The personal fitness coach for the 360 Performance Academy is Andrew Watson, he is a TPI Certified personal trainer based in Edinburgh, Scotland. His TPI certification comes through the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) meaning he is a fully qualified specialist in helping people to optimise their bodies and their range of movement for golf.
Here is what Andrew has to say about his career…
Golf has always been a constant in my life, from hitting my first golf ball at the age of 5, to competing for Turnhouse Golf Club’s junior section.
However, when I was 17, the opportunity to a start career in football arose and it was too good to turn down, meaning golf – temporarily – took a back seat. Fast forward 6 years to the age of 23 and unfortunately, due to unforeseen circumstances in the form of a cardiac arrest, it was football that had to take a back seat and once again, golf became the constant in my life.
Following on from this, I embarked on a new career in Personal Training. Once I had 10 years experience behind me and several years of research into the physical training underlying great golfers, I decided to combine the two things I loved; golf and fitness. This was already something I had been incorporating into my own fitness training and using to enhance my golf.
So… what does “optimising their body” mean for a golfer?
In my opinion, there are 5 pillars of golf fitness;
Motor Control
It’s important that we get the movement needed for anything we intend to correct.
Mobility & Flexibility
How much range of motion do we have and how much is available in that particular joint.
Stability
You can’t shoot a cannon from a canoe.
Strength
Bigger muscle fibres have potential to be stronger muscle fibres, and stronger muscle fibres have the potential to produce more force.
Power / Rate of Force Developed
If an athlete cannot produce high levels of force (strength) in the first place, it is highly unlikely that they can produce high levels of force quickly (RFD).