By: Dr. Daniel Chillianis, PT, DPT
Masters Week sings the unofficial opening song for the 2024 golf season for much of us in the Northeast. With that comes thousands flocking back to the golf courses wide-eyed and confident that THIS is the year it all comes together and they can finally (truthfully) utter the recreational golfer's favorite four word sentence “I’ve figured it out”. However, before you make your way to the first tee it is worthwhile to reflect on “have I done anything recently to prepare myself for this next 4 hours of repetitive dynamic exercise?” “Is there a way I could better prepare my body to perform this sport I enjoy so much that it consumes most aspects of my life?” I hope to answer these questions in an educational and digestible manner throughout the rest of this blog!
My name is Daniel Chillianis PT, DPT and I am a TPI-Certified Medical Professional in the evaluation, diagnosis and treatment of golf-related injuries and a fellow golf enthusiast. The golf swing is a beautiful, poetic and dynamic chain-reaction of coordinated muscle actions and body mechanics that require balance/stability and explosive power with razor thin margins for success (and we still wonder why consistency is so hard). And I know what you’re thinking “beautiful, poetic and dynamic are not words anyone with eyes would use to describe my swing”. However, that same sentiment is what provides the beauty to a golf swing, they are like finger-prints in that although the desired functional goal holds true amongst all, no two are the same. We can see this across all skill levels as you will see below with the two most recent #1 golfers in the world.
Above you’ll see two drastically different positions, planes and angles of movement and overall look, however both produce world-class results that anyone who puts a tee in the ground would mortgage their future for.
With all that said let’s break all of this down and answer some questions to see if you could benefit from a TPI Screening.
What is TPI?
- TPI or Titleist Performance Institute is the world’s leading educational organization dedicated to the study of how the human body functions in relation to the golf swing.
- TPI has studied thousands of golfers ranging from Tour-Pros to Weekend Hackers and has gathered an incredible amount of data on players of all shapes, sizes, ages and fitness levels. 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, information was provided on how physical limitations in a player’s body can adversely affect the golf swing and potentially lead to injury. (1) (https://www.mytpi.com/)
What does a screening consist of?
- A TPI Screening/Evaluation consists of 16 different functional tests that assess the individual's ability to perform the mobility/actions and coordination required for an efficient and optimal version of YOUR golf swing.
- The screening is done in a one-on-one (1) hour session and when completed will provide the golfer with these results on a shared portal which will additionally provide individualized routines stacked with drills/exercises/stretches and mobility training formulated by your TPI-Certified professional to provide you with the tools to improve your golf game, enjoyment and longevity.
Will you make me a better golfer?
- Great Question!
- While the direct goal of these sessions and treatment plans is to improve the bodies ability/tolerance and coordination to produce such a dynamic action. Indirectly, by improving our building blocks and pre-requisites for what a golf swing consists of, we are creating an advantageous environment for improved performance!
Why would I see a physical therapist for golf when I'm not injured?
- Another Great Question! Which I’ll offer a counter question, are you interested in waiting till you're injured?
- Now, IN NO WAY am I implying that if you are not screened by a TPI Professional, you will definitely suffer an injury. However, it's not uncommon throughout a golf season to deal with aches and pains especially later on into our golf careers leading to frustration, shortened seasons, decreased frequency of rounds and inability to participate at your desired level. To which I preach Proactivity not Reactivity!!!!
Each year as the Golf Season reemerges in the shadow of a long winter and we golfers look for any possible way to gain an edge, shave some strokes off the handicap, play more rounds, chase the feeling of reaching that golfer flow state. We frequently turn to the next and best technology whether that be new clubs, training aids or we seek out Youtube videos with instructions and swing tips posed to a large audience with zero specificity or individualistic nature in an attempt to generalize the ungeneralizable.
At the Green Room PT we choose to “Assess don’t Guess!" Book your TPI Screening session with Me today and take the first step towards gathering the tools that will help you foster not only better performance on the course but lengthen your career, increase your participation and regain that love and enjoyment for the beautiful frustrating game we call golf!
Hit em’ Straight! -Dr. Daniel Chillianis PT, DPT
Sounds very interesting! How much does a one-hour session cost? Is it covered by insurance?