Probably the question that first comes to your mind is the title. What in the $%@%@# does SAID mean and what is it relevance to the golf swing? The reality is that SAID stands for a principle that is a very important principle if you want to hit the golf ball farther.

Let us first define SAID. This is a term referring to the principle of “specific adaptation to imposed demands.” This principle states that the body will adapt to the demands of a training stimulus, but will not adapt beyond the scope of that stimulus. (NSCA Strength and Conditioning Journal, pg. 18 August, 2005)

This principle pertains to developing the body’s level of fitness in relation to any sport of activity. For example, if I were to perform a bicep curl with a 25lb. dumbbell 15 times. The curl could be difficult in the beginning, but over time it would get easier and eventually, I could crank out 15 repetitions with no problem. This is a result of my body adapting (muscles getting stronger) to the resistance placed upon my body by the dumbbell.

Now here is the kicker, if I continued to only lift a 25 lb. dumbbell over the period of a year. What do you think would happen? I like to use the phrase “diminishing returns” to explain the outcome. Once the body adapts to an external resistance, the body plateaus and does not get stronger. At this point, it can even get weaker!

Now how does this pertain to golf? Think about it for a moment. Greater distance off the tee seems to be a burning desire of every amateur playing the sport. Amateurs go to great lengths to hit the ball 20, 10, or even 5 yards farther. Now, if an amateur’s club head speed is somewhere around 85 mph, how is that club head speed going to improve? One way is improvement in your swing mechanics. This will allow for greater efficiency in their swing, thus allowing for more energy to be inputted into the club head.

Let’s assume you have fairly efficient swing mechanics. How are you going to increase your club head speed (remember, club head speed stays the same even when you buy a new driver)? Some way or some how you are going to have to develop greater club head speed. What is the best way to increase your club head speed? A golf fitness program will achieve this goal. This is where the SAID principle comes into play.

If you have never developed a level of golf fitness, your body is set at a certain level of power generating capabilities. Until you force the body to increase it’s power generating capacities through the SAID principle, your club head speed will stay the same. A golf fitness program will place resistance on your body, forcing it to adapt and improve its power capacities. The end result will be greater club head speed, and that can equate to longer drives.

I have been receiving a lot of e-mails about weight training and golf as of late. The questions I get frequently get asked boil down to the one idea. Is weight training good for golf?

Before we answer this question, we need to talk about the golf swing. We all know the objective of the swing (hit the ball and hopefully straight). Additionally, we want to create club head speed to create distance.

Let me ask you this; how do we do just that? The obvious answer is we use the body to move the club through the correct biomechanical sequence required of the swing. In order for this to occur correctly, it is required to blend all the components of the swing. They need to be “blended” into a smooth, sequential order. And how do you that? By staying relaxed, and allowing the body to move through the swing.

I like to reference a term swing coach Dean Reinmuth uses, “tension free”. In order to create a smooth swing that generates club head speed the body must be tension free. If you “tighten up” during the swing, what happens? A poor swing is usually the result, and “tightening up” is what? Muscles not staying loose, but rather contracting. For example, if you were to grip a club as hard as you could. All the muscles in your upper body would be tight, making it very difficult to swing.

Now back to the question of weight training. What happens to your body when you do a lot bench press, shoulder press, and leg presses? Your muscles get sore and tight! Not very conducive to a smooth flowing golf swing, so what are you to do? My suggestion is you use exercises that train the body for your swing. These types of exercise developed flexibility as well as power. Leading to greater club head speed and a better swing. Exercises such as this can utilize dumbbells, medicine balls, cable systems, and elastic tubing. But remember theses types of exercises will train the body through the positions, movements, and energy requirements of the golf swing.

Sean Cochran

We have talked about how important balance is to the swing, but what about stabilization? Stabilization is what I like to call a “close cousin” to balance training. These terms are often intermixed in discussion. Balance is the ability to control the body during movement, and our movement is the golf swing.

Stabilization can be defined as the ability of the body to stabilize (i.e. not allow to move) certain body parts while other body parts are moving. Take the swing for example. When energy is being translated up through the body into the club head, parts of the core (mid-section of the body) must be stable as contact with the ball is made. This is what I like to call the sequential transfer of energy through the kinetic energy chain into the club head.

The kinetic energy chain of the body can work efficiently and allow for the greatest amount of energy to be delivered into the club. If your body has the ability to stabilize and allow energy to move from one muscle to the next until it reaches the club. The greatest amount of energy will be transferred into club head speed. If the body is unable to stabilize efficiently and not move energy correctly to the club, a less than optimal amount of energy will reach the club head.

