THE EFFECTS OF INCREASED TRUNK BODY COMPOSITION, CHEST STRENGTH, AND LEG STRENGTH ON CLUBHEAD SPEED IN RECREATIONAL GOLFERS

The purpose of this study was to determine if trunk body composition, chest strength, and leg strength predict clubhead speed (CHS), which is positively correlated with driving distance. Factors that contribute to CHS are flexibility, technique, skill level, and strength. Increased musculature was previously believed to decrease flexibility in golfers; therefore, many golfers would refrain from participating in resistance training. However, increasing strength, flexibility, and balance increases golf performance. By increasing strength, athletes are more likely to have more control of the club throughout the swing. Therefore, increased strength and muscularity could result in increased CHS. The participants (n = 11) completed assessments that involved height and weight measurements, body composition assessment, predicted one repetition maximum, and CHS measurements. Statistical analyses were conducted using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS, v. 17.0, Chicago, IL). Central tendency and spread of the data are denoted as mean and standard deviation. A stepwise regression was used to determine which variables and interactions were significant regarding their relationship to CHS. The results of this study showed correlations between CHS and trunk fat mass (r = -0.231), trunk lean mass (r = 0.072), trunk fat percentage (r = -0.521), flat bench press (r = 0.611), incline bench press (r =0.499), leg press (r = 0.466), and hack squat (r = 0.369). The only significant correlation was between CHS and flat bench press (P = 0.046).