Fit for Golf

Golf is a popular sport in the area for adults and students alike. Locally, there are several excellent golf courses and driving ranges. Still, if enthusiasts of the sport wanted to improve their fitness and performance, they had to travel outside of the area.

The Lee C. Jewett Sports Medicine Center has filled that void by introducing the Fit for Golf program. “When we moved into the new facility, we wanted to offer programs to the public that are unavailable locally. Golf fitness and performance is viral. My physical therapy background, in addition to my love of the game, made it a natural fit,” says Matt Hamlin, PT, ATC, STMT-1, TPI Certified, Supervisor of Outpatient Physical Therapy, and coordinator of the program. “Anyone can participate in the Fit for Golf program. I’ve had clients as young as 15 and as old as 84. You are never too young or old to get in shape for golf.”

Fit for Golf is a six-week, two-times-per-week training program designed to improve mobility and flexibility; increase core and rotational strength; perform overspeed training to increase clubhead speed, and work on swing-related drills to improve contact. It is an individualized, focused exercise program based on a personalized screening to enhance the participant’s golf swing.

The program includes:

• Titleist Performance Institute Level 1 physical assessment performed by a TPI Certified Therapist to identify physical limitations specific to the golf swing and provide golfer’s “physical handicap.”

• Prescribed exercise/fitness program based on results of physical screen to improve efficiency.

• Video analysis of your golf swing A slow-motion video analysis is reviewed to determine if there are identified physical limitations from the level 1 screen, which may be affecting your swing mechanics.

• Overspeed training with SuperSpeed Golf training aid. Maximize your club head speed with just 10 minutes of training, 2x per week.

• Launch Monitor with an indoor net. Collects data on carry distance, club head speed, spin rate, and more. Clients can reserve time to hit balls and review their data during training.

Area resident Amy Robinson is a regular at Plum Brook Golf Course in the summer and hits the links with her husband when they travel to Florida in the winter. A friend of hers who had participated in the program recommended that Amy try it as well. “I was looking for ways to improve my game, and my friend said she thought Fit for Golf would help,” says Amy. “I wanted to work on my swing speed, my flexibility and my ability to twist and turn. Matt helps you use your physiology to improve all aspects of your game. He’s very knowledgeable and helpful. My husband can’t believe how fast my swing speed is now. It’s all due to this program.”

Billy Criscione, a local businessman who operates Ghostly Manor Thrill Center in Sandusky, received several Fit for Golf sessions as a Christmas present from his wife one year. “I liked that the program got me into the gym for a workout twice a week. I had never done a workout specifically for golf.”

As a boy, he played golf every day at Plum Brook and played on his high school golf team. Billy started our program in the summer of 2022. “Usually, as you age, your drives become shorter. This past summer, after I did the Fit for Golf program, I was hitting 20 – 30 yards longer than I had before. It was amazing.”

Billy is very complimentary of Matt, crediting him with his success in the program. “Matt is a great guy. He’s very passionate about the program and loves to see people succeed. He’s very knowledgeable about the game and knows how to help you improve.”

Fit for Golf has also helped high school athletes improve their golf games. Meredith Unger, a sophomore at Edison High School and member of the school’s girls golf team, enrolled with another teammate. “We wanted to prepare for the upcoming golf season. I was also having some lower back pain when I swung the club and thought maybe Fit for Golf could help me with that, which it did.”

The length of Meredith’s drives improved, as did the speed of her swing. “Matt had us do drills with weighted sticks, which helped me rotate faster. He really knew what he was doing and helped me quite a bit,” says Meredith. That year, the Edison girl's golf team made it to Districts.

To learn more or sign up go to firelands.com/golf