Now, think about this for a moment. What if I have a few muscles that are unable to stabilize themselves and efficiently transfer energy to the club? Obviously you are going to loose some of the energy you are working so hard to get into the club head. This is essentially why stabilization is so important to the swing. It allows for the platform of proper swing mechanics to occur. In addition it allows the body to efficiently transfer energy through the muscular system into the club.

Sean

For example the shift from the West Coast Swing to Doral result in a change in putting surfaces. The Bermuda greens at Doral are very different than those found on the West Coast. The course for Honda Classic will require a different strategy, shot selection, and ball flight than other venues to win.

Interesting enough the amateur may go through a similar set of circumstances, but for different reasons. An amateur may completely change their strategy, shot selection, and even their swing as a result of a lower back injury. Research indicates one out of every two golfers will incur a lower back injury during their playing careers. If you are one out of the two you know what I am talking about in regards to changes in your golf swing.

Even a little strain in the lower back impedes you playing and has an effect on your swing. We are all of aware of how finite a biomechanical action the golf swing is to execute. Additionally, we all know what happens if our timing or swing plane is slightly off.

Hypothetically speaking let us say you strain your back ever so slightly: Just enough to feel a little tightness in the lower back, but not to a point that limits you from playing. Does that little strain affect your golf swing? You bet it does!

Our bodies are very smart and take action when we become injured. Even if you are injured and ask your body to perform an activity, such as the golf swing, it will find a way to complete it. The body will only say “no” in extreme cases of injury.

How does the body “work” around an injury? The brain working with the body will re-route itself to complete the task at hand. For example, if you have an injured muscle that should be used in the movement you are performing. The body and brain will “turn” that injured muscle off, re-route itself around the injury, recruit other muscles, and attempt to complete the task.

This is exactly what happens in relation to your golf swing and a lower back injury. Your body will perform the golf swing, but it will “re-route” itself in order to complete it.

What happens to your swing mechanics when this type of situation occurs? The body alters your swing mechanics (you may not even know it has happened) to perform the swing. This can easily lead to poor shots and confusion about your game.

What can we learn from this article? Lower back injuries, mild or severe, can be very detrimental to the golf swing. Swing mechanics and the physical health of your body are connected. Finally, it is strongly recommended to address the physical conditioning of your body in relation to golf.

This tournament is not necessarily about making birdies, eagles, or pars, but rather about beating your opponent in a head-to-head round of golf. The winner advances to the next round (similar to “March Madness” which is just around the corner). Strategy is much different, having a direct effect on shot selection and how each shot is played.

Interesting enough the amateur may go through a similar set of circumstances, but for different reasons. An amateur may completely change their strategy, shot selection, and even their swing as a result of a lower back injury. Research indicates one out of every two golfers will incur a lower back injury during their playing careers. If you are one out of the two you know what I am talking about in regards to changes in your golf swing.

Even a little strain in the lower back impedes you playing and has an effect on your swing. We are all of aware of how finite a biomechanical action the golf swing is to execute. Additionally, we all know what happens if our timing or swing plane is slightly off.

Hypothetically speaking let us say you strain your back ever so slightly: Just enough to feel a little tightness in the lower back, but not to a point that limits you from playing. Does that little strain affect your golf swing? You bet it does!

Our bodies are very smart and take action when we become injured. Even if you are injured and ask your body to perform an activity, such as the golf swing, it will find a way to complete it. The body will only say “no” in extreme cases of injury.

How does the body “work” around an injury? The brain working with the body will re-route itself to complete the task at hand. For example, if you have an injured muscle that should be used in the movement you are performing. The body and brain will “turn” that injured muscle off, re-route itself around the injury, recruit other muscles, and attempt to complete the task.

This is exactly what happens in relation to your golf swing and a lower back injury. Your body will perform the golf swing, but it will “re-route” itself in order to complete it.

What happens to your swing mechanics when this type of situation occurs? The body alters your swing mechanics (you may not even know it has happened) to perform the swing. This can easily lead to poor shots and confusion about your game.

What can we learn from this article? Lower back injuries, mild or severe, can be very detrimental to the golf swing. Swing mechanics and the physical health of your body are connected. Finally, it is strongly recommended to address the physical conditioning of your body in relation to golf.

This tournament is not necessarily about making birdies, eagles, or pars, but rather about beating your opponent in a head-to-head round of golf. The winner advances to the next round (similar to “March Madness” which is just around the corner). Strategy is much different, having a direct effect on shot selection and how each shot is played.

