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Weekly Quiz!

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My Visit to Titleist Headquarters

Last week I made a visit to Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) headquarters in Oceanside, California. It was AMAZING.

If you have never heard of TPI before, this is from their website:

TPI is the world's leading educational organization dedicated to the study of how the human body functions in relation to the golf swing.

Since its inception in 2003, TPI has studied thousands of golfers ranging from the top professional Tour players to weekend enthusiasts. An incredible amount of data on players of all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels has been gathered during this time. Using this data, TPI discovered how a properly functioning body allows a player to swing a golf club in the most efficient way possible. Additionally, TPI has analyzed how physical limitations in a player’s body can adversely affect the golf swing and potentially lead to injury.

TPI’s mission is to educate golfers and industry professionals on the Body-Swing Connection™ through its one of a kind ‘TPI Certified’ educational program. This program was developed by founders Dr. Greg Rose and Dave Phillips along with a 52 member advisory staff of industry leading experts. Five unique fields of study are offered for TPI Certification: Golf, Medical, Fitness, Power and Junior Development. Currently, there are over 19,000 TPI Certified professionals in 63 countries assisting players of all skill levels.

I spent a half day with TPI founders Dr. Greg Rose and Dave Phillips (Jon Rahm’s coach). The time spent with them was priceless!

We began with an interview where they asked a ton of questions about my medical and golf background.

Next step was to go through a movement screen. The Titleist Performance Institute Movement Screen is a physical assessment designed to identify your movement limitations and how they affect your swing efficiency and performance. The screen consists of a series of tests evaluating mobility, stability, balance, and functional movement patterns. The results are used to create a personalized training and conditioning program aimed at improving golf-specific physical capabilities, thereby enhancing overall performance and reducing the risk of injury.

Next we went through a power screen. The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) Power Screen is a set of tests designed to assess your power potential and identify areas for improvement. It measures key aspects such as vertical jump, seated chest throw, and sit-up and throw, evaluating your explosive strength and power output. The results help create tailored training programs to enhance power generation in the golf swing, ultimately leading to increased distance and performance on the course.

Brief Summary of My Results

The movement and power screen results are entered into a mobile app that you are able to access. My screens identified a number of lower body issues, with my left ankle being at the top of the list. My power screen showed sufficient upper body strength, opportunities to improve my core strength, and we didn’t even test lower body strength as Greg did not want to risk me getting injured.

I suffered a high ankle sprain last year, and lost most of the 2023 season. I went through physical therapy but have still been having issues.

What Greg and Dave told me was that these issues had a serious impact on my movement patterns. I started making compensations due to lack of mobility and to avoid certain positions to limit any pain I felt. I showed them a video of my swing pre-injury, and they were surprised at how different I used to move, compared to how I am moving now. Dave said that if I was one of his tour pros, he would shut me down and not let me swing a club until these issues were fixed because all I have been doing is ingraining a bad movement pattern as my body compensated around all the issues.

As doom and gloom as the results might sound, I am thrilled I went through this process as I walked away with a plan. Through the TPI app, Greg and Dave prescribed a mobility routine targeted at my specific issues. I have also met with a local doctor (physical therapist) who is certified in TPI’s medical and fitness approach. I’ll continue seeing this therapist until I get fixed. I have been working on my mobility for almost a week and a half now and it is amazing how much improvement I have already seen.

Going through the TPI screens was eye opening. I am a middle aged dude that sits behind a computer most of the day, and doesn’t work out as much as I should. This assessment was a wake up call that fixing the issues I have will not only help my golf game, but will also improve my quality of life.

If you have never been through a TPI assessment, I would highly encourage you consider it not only for your golf game, but for everyday life as well. You can find a TPI person near you here.

Looks like we are planning to have me back at TPI near the end of the year for a follow up screening. I am going to bust my butt between now and then to fix my mobility issues, get stronger, and get leaner.

Don’t wait as long as I did to figure out what you need to do. Go see an expert and get a plan in place.

See you next week!

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