped83 (Feb 12, 2015)

I have neither strength nor flexibility, but a wiley sense of misadventure on the golf course. It doesn't help.


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## JustOne (Feb 12, 2015)

Apparently this works quite well...


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## turkish (Feb 12, 2015)

Cheers guys had been thinking about it a fair bit and most have confirmed what I already thought- that flexibility is just as important if not more.... Will be signing up for the yoga classes and pilates classes in with the birds!

Still plan on doing a fair bit of core work; squats, D/L, Bench, planks and BOR's cuz I do think that will help too. A good mix


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## Jabba (Feb 12, 2015)

That's a very good base of compound exercises. If you added in some OHP's then you've covered all the bases. If you really want power and IF you can get a good coach to show you them, do power cleans. They're a staple of throwers, sprinters, jumpers, in fact all speed/strength athletes.

I still don't think it'll give you the added distance that smacking lots of long shots will but being physically strong is useful in lots of other ways.


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## turkish (Feb 12, 2015)

Yeah doing overhead dumbbell shoulder press's too in my programme.

Never heard of power cleans but guessing by the name explosive exercise? i'll look into it- new gym does insanity and body grit so was thinking of doing that as will combine strength and cardio too.

So hard getting back into gym as wouldn't say I enjoy it- would much rather be hitting balls but know the importance of fitness(not just for Golf may I add)


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## Jabba (Feb 12, 2015)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qd592B-Rf4

Watch any Olympic weightlifting video of the clean and jerk. A power clean is just a clean but you don't go into the low catch position, so the bar has to be pulled higher. I would only recommend power cleans if you can get a proper coach to teach it to you. Crossfit gyms use them a lot, you may find a coach there.

Insanity looks brutal, it looks to have a good emphasise on speed and power plus whole body coordination. That would probably be ideal for your goals.


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