Interesting enough the amateur may go through a similar set of circumstances, but for different reasons. An amateur may completely change their strategy, shot selection, and even their swing as a result of a lower back injury. Research shows one out of every two golfers will incur a lower back injury during their playing careers. If you are one out of the two you know what I am talking about in regards to changes in your golf swing.

Even a little strain in the lower back impedes you playing and has an effect on your swing. We are all of aware of how finite a biomechanical action the golf swing is to execute. Additionally, we all know what happens if our timing or swing plane is slightly off.

Hypothetically speaking, let us say you strain your back ever so slightly. Just enough to feel a little tightness in the lower back, but not to a point that limits you from playing. Does that little strain affect your golf swing? You bet it does!

Our bodies are very smart and take action when we become injured. Even if you are injured and ask your body to perform an activity, such as the golf swing, it will find a way to complete it. The body will only say “no” in extreme cases of injury.

How does the body “work” around an injury? The brain working with the body will re-route itself to complete the task at hand. For example, if you have an injured muscle that should be used in the movement you are performing. The body and brain will “turn” that injured muscle off, re-route itself around the injury, recruit other muscles, and attempt to complete the task.

This is exactly what happens in relation to your golf swing and a lower back injury. Your body will perform the golf swing, but it will “re-route” itself in order to complete it.

What happens to your swing mechanics when this type of situation occurs? The body alters your swing mechanics (you may not even know it has happened) to perform the swing. This can easily lead to poor shots and confusion about your game.

What can we learn from this article? Lower back injuries, mild or severe, can be very detrimental to the golf swing. Swing mechanics and the physical health of your body are connected. Finally, it is strongly recommended to address the physical conditioning of your body in relation to golf.

Many articles on Els have provided detail on the rehabilitation of his knee and the return to the European and PGA Tours. Some of those articles discussed the physical therapy performed to get his knee back in shape.

One part of his knee rehabilitation and any training program for golf includes balance training.

Before we go any further let us define balance in relation to the golf swing. Balance is the ability of the body to maintain the anatomical positions and center of gravity during all phases of the swing.

A simplified definition but it works for us. Relating it to the golf swing, it is connected to maintaining the proper spine angle, and having the ability to rotate around a fixed spine angle efficiently.

Realize swing mechanics are only one component of maintaining proper balance during the swing. The body is the second component and often times where balance in the swing breaks down for the amateur.

Understand the nervous and muscular systems of the body directly correlate to the ability of your body to balance in the swing. If your body has poor balancing capacities it will have a direct effect on the swing.

How do you improve your balance capacities for your golf swing? Simply implement a golf fitness program that trains your body for the swing. This will assist in maintaining a constant spine angle during the swing, and increase the probability of good contact with the ball.

Sean

Off to Pebble Beach and the AT&T Pebble Beach National Pro-Am. Movie stars, titans of business, and professional athletes tee it with the pros from the PGA Tour. I will say this week allows you to see just a little difference between the swings of the pros and the amateurs (maybe more than just a little bit).

You can notice a difference in their approaches to the swing. Funny how just last night I was watching the Golf Channel and the breakdown of an amateur’s swing.

The actual show was an instructor breaking down the swing of an amateur on video. As the instructor viewed the swing he was speaking about the inability of the golfer to release the hips correctly in the swing.

The instructor pointed out that the reason for the hips not releasing was a lack of flexibility in the golfer’s hips! For me it is another example of the connection between your swing and the body. The golfer in the above example, regardless of how hard he works at the range, will not improve his swing dramatically. Improvement will only occur once he improves the flexibility in his hips.

This to me shows how important the connection is between the body and your swing. It is your body swinging the club, and it must have specific physical parameters developed within it to perform the swing correctly. If the body is in poor golf condition the swing will suffer. In the above example, the golfer would not need to spend more than 5 minutes a day to improve his flexibility in the hips for the swing. This would result in a dramatic improvement in his swing mechanics.

It becomes pretty simple when you look at the big picture. The body and swing are connected. You cannot improve the swing without working on the body.

Sean

I think the crowds at this tournament will be in excess of 500,000, quite a lot of people to pack the course at the TPC of Scottsdale. The atmosphere of this tournament is different than any other on the PGA Tour. The fans are loud, boisterous, and at times a little out of control, fine by me. It makes for quite a fun weekend.

And if you have never seen the 16th hole at the FBR it is quite a site: A simple par 3 for the players, but bleachers enclose the entire hole. The fans are loud and if you didn’t know it you’d think you were at a football game. Fun is the name of the game at this tournament for the galleries.

