One of the most interesting statistics that has been gathered by TPI through fitness testing and ball flight analysis of touring professionals is this one:
They have discovered that athletes who achieve 170+mph ball speed with a driver can perform a vertical leap of 22 inches AND can perform a two handed seated weighted ball throw that measures 22 feet. (the weighted medicine ball weighs 1 pound for every 20 pounds of the student/patient). For example a 200 pound adult would have to throw a 10 pound ball 22 feet from a seated position.
Editor’s note: When you’re trying to be a decent father, a mediocre husband, and an okay golf pro……AND write these blogs….you can, as, the newest TV Bachelor puts it “Can have bad miscommunication sometimes…” The above paragraph should present like this: Any athlete tested who CAN jump 22 inches and throw 22 feet have all tested over 170mph….as Brad has written to me, he is tested well over 170mph with a vertical leap just under 22 inches and throw just, I mean just, under 22 feet. The egg – 22 inches, 22 feet…..the chicken – 170mph.
Power in the golf swing starts from the ground up. If you don’t believe me you could have one of the stagehands working on the Broadway version of Spiderman hook you up to one of the harnesses, suspend you above the ground and you could try to swing a golf club as fast as you can……try to picture that before the stagehand is distracted and you plummet to the ground. And I’m a U2 fan 
Anyway, your body is made up with “stable” segments and “mobile” joints. Our body works efficiently when those stable segments remain stable (for instance your femur should remain stable….if it becomes mobile or broken you’re in trouble) and the joints that are supposed to be mobile remain mobile (ever had a frozen shoulder?). An efficient golf swing requires at the very least: hips/mobile, core/stable, T-spine/mobile. An inefficient golf swing very likely has hips/stable, core/mobile (think posture), T-spine/stable. The first stable segment in the body is the bottom of your foot….so efficiency begins from the ground up.
The number 22 is the carrot that I’ve been throwing out to 18 of my students who are attending my golf fitness classes on Saturdays this winter and they are working HARD…..get to 22 inches and 22 feet AND you will be physically capable of producing 170+mph ball speed with your driver. All that means is 300+yards off the tee. Essentially a must when competing at a high level.
My son, Mitchell, helps me out in this demonstration and while he has no lines he manages to throw the ball at an angle that magically bounces right back into my hands…..in 1 take!!! Enjoy.
