Sports – Golf

Dana Santas works with golfers of all types–from pros to recreational. She has conducted RYC for Golf workshops at pro venues, including the Tournament Players Club (TPC).

Radius Yoga Conditioning (RYC) customized programs are available to golfers at all levels:  professional, collegiate, amateur, youth and recreational.  In addition to onsite training, RYC programs can be made accessible to all serious athletes–despite travel challenges–using numerous formats, including Skype/Facetime sessions, as well as customized videos, audio files and manuals accessed via the Private Client Portal. Refer to the Sports Programs and Private Training pages for more information on specific program options.

Let’s be honest—the golfing world only became interested in fitness over the last decade, and only seriously in the last few years. Probably due to the stationary nature of the golf swing, people have long underestimated the necessary athleticism involved in golf. But thanks to fit pros like Tiger Woods and Annika Sorenstam, golfers are recognizing the athletic training necessary to achieve optimum performance and avoid injury on the links.

Taking a full swing off the tee requires flexibility through an enormous range of motion of two primary joints (the hips and shoulders). Functional strength is required to exert power and control over the club from back swing through impact and follow through. And a strong core is needed to stabilize the body, enabling the exertion of power and movement without a loss of balance.

In a FitTV interview, famed golf instructor Butch Harmon once said, “The most important thing in golf is stretching. If you are tight and bulky, you will not have a good swing.” So it’s no surprise that golfers are increasingly turning to yoga.

RYC not only helps golfers with the paramount flexibility of muscles and mobility of joints that Butch referenced but also with the development of integrated core strength—the foundation of any good golf swing. When conditioning golfers, RYC takes into account the sophisticated series of movements involved in a golf swing and works to individually address each golfer’s weaknesses by creating a yoga practice that increases functional strength and mobility in the areas needed most.

Maybe even more important than the physical game of golf is the mental game. Golfers are constantly trying to figure out how to “get out of their own heads” while on the course. Letting the mind run away wreaks havoc on the game. RYC trains the body and mind to work in unison, creating an internal awareness that hones concentration. And by using yoga to condition the breath for the game, golfers can leverage breathing techniques to control stress levels—keeping the heart rate and blood pressure steady from the first hole to the last. RYC’s specialized breathing, visualization and meditative techniques, are offered as part of “Eye of the Hurricane Training™.”

To learn about yoga for youth golfers, visit the Youth Sports page.