I have to say it is nice to hear the joy fellow blogger Ron Mon is receiving from the exercises in my book. Keep up the great work and keep me in the loop on your progress. From what I have heard he is seeing some great improvement in his flexibility, and the connection between your flexibility and golf swing is of great importance.

Flexibility and the golf swing: A common connection that many of us have heard about. But do you know why it is so important to the swing? I am sure most of you have seen Daly swing a club, and I have to say it is amazing. When he hits driver it looks as though his club head is going to hit the ground on his back swing. Amazing flexibility if you ask me (especially for a big guy).

So I was thinking last night, do most amateurs know why flexibility is important to their golf swing? Take a moment to answer that question and then keep reading.

First off let us quickly define flexibility. Flexibility is the ability of your body to move through the “required” range of motion to perform the activity at hand (a simplified definition but it work it for us). Knowing this definition and combining it with what you know about golf swing mechanics. We can come to the conclusion that in order to swing a club on the correct path, the body must have the required flexibility parameters to move that club on the correct path.

Pretty simple, but let me ask another question’ “what happens if you do not have the flexibility in your body to swing the club on the correct path?” Well, I can tell you that your body will still swing the club, but it compensates along the way. These compensations will result in changes in your swing path. And what happens when you change your swing path? You will shoot the ball all over the course, and your scores will go through the roof!

Now here is the interesting thing about flexibility and the golf swing. The greater range of motion you can get the club to move through in relation to the swing plane (remember, range of motion is contingent on your bodies flexibility), the greater amount of power you can develop. That is one reason as to why Daly is able to crush the ball off the tee. He has so much flexibility in his body allowing him to move the driver through a huge range of motion.

So ask yourself, “Is your golf swing lacking some flexibility?” If so, it might be a good idea to introduce some flexibility training into your practice routines.

Vijay, Phil, and DiMarco are all in the field this week. Some long hitters to say the least, and you will definitely see some “bombs” hit off the tee this week.

So how do these guys do it? How do they get the clubhead speed to rip the ball 300 plus yards? The answer to that question has many parts (too many to discuss today), but one of them has to do with rotation and keeping the club in the correct slot.

A word that pretty much describes what you do during the golf swing. The body rotates around a fixed spine angle, keeping your club on the proper swing path. Are you able to do this in your swing?

This is essentially the goal of the golf swing; keep the club in a slot, dissecting the shoulder on the backswing and follow through. How many of us do that?

Less than we would probably like to admit. So how do we rotate the body and keep the club in its slot?

The answer is probably one many of us would like to hear. It requires developing feel for the swing, and knowing what the body is doing at every step of the swing. Essentially, you must develop a feel for the both the club and your body. When this occurs and it is ingrained into the body. You will know when the swing is off, and what to do to correct it. Keep in mind, we are not going to make a perfect swing every time, but that is our goal.

Now think about this for a second. What if the body is not able to rotate around a fixed spine angle? The answer is pretty simple, it will be very difficult to keep your club in the correct slot. This happens a lot for the amateur golfer. They are unable to rotate properly around a fixed spine angle, thus limiting their ability to keep the club on the correct swing plane. This is the result of the amateur golfer having an inflexible, weak, and power deficient body.

Think about it for a minute. If you are inflexible in the hips, how are you going to rotate in a manner that places the club in the slot for the downswing? You’re not!

The swing is a very complex movement requiring a synergy between your body and the mechanics of the swing. If you are attempting to develop a swing without a body to support it, you are on your way to a very frustrating experience.

The professional level player has an incredible feels with the clubhead through every stage of the swing. How about you? Are you able to feel the club head in your swing?

What does feel mean in the big picture of your swing? When you are able to feel the club head this indicates your mechanics are getting in a groove, your swing tempo is good, and the body is executing the swing correctly.

We are well aware that the mechanics of the swing require a blending of multiple movements in a smooth, sequential, and correctly timed manner. This promotes proper impact of the club head with the ball. Many times the amateur attempts to guide the club to the ball with their arms or some other body part resulting in a poor looking swing with inconsistent hits.

This is a choppy and poorly timed swing and probably resulting in poor shots.

Feeling the club head is a combination of both your swing mechanics and body. Mechanically you cannot be pulling the club, not getting a proper turn, or hinging the wrists incorrectly. Any of these and many more swing faults can limit your ability in achieving the end goal (which is optimal mechanics with a sense of where the club is at all times).

Additionally, the body plays a critical role in your mechanics. If your body does not have the flexibility for a full turn, poor balance for the required weight shift, or the inability to generate power, how do you expect to swing the club correctly? You won’t! Faults will always exist in your swing.

