You’ve no doubt heard the phrase ‘golf is 90% mental’ or perhaps something like ‘it’s all in the mind’. Golf psychology is very popular and Dr Joseph Parent and Dr Bob Rotella have written some excellent books on the importance of attitude and the golfer’s mind. You can also buy some fine books on golf fitness and how to strengthen the muscles you need to swing, putt or chip.

But, are we in danger of splitting golf training into either ‘mental’ or ‘physical’ and failing to make the most of all that practice and playing?

I believe the problem comes from the labels ‘mental and ‘physical’ because in reality you can't have one without the other. Where does the mind end and the body begin? We all talk about the effect of the mind on the body but what about the other way around? It doesn’t matter how much you’ve prepared your mind for a big game, if your back is giving you some trouble you’re not going to play your best!

I’m a great believer in what I call 'interactive awareness' – it does sound a bit grand but in reality it just means being aware of what you’re thinking and doing at any moment. Okay, you may be saying ‘well of course I know what I’m thinking and doing’ but you may be surprised by just how much passes you by on and off the golf course. I see many golfers who add many unnecessary actions to the technique and are completely unaware of them. These actions affect their technique hugely but they remain oblivious to their influence. For example, they may tighten their neck, shoulders and lower back as part of their preparation and a dozen yards as a result.

If you don’t know you’re doing something you can’t control it and therefore you may never achieve the full distance from your drive. Let’s look at an action that you’ll do many times a day and see if I can prove my point.

Try my Ultimate Golf Fitness Test – you might find the result a little surprising :0)

I see the article on The Times newspaper by Peta Bee (The Core Stability Myth 10/08/2010) has stirred up this old debate again. The article called into question the thinking behind core workouts quoting a number of top specialists including Stuart McGill saying that too much emphasis is placed on this group of muscles. Not surprisingly the fitness world and Pilates instructors have reacted in numbers claiming the article has misinterpreted the findings etc.

Personally, I think it's coming down to semantics. I believe the whole issue is a red-herring and is more a matter of coordination and not just about a specific group of muscles. See my articles on Are Golfers Wasting Their Time With Golf Strength Programs? and Does a golfer need strong core muscles to play good golf?

You'll know the importance of being relaxed to play your shot. If there's any undue tension in your body your coordination will suffer and you'll lose power for your drive, control over the club and reduce sensitivity in your hands and muscles. Yet, you still see many golfers who tighten their lower back and hamstrings when getting into their stance. So before they've even started to play they have kissed goodbye to the poise required for a good shot. This happens because they've pulled themselves down into their stance - well surely to get down you have to pull down!

Well actually no.

Okay, so how do you get into a stance without pulling down? (I hear you ask) If you watch a young child squat to pick up a toy from the floor you'll see them appear to go up to go down. This doesn't involve tightening the lower back or hamstrings, they do it by removing the weight of their body off the legs and the legs just 'let go'.

For instructions on how you can do this see my golf stance tip.

Or even worse, is your game suffering as a result of a fitness program? The great golfers are those who can exert a fine degree of control over the club and ultimately the ball. The skills required range from developing power to hit the ball over distance to being able to apply the deftest of touches on the green.

I've worked with golfers who have spent so much time in the gym to increase their power they have actually stiffened up by reducing their range of movement. Worse still, when the try to use this new found strength on the course they tense up in the belief they are using their muscles effectively. However, it's not just a matter of reduced movement that's the problem. The level of control demonstated by the game's greats is achieved through sensitivity. Tense muscles are not sensitive and reduce what you will feel through your hands, make it harder to get the right amount of power for each shot and eventually lead to injury.

Strength is a liability if coordination is missing. Top players of all sports have poise, coordination and, as a result, are sensitive to what is required at each moment of a game and better able to carry out the actions necessary to meet those requirements. Golf strengthening programs can help, but only if you know how to use your new strength out on the course.

Also see A Poised Golfer Is A Happy Golfer. 

A golfer asked me the other day whether he should work on his core muscles to improve his game. His physiotherapist had told him that his core muscles were weak and therefore needed to start a program of exercises. This is an interesting question. He'd been playing for over 20 14 years and yet somehow his core stability was considered to be an issue following a test by a physio. 

There's a few points to consider here.  Firstly, if he'd been playing for so long why are his core muscles considered weak? Surely after all this time they should be strong because he played four times a week on a regular basis. So, either he doesnt need these muscles to play (he was pretty much injury-free) or his technique was questionable because he wasn't using his core muscles in the right way according to those advocating core stability etc.

If he's not playing 'properly' then would a course of exercises that have nothing in common with natural golfing movements really help? Would he suddenly have better technique after doing them? Or is it the case that, actually, core strength isnt really an issue for golfers?

My belief is that we should not focus on individual or small groups of muscles and work them in an isolated fashion as it doesnt promote natural coordination. A golfer should focus on how they move, that is, their technique, and if you move well, all your muscles will be conditioned in a way that is relevant to golf. Exercises to develop specific muscles do not teach you how to swing, putt or chip.

Your thoughts are welcome :0)

For more 'out of the box' thinking on improving your game see my book - Golf Sense.

I'm sure you've experience this before - you've chosen your club, lined up your shot and gone through your preparation ritual and then...... aaarrrhhh! What came out at the end of the process definitely wasn't what you thought you'd put in at the start! This was how a golfer described it to me today on the range. So why does it sometimes go so wrong? Please read the rest of this post here..

I often get asked how an apparently old-fashioned technique developed by an Australian actor (for goodness sake) can help today's modern sports people. Surely sports science, hi-tech gadgets and nutritional advice has the performance angle all sown up? Well of course of all this does help but I still feel something has been missed by all the researchers, coaches and books. It's something so subtle but highly influential to performance and should not be ignored. Please read more here.

The what technique? That's the most common response I get when I say I'm a teacher of The Alexander Technique. Yet this remarkable (but very underrated) technique can do wonders for golfers. In fact, I've found golfers take to it very well as the focus on detail is right up their street. And once they've overcome their initial scepticism they're amazed at how much difference the subtle changes bought about by lessons can have on their game. Read what I believe are five very good reasons for having lessons are here.

Everyone knows about strength, stamina and suppleness, but what two other vital factors determine your fitness to play golf? See my latest article here - What Is Golf Fitness?