I am regularly asked how I train for golf and what I get up to on a daily basis. I also hear from time to time, “Golf isn’t a real sport” … so, for those of you that are curious to see what a day in the life of a professional golfer looks like, then look no further.
Typically, I’m up and out of bed by 7-7:30am, I’ll have a light breakfast before heading to the start the day in the gym with my strength and conditioning coach.
Aiming to be in the gym by 8.30, I’ll be there prepping the body for the day ahead. Depending on what time of the season it is, I’ll dictate what exercises we will do in there. Pre-season is more emphasis on strength and power work, but as the tournament season comes closer, we will focus more on speed, training and mobility to get the body as fast and mobile as possible.
Practice Makes Perfect
Once showered and golf dressed, I will head to begin my practice morning at around 10:30. There, I meet up with a coach, to discuss any up-and-coming events, what I am working on in the gym to make sure everyone is on the same page regarding my body, and tie that in with swing technique elements. How the body is feeling heavily dictates what you can do in practice, this is often overlooked when you are trying to improve at any level.
A small example, I have a tendency to get tight in my upper back. Could be from travel, how I sleep, or generally from a lot of practice. So, if I’m working on more rotation in the swing and my thoracic is very tight, I simply won’t be able to do what my swing coach is asking.
I’ll be there working on fundamentals until lunch, then at 1:30-2pm, I’ll head for some lunch to fuel the body for the afternoon’s workload. Snacking in between meals is vital to stay energized, don’t forget to nibble!
Keeping it Fresh with Competitive Training
After lunch until 4:30-5pm, I’ll be in tournament mode training. This includes many varieties of competitive games, keeping practice fun and competitive is what I think is key for progressing. This will challenge all aspects of the game, from driving to iron play, from pitching through to putting. I’ll practice different elements every day…
For example, Mondays could be short game, Tuesdays could be iron play, Wednesdays could be driving, each day will be different to keep variety. Nobody likes boredom!
Once the games are complete, I’ll head to the course to play some holes, normally 6-9 holes depending on sunlight. Applying what I’ve learnt that day, getting some on-course feel feedback is also a big thing. People can be ‘Tiger Woods’ on the range when it’s a flat lie and always hitting from the same spot shot after shot, but applying it on the course is a different beast all together.
6:30-7pm, I’ll head home to stretch and refuel. At night, I like to write thoughts down on how the day went. I’ll keep a track of my competitive game scores and also any good swing feelings I may have had that day.
Keeping notes on good feelings helps refine the feeling, and also if you’re not swinging so good, you can look back on what worked in the past to snap you out of any on going bad habits!
I aim to be in bed by 10:30-11pm to get up and repeat the next day!