Is working out in the gym good for your golf?

[delc]

I have been following the career of young Scottish lady golfer Carly Booth. In 2012 she won two tournaments, was way up the rankings, and in contention for a Solheim Cup place. She was a good gymnast before committing to golf, and according to her Facebook and Twitter posts, spends hours a day working out in the gym. She now looks like Miss Universe, but her golf has gone totally downhill and she now rarely makes the cut, and has just shot an 86 in the Australian Open. I have watched her play and she belts the ball miles, to the extent she can reach most par-5s in two, but her chipping and putting touch seems to have completely deserted her. Does this sound similar to the Tiger Woods saga?

 

[CMAC]

yes- it's good for everything you do, in moderation.

 

[One Planer]

I'm not swayed either way.

There are plenty of salad dodgers across all the tours that have excellent all round games.

Working out certainly didn't hinder Tiger, Adam Scott and Rory.

Nor can I say it hindered Jiminez, Stadler, Aphibarnrat, Cabrera.

 

[jamielaing]

It all comes down to the level of training/ type of training. Too much muscle on the chest hinders golf massively. A friend of mine stopped playing golf and started body building. Now he is back to golf and can barely swing because he has no room and flexibility. He's lost a good 30 yards off his drives.

Training for golf should be all based around cardio, core and dynamic movements.

 

[Dan2501]

I think the gym can help if you're striving for speed and distance, but if you want to get better at golf, then that time spent at the gym would be much better spent practising golf.

 

[MendieGK]

yes 100% good for your golf.

I weigh 1.5 stone more than i did 18mnths ago and have never been fitter. I hit the ball even further than i ever did and i have knocked 20% off of my handicap. My gym programme involes no standard cardio, its all lifting weights.

Working out in the gym wont affect your short game and putting, so she must be neglecting it.

What people seem to forget is that you can work out all your like in the gym but you wont 'pack' on muscle unless you eat accordingly. Going to the gym to get fit, and body building are completely different things and require completely different programmes.

 

[SugarPenguin]

Any sort of gym work in my opinion will help. It's more to do with countering fatigue and building strength in the corse muscles rather than bulk/mass

 

[MendieGK]

I think the gym can help if you're striving for speed and distance, but if you want to get better at golf, then that time spent at the gym would be much better spent practising golf.

I can see both sides of this and its about finding a good balance. I go to the gym at 6am before work so that i can practice at lunchtimes and in the evening.

however, anyone that says hitting the ball further isnt one of the easiest ways to improve your golf is ignorant.

 

[delc]

It all comes down to the level of training/ type of training. Too much muscle on the chest hinders golf massively. A friend of mine stopped playing golf and started body building. Now he is back to golf and can barely swing because he has no room and flexibility. He's lost a good 30 yards off his drives.

Training for golf should be all based around cardio, core and dynamic movements.

Miss Booth still seems to be pretty flexible, because she can still do gymnastics. I was wondering more if being too strong makes you clumsy when it comes to chipping and putting?

 

[stevek1969]

Yes it is if your doing the right thing, the days of bulking up like Tiger are gone, now there are all very athletic and strong but specific exercises. I do a lot of TPI exercises which are superb. Carly Booth is an attention seeker I'm afraid, who enjoys the good times a bit to much I'm afraid, here gym works outs are superb to watch tho.

 

[pokerjoke]

Miss Booth still seems to be pretty flexible, because she can still do gymnastics. I was wondering more if being too strong makes you clumsy when it comes to chipping and putting?

In your op you compared it to Tiger.
Let me ask you the question do you think Tigers gym work effected his chipping
and putting when he was winning all the tournaments.
As has been said getting fit and getting bulked up are different entirely.
I don't see any bodybuilders on the tours just fine tuned athletes.
As with Carly and women in general they are more flexible than men and she will
never get to the point where shes so musclebound she cant chip or putt.
Maybe shes just neglected her game a bit,who knows.

 

[Ads749r]

yes 100% good for your golf.

I weigh 1.5 stone more than i did 18mnths ago and have never been fitter. I hit the ball even further than i ever did and i have knocked 20% off of my handicap. My gym programme involes no standard cardio, its all lifting weights.

Working out in the gym wont affect your short game and putting, so she must be neglecting it.

