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Working as a golf strength & conditioning coach in 2020. A thread.
I remember sitting in departures at Doha airport in March with @docandrewmurray and asked him ‘do you think this is going to be serious?’ He responded ‘from what we’re seeing I think it’s going to be serious’ and when Andrew tells you something like that you listen!
Subsequently my training facility has had to close three times under U.K. governments coronavirus restrictions. Losing me time, money & providing uncertainty that persists even now as we head into 2021.
This has meant a big upheaval in my day to day work and frustration for our members. Remember that a lot of adults use gyms as their sole source of physical expression.
Biggest pivot for me was expanding my online offering which you can access here. https://linktr.ee/Poweringthrough
Desk work doesn’t come naturally to me in fact part of the reason I became a strength & conditioning coach was to avoid being desk bound. But @TKPhysPrep & myself put our heads together & produced the Big hitters manual. …https://powering-through-performance.myshopify.com/products/big-hitters-manual
Given gyms where closing everywhere this meant 2 things, more athletes after correspondence programming & lots of athletes seeking advice & consultancy on building a home gym.
I sent this guide written back in 2016 by @Physical_Prep to more athletes than I can mention https://complementarytraining.net/what-equipment-to-get-and-how-to-organize-your-facility/
I shared a simple regression strategy I use when faced with uncertain facility situations when on @Challenge_Tour with @Etpi works perfectly well for home gyms.
All while people couldn’t access gyms, more golfers than ever suddenly wanted too! Because of this guy. 
Golf has been the hardest of sells on hypertrophy. The culture had always bought into muscle bound trope.
Until @b_dechambeau zigged while everyone else was zagging.
Most of the golfers I’ve been working have been in on this “secret sauce” for a while.
Until @b_dechambeau zigged while everyone else was zagging.
Most of the golfers I’ve been working have been in on this “secret sauce” for a while.
This year it’s been easier than ever to sell the concept of intensive resistance training to golfers, @Etpi @alexehlert @barbellsnbirdie and others being very consistent with messaging.
This big sell now is helping golfers understand this a career long commitment not a cycle or stint, it’s not like adding a new drill or a swing change, manifesting high levels of force production can take years of consistent training.
Understanding that the foundation is crucial, you’ll see a rush to novel clubhead speed strategies as the desire to get more speed grows.
A few of my own I’ve outlined in a forth coming @SimpliFaster article.
A few of my own I’ve outlined in a forth coming @SimpliFaster article.
You cannot optimise a system that isn’t robust.
So your clubhead speed strategies, GRF data, special strength drills, toys & swing gimmicks won’t help if you are weak & at risk of injury.
So your clubhead speed strategies, GRF data, special strength drills, toys & swing gimmicks won’t help if you are weak & at risk of injury.
For Tour Players the focus was largely on the privilege of just being able to play, the @EuropeanTour @Etpi doing a terrific job of implementing a test bubble. From an S&C perspective it meant hotel workouts or whatever gym was available on site or on course. Access permitting.
Players themselves learned a lot about being adaptable when under lockdowns. I received videos of sheets strung over washlines, mattresses against walls and gardens turned chipping greens. It’s not all mansions & swing suites, but gardens, housing estates & putting mats.
A lot of athletes invested in Speed sticks, super speed golf kindly gave me access to their materials. While the drills are great, we found their protocols far to fatiguing for some athletes who already have very high outputs. So I came up with my own quality based protocols.
These will be the subject of a forth coming @SimpliFaster article.
One of the golfers I’ve worked with for years and good friend @Miles_Collins saw the writing on the wall for this years satellite tours.
He made the bold decision to ask to join my team as a coach. The switch from implicit to explicit understanding has been a journey for him.
He made the bold decision to ask to join my team as a coach. The switch from implicit to explicit understanding has been a journey for him.
@Miles_Collins now passed the @NSCA CPT & on course for his @UKSCA
For golfers having a fall back or side hustle is nothing to be ashamed of, pragmatic understanding is that only a tiny % actually make a career from it.
He still has his moments.
For golfers having a fall back or side hustle is nothing to be ashamed of, pragmatic understanding is that only a tiny % actually make a career from it.
He still has his moments.
