Dr. Cody Fowler is the Director of Performance at Hillcrest Country Club in Los Angeles, California.
After almost a decade of running his own sports therapy and chiropractic clinic in Northern California, Dr. Cody Fowler is five months into his current role as Director of Performance at Hillcrest Country Club, in Los Angeles. California.
“Members often come to me because they’re having a hard time turning into their hip or properly maintaining posture while swinging a golf club,” Fowler says.
Sometimes, the member’s general mobility may simply be lacking, and they will work with Fowler to implement corrective exercises that focus on movements with no club in hand. The goal is to then see an increase in mobility and flexibility when they put the club back in their hands.
In a session, Fowler will conduct any exercises deemed necessary based on the member’s goals, and then they’ll step out onto the range to apply the concepts live with a golf club and ball. This is a huge benefit to the members and a great opportunity within his golf fitness programming, as being able to apply the fitness concepts to the golf swing immediately helps the members better understand what they’re doing and why. It goes beyond the theory and becomes about the application.
If the members’ efforts with Fowler are working, then the member leaves with greater confidence in his or her abilities, and is motivated to continue practicing between sessions. If progress is stalled, Fowler will consider a different approach and work with their mindset, as much as their body, to help attain the metrics and movements they are seeking.
About 60-70 percent of Cody Fowler’s clients are also working with one of Hillcrest’s PGA Professional instructors. Others are just seeking increased power and mobility, and they want to understand the benefits that Fowler’s expertise brings to their mission to improve their game.
Going into the winter season in Los Angeles, he has set up shop in Hillcrest’s two-stall range house, using one of the indoor hitting bays and an assortment of equipment at his disposal.
Current group programming includes women’s classes that include low impact sessions that focus on mobility and balance, and they’re building upon this early success across several member segments. Many of the younger women members prefer sessions that work on attaining longer drives and increased power in their golf swing. Regardless of their goals, these six-person classes are outdoors and utilize medicine balls, speed sticks and resistance bands. Fowler recently ran a men’s power workshop that he hopes will become a weekly endeavor, as well.
As mentioned, Fowler also works one-on-one with members seeking rehabilitation from ailments, such as a shoulder replacement surgery and pain from bone-on-bone friction in their knee that’s hindering their mobility. This aspect of his services is steadily increasing as word spreads around the club.
When Cody first came on board at Hillcrest, he would spend 10-12 hours per day at the club, walking the range, meeting members and even sitting in on some lessons. He’d offer some input during those sessions to demonstrate his expertise. “Let’s try this!” He’d tell them. And when they felt the difference, they’d be hooked.
After all, better movement in the swing makes it easier to make good contact for virtually any level of golfer!
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