What people seem to forget is that you can work out all your like in the gym but you wont 'pack' on muscle unless you eat accordingly. Going to the gym to get fit, and body building are completely different things and require completely different programmes.

Listen to this guy here he knows what he's talking about. When I hear people say that this person was in the gym lifting weights for 3 hours everyday and now there built like arnie kinda grinds my gears. If you spent 3 hours in the gym lifting heavy weights everyday you will actually lose weight/mass/strength as anything over the 45-60 min mark your body has used up all its energy levels and starts eating the muscle. Also it really is 90% diet 10% gym! you don't put rubbish fuel in your car. A little bit of bodyweight exercises and stretching about 3 times a week could really help your game. It doesn't take long all you need is 3-4 hours a week spare. I play my best golf after I have been the gym in the morning (which I have set up in my garage) I feel strong and loose and it's effortless. Guaranteed after the first month you will be using 1 club less. I seen people say about camilo Villegas saying he's a muscle bound brute, he's not he's just got really low body fat probably less than 10%. He lifts weight but he's more of a conditioning guy. Tired from typing now, going to have some pie"n"mash mmmmmm.

 

[MendieGK]

In your op you compared it to Tiger.
Let me ask you the question do you think Tigers gym work effected his chipping
and putting when he was winning all the tournaments.
As has been said getting fit and getting bulked up are different entirely.
I don't see any bodybuilders on the tours just fine tuned athletes.
As with Carly and women in general they are more flexible than men and she will
never get to the point where shes so musclebound she cant chip or putt.
Maybe shes just neglected her game a bit,who knows.

Agree with all of this.

I do chuckle when people say Tiger in his 'bulking' period. At no point did he ever look more bulked than a Rugby Union back (like Jonny Wilkinson for example).

 

[CMAC]

Yes it is if your doing the right thing, the days of bulking up like Tiger are gone, now there are all very athletic and strong but specific exercises. I do a lot of TPI exercises which are superb. Carly Booth is an attention seeker I'm afraid, who enjoys the good times a bit to much I'm afraid, here gym works outs are superb to watch tho.

Rory!

 

[MendieGK]

Rory!

Exactly. However, that is not bulking in any way shape or form. Thats conditioning.

 

[delc]

Rory McIlroy looks toned and fit, but he is not excessively muscular. His length seems to be more down to flexibility and good technique, rather than brute strength.

 

[Dan2501]

Rory has an incredibly strong core, as well as being very flexible. He has been working on getting stronger, and says that his extra strength allows him to gain the same distance, without needing to go at the ball 100%, which helps his superb fairway accuracy with the driver.

 

[MendieGK]

Rory McIlroy looks toned and fit, but he is not excessively muscular. His length seems to be more down to flexibility and good technique, rather than brute strength.

He is absolutely ripped now! i doubt his body fat is about 8%, so he has replaced a lot of Fat with muscle. Prior to his change in focus he was basically what people that do excessive cardio are - Skinny Fat.

When rory joined the tour he was a stick, but i've just seen an atricle that said his body fat % was 22%.

 

[pokerjoke]

Exactly. However, that is not bulking in any way shape or form. Thats conditioning.

This is a difficult one as I believe Rory has bulked up.
He said he put on 12kg of muscle.
I suppose the difference is he would have been monitored every session,he would
have been doing stretches and flexing exercise to compensate keeping the balance
right eating the right meals all weighed out for him.
As has been said it doesn't matter how much exercise you do if your ruining it by eating
rubbish.

 

[MendieGK]

This is a difficult one as I believe Rory has bulked up.
He said he put on 12kg of muscle.
I suppose the difference is he would have been monitored every session,he would
have been doing stretches and flexing exercise to compensate keeping the balance
right eating the right meals all weighed out for him.
As has been said it doesn't matter how much exercise you do if your ruining it by eating
rubbish.

He's quite clearly put on weight i agree, and he looks considerably better for it.

its symantics, Bulking (IMO) is a term that is only really used properly alongside cutting.

Bodybuilders will pack on muscle whilst also adding substantial amounts of fat. they will then 'cut' to remove the fat.

Rory has not done that.

maybe its because i am within the 'gym' culture that i have slightly different views.