With plenty of evidence available reporting the benefits of strength and plyometric training to help you hit that 300 yard bullet drive you see on T.V. I wondered… What would happen if you only did plyometrics? Plyometrics are exercises in which muscles exert maximum force in short intervals of time, with the goal of increasing power (speed-strength). Could this type of training be worth doing without lifting weights? I decided to work with a colleague to create the study.
The reason for the study was to see if those not able to get hold of equipment i.e. weights could still pack on the yards on a home exercise programme with no equipment, totally free. The results were quite amazing.
Subjects were split into control and intervention groups and were tested before and after a six week programme based on swing speed and total driving distance. Many thanks to IGolfStudio Sheffield for hosting the study. The indoor studio and top of the range flightscope technology meant for low chance of anomaly and changing variables during the study.
Results
Driving distance (yards)
| Pre | Post | Change | %Change | |
| Control (4) | 231.34 ± 26.70 | 231.57 ± 26.67 | + 0.23 | 0.10 |
| Intervention (6) | 235.18 ± 23.35 | 239.21 ± 25.93 | + 4.03 | 1.72 |
Club head speed (Mph)
| Pre | Post | Change | %Change | |
| Control (4) | 45.22 ± 4.42 | 45.14 ± 4.13 | + 0.23 | -0.18 |
| Intervention (6) | 47.19 ± 3.16 | 47.60 ± 3.21 | + 4.03 | 0.87 |
In just a short time period the 6 golfers involved in the intervention group increased swing speed by almost 1mph and increased driving distance by just under 2 yards.