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Exercise and Sport Science assistant professor Christian Thompson’s study shows how exercise can improve a golfer’s game.
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USF Prof Proves Golf Requires a Strong Stomach
Like Samson and his hair or Achilles and his tendon, golf champion Tiger Woods’ secret to his domination of his sport may be his pre-swing workout. So says Christian Thompson, USF exercise and sport science assistant professor, whose recent research qualitatively proves that strengthening a golfer’s balance and core body muscles improves his or her game.
“This is the first time a study has measured the benefits of a functional training program for this game,” Thompson said. “Traditionally golf was a game where players could be grossly overweight, smoke and drink on the course, but with the arrival of Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam, it’s been recognized that one way to do better is to help your body function better.”
Thompson studied a group of older golfers for three months this summer, putting them through a conditioning regimen to increase their balance and abdominal and lower back strength and then testing the improvement in their golfing. Thompson chose the older golfers (aged 57 to 83) because of his interest in improving the body functions of older adults.
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Arthur Serf, at 83, was the oldest subject in Thompson’s study of how core muscle training improves a golfer’s performance.
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“We can certainly generalize that these exercises are really important for older adults to keep them functioning better,” Thompson said. The results, however, “can be modified for any level,” he said.
Thompson’s study was financed by a grant from the USF faculty development fund. A previous study of the effects of weight training on the game won Thompson a Science in Golf Prize from Golf Magazine last year.
The regimen for his most recent study included floor exercises, catching medicine balls to increase strength, and sitting on inflatable balls to improve balance. At the end of the study, Thompson tested the improvement in the players’ range of motion and swing velocity.
“I saw a lot of progress,” Thompson said. “Some guys barely able to stand on one foot at the beginning were able to lunge with balance at the end.”
“This goes well beyond cutting strokes from your game,” said Bob Pechoultres, one of the study’s subjects. “This is about living a full and happy life.”
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