Kevin Duffy, a 2025 GFAA Industry Leaders Award winner, is the Founder of Rotational Power Strength in Acton and Natick, Massachusetts.
Kevin Duffy on the importance of providing personalized programming:
I opened Rotational Power Strength in Acton, Massachusetts, in 2020 and recently expanded to nearby Natick. Our primary clientele consists of golfers, but we conduct semi-private fitness and performance groups for all adults. We cater to many rotational athletes — golf, tennis, other racket sports — but 90 percent of our clients are golfers, some who are striving to win their club championship, as well as others playing high school, college and professional golf. I graduated from Westfield State University with an Exercise Science degree, did my internship at Exos and then worked with the Northeastern University hockey program for several years before finding my way into the golf industry. Today, as a single-digit handicap, I understand the frustrations that come with the love and dedication we put into the game of golf. What I connect with most — and what our clients relate to — is the shared desire to improve, whether that’s making a high school roster, competing in a member-guest or pursuing a PGA or LPGA Tour card. Our goal at RPS is to create personalized programs for each of our clients. We discuss their goals, and expect our clients to take accountability for the progress we seek together. Most of our clientele is referred to us by the many great swing coaches and PGA of America Golf Professionals in our area. We take the relationships with these golf professionals very seriously, as they not only boost business and engagement but also render better results for our mutual clients due to the collaboration and sharing of information on each golfer. We take our new clients through a TPI evaluation and conduct further strength and conditioning assessments to determine their strengths and weaknesses. After every evaluation, we sit down with the client to discuss their specific needs and goals, outline a clear plan and then collaborate closely with my coaching staff and the client’s swing coach. That team-based approach is central to our ability to deliver long-term, sustainable results. The program will either be in a one-on-one setting or part of a small group, semi-private environment. Although some of our clients train in our small group setting, each individual has his or her own program to follow and goals to pursue.
Kevin Duffy on the business impact of providing personalized programming:
We meet our clients where they are when first meeting. We don’t push new clients into short-term programs because they don’t generally render the results the clients are seeking. Programs that advertise quick results end up having a lot of burnout because the clients aren’t seeing those outcomes. After the initial assessment and program creation, we conduct each session with their goals in mind. As one goal is achieved, we ask what the next goal is. Some clients achieve their goals faster than others, accentuating the importance of individuality in the programming. We have in-season programming, off-season programing and a maintenance mode, working within the realistic timeline that we’ve laid out from the outset. On average, a client will actively work on his or her program for over a year. We help them understand that they will play better golf by not hanging up the weights when the golf season arrives. The intensity level might differ in July versus February, but we advise students not to completely cease the physical aspects of their progression in golf. Developing an in-season fitness and performance program can be very difficult — it’s a different approach that is needed to keep golfers successful when they’re playing the most. This is why I take my continuing education (and that of my team) very seriously. We make sure we’re on the same page and communicating with the player and his or her swing coach. This formula has proven very successful for the RPS team! Our priority is the long-term development of our clients, and we take a team approach to help them develop elite balance and to be able to rotate and stay in posture during the golf swing. From start to finish, we aim to “Do the simple things savagely well for uncommon results.”
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email coachkevinduffy@gmail.com.
