Muscle Strength and Coordination

Nobody likes to think of themselves as being uncoordinated. When we struggle to hit the golf ball well, we say that it is either because the game is hard or we have not been playing since we were two years old. We do not usually admit that we just are not coordinated enough to play well. The fact of the matter is that it really could just be our own coordination.

We have all met other golfers on the course who have been playing fewer years than we have and have never taken a lesson, but yet they can hit the ball longer and straighter than we can. They usually like to gloat about the fact that they have never taken a lesson, which makes you feel bad for spending hundreds of dollars on lessons over the years. The bottom line is that they are probably just more coordinated than you are, for now.

Mike Malaska, one of the top PGA professionals in the country, is one of the few professionals who are willing to be honest with students and tell them that they just are not coordinated enough. However, he does not do this to discourage anyone. Although coordination can come naturally, it is not limited to those who are born with it. Mike has a series of videos, sponsored by GolfersMD, in which he explains some of the coordination necessary to produce a good golf swing and avoid some common swing faults, as well as some exercises and drills you can do to improve your swing and coordination. (See link below.)

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=mike+malaska&aq=f

Being coordinated, especially in golf, can be just as much, or more, a matter of strength and fitness as it is natural ability. According to Dr. Gabe Mirkin, certified Sports Medicine specialist, “Coordination is controlled by the ability of your brain to direct the more than 500 muscles in your body…. Stronger muscles use fewer fibers for the same task and therefore are easier to control.”

So, if you are having a hard time implementing instruction you have received in a golf lesson or a tip you read in a golf magazine, it may be that you are not coordinated (or strong) enough to get your body to do what it is supposed to. When you are working on your swing and cannot get your body to do what you are trying to, do not get frustrated and say to yourself, “I’m never going to get this,” or “I’m never going to be a good golfer.” Take a step back and realize that before you stress too much about it, you may want to think about improving muscle strength, which is a crucial part in any golf fitness program.