Meeting a Golfer's Needs: Needs Analysis, Profiling, and Coaching Considerations in Strength and Conditioning

This chapter considers the effective assessment, profiling, monitoring and coaching of golfers to meet their strength and conditioning needs. It is vital that the strength and conditioning (S&C) coach appreciates both the athlete and the sport specific demands. This chapter ensures that the S&C coach is equipped to adopt a multi-disciplinary approach to programming and fostering conducive training interventions and environments through which golfers can achieve their goals. A thorough overview of the underpinning needs of the athlete, the impact of the golfer’s behaviours on internal load and the physiology, biomechanics and training demands required to succeed in the sport is provided. The chapter critiques a range of profiling protocols, their links to golf performance measures, such as clubhead speed, and their use in both laboratory and field-based settings. Furthermore, this chapter affords coaches and golfers an insight into the key questions a S&C coach should ask a golfer when working with them to establish effective, systematic S&C interventions