Renna Helps Golfers Improve Their Golf Game Through Fitness Training
Serious golfers are a crazy bunch of people. I know this very well because I’m a golf fanatic. If you love this game like I do the game is always in your mind. I’m very lucky that my job lets me drive through Westchester Country past many beautiful and challenging golf courses.
With the weather being very mild this winter I have even been able to sneak in a few practice sessions at Fairview Golf Center in Elmsford thanks to their heated tees area. Golfers are always trying to improve their game through any method possible.
Since Tiger Woods turned professional in 1996 the golf world clearly has been turned upside down not only because of his skills on the golf course but also for his devotion to his fitness routine as part of his training to become a great golfer. Due to Woods not only has the average purse size for individuals risen significantly but also over the last 15 years the physical look of the average PGA Tour golfer has changed significantly.
One of the biggest misconceptions by your weekend golfer in trying to improve their individual games is the lack of attention being applied to golf fitness. The fitness craze has hit the PGA Tour and the average golfer. The days when professional golfers looked like Craig Stadler are basically over. The game is now capturing great all-around athletes at a younger age. A couple examples of fitness and athletic ability are PGA Tour players Gary Woodland and Dustin Johnson.
Twenty to thirty years ago at a PGA Tour event after a player round was finished it was off to the 19th hole – a.k.a. the bar – for a post round cool down. Now most PGA Tour golfers after their round is over are not grabbing a drink at a bar but are heading to the tour’s fitness trainer or a local gym for a workout. The golfers today have realized to be successful and try to keep up with Woods they need to be in top physical condition along with being able to score well on the golf course.
Anthony Renna, the founder and owner of Five Iron Fitness at 188 East Post Road in downtown White Plains, realized many years ago there was a big need for a place to work on the fitness side of the golf game. Renna has a detailed background in the game of golf through growing up caddying at Century Golf Club and caddying in the U.S. Open and PGA Tour events for John Reeves, the head golf professional of Willow Ridge.
When Renna got into personal training he saw a need for more personal trainers dealing with golf. “When I got into training I knew at the time – 2003, 2004 – it was really a new market. Everything was kind of following Tiger Woods,” said Renna. “Tiger and Annika (Sorenstam) were really pushing the fitness thing. Although Gary Player was the first one really to do that. The success of Tiger and Annika, why they were successful, they were really focusing on what they were doing with their bodies as well and just not thinking about the swing.”
Renna makes his new clients fill out a long questionnaire when he begins training individuals in an effort to better understand what their needs are so he can develop the fitness program that will maximize each golfer’s potential.
In his facilities on East Post Road he has several rooms where you can lift weights, work on the principles of your swing, improve on the technique of stretching, do cardio workouts and even practice on an indoor putting green.
Being able to perform physically at the highest level is vital when working on your golf game. The average weekend golfer might be better off spending money on fitness class than buying the new high tech driver that is supposed to add more distance to your drive.
“If you can’t get your body in the position that the golf swing requires you’re never going to hit it far. You’re never going to be consistent and you’re not going to enjoy the game as much,” said Renna.
Other ways for golfers to easily improve on the fitness end of their golf games is watching what types of things they eat on the course and try getting more sleep.
“My job at the end of the day is to make you a better mover to give you the opportunity to have the best swing that you possibly can. That’s really what we’re trying to do here,” said Renna. “A golfer needs good core stability, good hip mobility, good thoracic mobility, good strength, good power. We look at the needs specific to the golf swing. That’s what we do different here.We might not work on your agility as much because we’re worried more about the specific things that the golf swing requires.
Renna believes more average golfers are beginning to buy into the importance of golf fitness. “Golfers are crazy. They will do anything to get better. They’re finally coming around. Instead of just buying the driver they’re starting to understand that they have to fix their body, improve their body and they will improve their golf game,” said Renna.
One of Anthony’s customers, Brad Smith, explains why he needed help in terms of golf fitness and how it has benefits. “I think for me it wasn’t as much about stamina as it was about flexibility because I found my problems were at the beginning of the round where on the first tee you’re just not making a good turn and you feel tight.”
After working with Renna for several years, Smith is happier about his personal fitness and his golf game. “When I go to the golf course now I know what I’m going to do before I even play in terms of stretching and warm ups so I don’t have that tight feeling on the first tee and it gives you a lot of confidence in your game also,” said Smith.
In a sport that plays numerous mental games during a four-five 18 hole round getting to the first tee with confidence is a strength than can take your game to new height.
Peter Gerken is a Westchester County native and has published previously with The Patent Trader and the Bronxville Review Press. While attending Boston College he was the sports editor of the university’s newspaper, The Heights, and served as a staff writer for the Boston College sports publication Eagle Action. He can be reached at pgerken@theexaminernews.com.
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