Junior Golf Association of Arizona: Fitness and ‘Golf For Life’

from Arizona Golf Insider - April/May2023

2023 ARIZONA GOLF ASSOCIATION Tournament Schedule

Golfers are always looking for anything to give them an extra edge. Anything to add a few extra yards on their drive or improve their accuracy has to be considered, especially for those at highly competitive levels like JGAA members. One way JGAA members are gaining an edge is in the gym. Although golf is not as physically demanding as other sports, the advantages of gaining strength to enhance execution and avoid injury are obvious.

“At its core, our mission is simple; we make your body move better, so you can do the things you love,” said Carson Kemp, a professional trainer at Scottsdale’s Motionlab. “We help juniors work specifically on developing the prerequisite mobility required to swing a golf club and the mobility required to be a functional human.”

As player swing speeds increase and outpace the body’s ability to support them, the likelihood of injury skyrockets. When players are sidelined, making progress in their game is impossible. Kemp, who has a long list of golf-specific clients, places importance on regimens that give players more mobility and as a result, limit injuries.

For Kemp, an accomplished AGA tournament player himself, training golfers is unique to training other athletes. He emphasizes that players should be in tune with their bodies. Instead of focusing on technical movement, he teaches “feels.” It is a process that takes time, but the sooner players start, the sooner they reap the benefits.

But for maximum success, players must prioritize maintaining momentum on their own. For JGAA members like

Michael Baker, that means working as hard in the gym as they do on the golf course. Kemp, his trainer, noted that he shows the qualities of a professional golfer at the junior level and trusts the process of progressively improving his body to see on-course success.

“I walk into the gym the same way I walk onto the course,” Baker said. “I just give it my all. You might not always be 100%, but you can always give 100%.”

Baker added that his training routine has helped his game signi cantly. He has developed a faster, stronger and more consistent swing. Most importantly, he is pain-free. Baker, who previously dealt with back problems, says that he is less injury prone and rarely experiences back pain anymore; he credits stretching as the training element that has made the biggest impact on his game. ose who are putting in the time and e ort now– in the gym and on the course– will see physical bene ts in the short-term, but they are also setting the foundation to play ‘Golf for Life.’

Baker also reported that the training regimen has had a positive e ect on his topball and average-ball speed. Speed, power, strength, mobility and exibility are all part of the tness and performance equation that translates to lower scores on the golf course. With junior golf growing exponentially, the level of competition continues to rise.