3 Ways to Assess POWER in the Golf Swing

3 Ways to Assess POWER in the Golf Swing

Everyone wants more distance on their shots. How do we get more distance? By producing more POWER.

Let me start this blog by saying that strength is a prerequisite to Power. If you do not have strength, you won’t be able to produce power.

In short, strength is the force produced, and power is how fast you move that force.

Once you have a baseline of strength, we can move into assessing your ability to produce power.

There are 3 areas of the body that we want to look at when talking about producing Power in the golf swing: The lower body, core, and the upper body. We have 3 different tests we can use to test our power in each of the 3 areas. And then we can compare them to see if we are dominant in a certain area or lacking in a certain area. This will help prescribe our exercise program to address areas of weakness.

The first test is for the Lower Body: Jump for Height

The subject stands still, squats down quickly, and jumps as high as he/she can. There are several ways to measure this based on equipment and technology available.

Tour Average: 20-22 inches

The second test is for the Upper Body: Seated MedBall Throw

The subject sits in a chair with his/her back against the chair. A male adult will use a 4kg MedBall. A junior or female will use 2kg MedBall.

While keeping your back flat against the back of the chair, throw the MedBall like a chest pass as far as you can. MAKE SURE YOUR BACK DOES NOT LEAVE THE CHAIR. We then measure the distance.

Tour Average: 20-22 feet

The third test is for the Core: Sit up Med Ball Throw

The subject will lie on his/her back with the same weighted MedBall that was used in the Upper Body test. While performing a sit up, throw the ball as far as you can.

The distance is measured.

Tour Average: 20-22 feet

The nice thing about these 3 tests is that the numbers should be very similar across all 3 tests. If one area is lower that the others, we can address part of the body to make gains so that we are not losing force throughout the golf swing.

Want to assess your ability to produce POWER?

Give us a call today!

(949) 409-1339
Kevin O’Connor, PT, DPT, OCS, CSCS
TPI Medical 2 Certified
Owner - Impact Physical Therapy and Performance
Physical Therapist – Laguna Niguel, California
[email protected]