Pilates and Golf

Image via Wikipedia

I love the hot weather and summer—seriously it is my favorite time of year.  The heat doesn’t bother me a bit and I love all the outdoor activities you can participate in—tennis, swimming, biking and of course, golf.  I have several clients are big golfers and have seen the real benefit of Pilates on their golf game. 

So there are a couple reasons why Pilates is so great for golf.  First, and the one we always go back to in Pilates, is a strong core, or center (if you want to know more about the core, check out my earlier post here.)  Pilates exercises focus on this core, to strengthen the deep abdominal muscles.  If you core is strong, you will have more force to hit those power shots in golf.

Also, if you think about the game of golf, because everyone who plays always hits the ball from the same side, it can become easy to have little “tweaks” in muscles, and for the body to become imbalanced.  Pilates does an amazing job at getting the spine, and the entire body into alignment.  We always evenly work each side of the body, and it becomes apparent not just to the trainers, but to you yourself, as you continue to work on your Pilates practice, where you are weak, and what side of your body is stronger.  Your personal body awareness increases, and we are able to focus where it is necessary to bring that balance back. 

As I have also discussed before, Pilates is an amazing practice to increase flexibility.  As your muscles and body become more flexible, just think how that will help your golf swing.  If you are stiff in your shoulders or back, that is going to hinder how well you can hit the ball.  If you muscles are flexible and strong, you are going to improve your game immensely.

Finally, because a big part of Pilates practice is mental, Pilates will also help your focus by teaching you to concentrate on your breath in relation to your body.  Having this intense focus will also certainly help your golf swing by allowing you to direct your energy on the swing and not get distracted or lose your concentration.

As a personal note, I have several clients who have told me how much their golf games have improved—they were psyched and I am always happy when my clients can see their progress in other places in their life.  If you are a golfer and would like to know how to direct your Pilates practice toward improving your golf game, be sure and let me know.