Positive relationships between golf performance variables and upper body power capabilities

The importance of lower body and trunk strength and power, as well as upper body strength in golf is well documented, however the relationship between upper body power and golf performance has yet to be determined. Therefore, the purpose of the study was to investigate the relationships between golf performance and upper body power. Thirteen golfers (mean ± SD: age: 30 ± 7 years and handicap: 6.1 ± 4.9) participated in the study. Club head velocity (CHV) and ball velocity were measured during the golf test. In order to assess upper body power, subjects completed a ballistic bench press and upper body Wingate test. Pearson product-moment correlations were used to assess the relationships between golf performance and upper body power. The results demonstrated that there were strong relationships between ballistic bench press and CHV and ball velocity when using the driver (r > 0.6 - 0.7), and moderate to strong relationships (r > 0.4 - 0.6) when using the 7-iron. Strong relationships were found between the upper body Wingate test and CHV and ball velocity (r > 0.5 - 0.8) when using the driver and 7-iron. As a results of the findings, strength and conditioning coaches may use both the ballistic bench press test and the Wingate test as a primary assessment to measure the effectiveness of upper body training interventions with the aim of improving golf performance. Although, when performing the golf swings at higher velocities (i.e. with the driver), the ballistic bench press may be a more beneficial.