Take time to work on both your body and swing. This will pay dividends on the course and show in your scores. Develop proper swing mechanics. Train the body for the swing, and you will be feeling the club head in no time.

Wind in the Palm Springs area can have a definite effect on the play at this PGA Tour event. Thursday was a prime example of such a case. The wind picked up and the scores were not as low.

The location of the Classic Course in the Coachella Valley makes it more vulnerable to the wind, and should make for a interesting finish on the course come Sunday. Additionally, water is in play on almost all the holes making it even more treacherous.

Playing in the wind can be difficult for most any amateur. It forces changes in club selection and type of swing. I can relate after my round of golf at Silver Rock in La Quinta the other day.

What can the amateur do when the wind picks up? A couple simple guidelines I have been given by touring pros and instructors alike are; tee the ball lower on your drives, and select more club when hitting into the wind. Most golfers will try to swing harder. Let the club do the work.

Easy enough tips to understand. Much more difficult to do. Teeing the ball lower on your drives will create a lower ball flight.

The golf ball can easily get hung up in the air when hitting into the wind, requiring more club to hit the ball your desired distance.

Wind can be one of many defenses a golf course can have against you. Make sure you have the “tools” in your game to combat them all.

The number of golf courses in the area is unbelievable and great courses from course designers such as Palmer, Dye, Nicklaus, and Norman.

The Bob Hope is a unique event with five days of golf spread over four different courses. La Quinta, Bermuda Dunes, PGA West, and the new course on the rotation, the Classic Course.

The Classic Course is a Palmer designed course located off Cook St. One I am looking forward to seeing. Final round play is at the Classic Course on Sunday, and whoever wins this tournament tends to hole quite a few birdies.

Talking about the golf swing and the Bob Hope Classic brings about the idea of endurance. Think about it. Five very competitive rounds of golf in five days. Can you imagine the stamina it requires in your golf swing to play that much golf let alone compete at the highest level in golf?

The golf swing is a repeatable athletic movement. In order to repeat the golf swing correctly and successfully the body must have a high level of muscular endurance (remember it is your body that performs the biomechanics of the golf swing).

Endurance is the ability to perform a movement over and over again without becoming fatigued. If the body becomes fatigued, the ability to perform this intricate movement diminishes quickly.

If you are looking to develop a repeatable golf swing, don’t forget to improve your foundation, your body. It’s what supports that swing.

The instructor pointed out that the reason for the hips not releasing was a lack of flexibility in the golfer’s hips! For me it is another example of the connection between your swing and the body. The golfer in the above example, regardless of how hard he works at the range, will not improve his swing if he doesn’t work on improving his body too!

It is your body swinging the club. You must develop your body in many areas so it can perform the swing correctly and consistently. If your body is in poor golf condition, it will compensate for your shortcomings and the shot will suffer.

In the golf channel example, this golfer would not need to spend more than 5 minutes a day to improve his flexibility in the hips for the swing. That little amount will improve his swing a ton. Most of us find a few minutes a day to surf the net for golf stuff, why can’t we work on our flexibility a little while we’re waiting for some of those slow sites to load on our computer?

It becomes pretty simple when you look at the big picture. We can’t avoid the fact. The body and swing are connected. You cannot improve the swing without working on the body. Look at some of the best in the game right now. Tiger, Phil, Vijay. They all have credited improved golf fitness and golf exercises for their recent successes. It’s not the only factor, but a huge one! It should be a big factor in your game.

Well, improving your golf game is fundamentally a process of improving both the body and the swing. I was reading some results of research conducted by a professor from UNC. Professor Bob Christina is also the head teaching pro from Pinehurst (venue for the 2005 US Open). A group of golfers prone to slicing the ball was put through specific tests designed to determine the best drills to cure the slice.

The research project revealed two drills that resulted in the greatest help in curing the slice. The first drill was the “toe-in drill” and the second “split-hands.” Without getting into detail these 2 drills out of the 100 drills tested proved to be the best for assisting in the cure of the slice.

I see a couple of valid points from the research project. Number one, it indicates that proper swing mechanics are fundamental to a successful swing. Number two, it indicates that there are numerous swing drills that are not beneficial to the improvement of your swing mechanics.

Relate this to your body and you get the same conclusions. There are hundreds of exercises available to you. Few of them are beneficial to the golfer, and one must know how to implement them correctly for the greatest benefit.

Remember to work on your body as well as your swing when it comes to the development of your golf game.

- Sean