Lisa Banks is the Director of Fitness and Aquatics at The Club at Savannah Quarters in Pooler, Georgia.
It was just a year ago that the topic of golf fitness first arose in our fitness center, when one of our golf members introduced us to TPI and suggested we seek the expertise of Randy Myers at Sea Island Golf Club.
We met with Randy, had lunch and enjoyed a tour of his facility. He allowed us the time and opportunity to learn about starting a golf fitness program at our club. After all, with golfers, swimmers, tennis players and fitness enthusiasts at The Club at Savannah Quarters, we want to help them be the best athletes they can be – healthy, fit and skilled at their chosen sport or activity. Randy advised that we bring on a fitness trainer who also knows golf, an area we didn’t necessarily have covered before. Hunter Byram, an aspiring professional golfer, came on board as a fitness attendant in September of last year.
Just a few months earlier, I had gotten the ball rolling with some golf fitness classes, which Hunter added to last fall. We ran these sessions through the end of 2021 and took the beginning of this year off to allow Hunter to acquire his personal training certification, at which point he assumed a leadership role. Anticipating some professional playing opportunities for Hunter in the near future, I am staying close to the golf fitness classes so I can lead them again going forward.
The classes place a focus on balance, flexibility, speed and power to maximize the many intricate movements that go into an effective golf swing. To grow awareness and build participation in our current and future golf fitness endeavors, we’re ensuring a more visible presence on our range, especially during some of our club tournaments. We help members stretch and warm up prior to play, which gives us an opportunity to engage and educate them further. We’re even working with local high school golfers to introduce various golf fitness concepts.
The past year has been an exciting journey, but we’re just getting started. We look forward to building upon our golf fitness programming in 2022 with increased member participation, expanded expertise and a growing awareness of the importance of golf fitness for golfers of all ages and skill levels.
Fostering a relationship with Randy Myers was a key catalyst in getting us started. But in-house collaboration will drive our growth going forward. Until now, our fitness professionals and PGA Professionals have served our members separately, focusing solely on their own areas of expertise. Looking ahead, we’re striving for a more collaborative effort, so our members can experience maximum benefits from our shared goals for them and the future.
You must be logged in to post a comment.