Titleist - TPI

Teaching with Technology – Improve Your Game with a TPI Body Motion Screening

Golfers are now considered athletes thanks to Tiger Woods showing that improving a golfer’s fitness and health can have a positive impact on a player’s golf swing and ability to compete. How the body works or doesn’t work is the essence of what the Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) and its research through bio-mechanic technology have proven. By targeting specific areas of the body, golfers can make their swing more efficient, reduce potential injury and increase enjoyment and satisfaction in their game.

TPI goes hand in hand with Kinematic Sequence, which was discussed two weeks ago, which is the ideal and efficient way for the body to transfer energy during the swing and transmit maximum force from the club into the ball. Depending how much range of motion, strength, flexibility, mobility and stability a player has, it can determine what swing issues and assets a person has and the results they can expect. This is revealed through a series of body motion screens put together by a team of doctors in physical therapy, fitness, exercise, bio-mechanics and golf professionals.

As an example, one of the screens is the Overhead Deep Squat Test. In this motion test, stand with your feet shoulder width apart holding a club above your head with elbows bent at 90°, then squat down as far as you can without hurting yourself or falling over. While squatting try keeping the club overhead. Upon going down as far as you can and reaching the bottom of the squat, a successful position should have:

- Thighs below horizontal to the ground

- Knees still over feet not pointing outward

- Heels still on ground

- Toes should not flair out

- Club still overhead not falling forward

Struggling to perform this motion has been proven from TPI research that a player will most likely lose posture in the swing and throw their hips at the ball during the downswing. Generally, this causes loss of distance, shanking, chunking, thinning golf shots and slicing. This means your body is working against you from hitting better golf shots until you can manage these limited motions.

TPI research also shows that a golfer can improve their golf game by improving their body by working with a golf professional to improve swing mechanics, a fitness professional for strength and a physical therapist to increase range of motion.

Hope this adds a little insight into your understanding that working only on swing mechanics will only go so far if the body has limitations. Improving bio-mechanics through physical body developments can make swing changes easier and faster to implement.

Good Luck and As Always…Fairways & Greens!