Positive Relationships Between Golf Performance Variables and Upper Body Power Capabilities

Area of Science:

• Sports Science
• Biomechanics
• Strength and Conditioning

Background:

• The significance of lower body, trunk, and upper body strength in golf is established.
• The specific relationship between upper body power and golf performance remains less understood.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the correlations between golf performance metrics and upper body power capabilities.

Main Methods:

• Thirteen golfers completed upper body power assessments: ballistic bench press and upper body Wingate test.
• Golf performance was measured by club head velocity (CHV) and ball velocity using a driver and 7-iron.
• Pearson product-moment correlations analyzed the relationships between power tests and golf performance variables.

Main Results:

• Strong correlations (r > 0.6-0.7) were observed between ballistic bench press and CHV/ball velocity with the driver.
• Moderate-to-strong correlations (r > 0.4-0.6) were found with the 7-iron.
• The upper body Wingate test showed strong relationships (r > 0.5-0.8) with CHV and ball velocity for both clubs.

Conclusions:

• Both ballistic bench press and Wingate tests can serve as key assessments for evaluating upper body training effectiveness in golfers.
• The ballistic bench press may offer greater benefits for assessing power during high-velocity swings, such as with a driver.