Golf - Long Driving

Bigger Stronger Leaner Christian Thibaudeau Coaching
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Hi Thibs!

I’ve been an on and off lurker on these boards for some time and I must thank you for reopening your forum. It’s by far the most enlightening read on the site.

Now, if I remember correctly I think you’ve mentioned that you used to play quite a lot of golf. So with spring and the golf season coming up here in Sweden I thought I should ask you on how you would train a long driver (basically just how to increase distance).

If I would design it myself it would look something like this…

STRENGTH TEMPLATE: Just along the lines you preach. Something like HP-mass or strength/explosive-oriented layers. Focus on lifts such as: High-pulls, MP (or push press), Front squat, some kind of benching.

GOLF SPECIFIC (excluding practice of the “regular” game): Inspired of what I read that you suggested on sprinting…

Overspeed swings 5 reps(no clubhead, just swinging a shaft, no ball is hit)
Regular swings 5 reps (no ball is hit)
Weighted swings 5 reps (not weighted too much though, no ball is hit)
Regular swings 5 reps (ball is actually hit)

Then repeating that sequence a few times depending on how you feel that day.

What do you think of that draft of a plan? How would you do it?

Really looking to improve distance this year, hopefully to around 330 yds.
How is your game now by the way, any time to play atm?

Thanks,
VJA

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When I go back to my golf days, I realise that I hit my longest during the priod I was doing both olympic lifting and golf.

The olympic lifts, even though they are not done on the same plane, share a lot of similarities with golf: they are explosive, rely mostly on hip power even though the arms are moving the most, have a very important postural component and require good mobility in the hip and shoulder joints.

The olympic lifts build the general capacity of the nervous system to produce power, to explode. They also improve coordination between the upper and lower body.

Jason Zuback, several times long drive champ basically trained like an olympic lifter… snatches, power snatches, clean & jerks, front squats, back squats, deadlift. In fact he would have done pretty well in a national olympic lifting competition.

I also like high pulls, for much of the same reasons as the olympic lifts themselves, with a greater potential to improve muscle mass.

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Thanks a lot CT!

Can definately vouch for OL-lifts building the general capacity and therefor transfering to other movements.