Golfers get an eye-opening assessment

Hey golfers, what do you really know about your swing?

Here’s what I learned in 30 minutes at Cape Cod Healthcare’s Golf Performance Program in Hyannis: I’m inconsistent, often leading with my arms or torso instead of my pelvis. My back, instead of resembling an S-curve, looks like a bumpy C. My speed, while not totally embarrassing, is at the bottom of my age range.

Much of that can probably be fixed, says Pam Cormier, a Titleist Performance Institute certified physical therapist, one of two that work at the Golf Performance Center at 46 North St., Hyannis.

Cape Cod Healthcare’s program is open to all golfers, not only those going through outpatient physical therapy but also players who struggle with pain or are just trying to better understand their body mechanics. The goal is to help improve how players’ bodies are performing and functioning, leading to at least a more comfortable game, if not a lower score.

The cost, while not covered by insurance, is within the range of private golf lessons. An initial 90-minute private evaluation is $249. Each additional 45-minute training session is $149, but packages are available that make it as low as $100 per session. Appointments can be scheduled by calling 508-957-9283; by filling out this form; or through your MyChart account.

Besides the assessment tools, therapists can do hands-on treatments like massage, active release stretching, therapeutic cupping and dry needling, which involves the therapist inserting tiny needles into pressure points to help with pain and movement.

Personalized Plans

Golfers come with different goals and need different numbers of sessions, said Cormier.

“Some people want that strength and performance, and they just want to know, what do I do when I go to the gym? Somebody else might be just recovering from a painful episode. And a third category might just be somebody who’s interested in learning about their body mechanics and efficiency,” she said.

My own golf career has lapsed, to say the least. But I was curious what my body could still do.

Cormier first put me in the K-VEST. The vest is not so much a vest as a series of biofeedback straps. Two straps go around your shoulders as if you were carrying a backpack. One goes around your waist. And a third goes on your wrist. The vest wirelessly digitizes information about body mechanics, creating a report for the therapist.

Next, Cormier asked me to do some simple exercises, like rotating my body, touching my toes, and balancing on one foot. That helps her figure out if any physical limitations, such as my ability to turn my body, would affect my swing.

“It gives us a snapshot look at where we’re most likely to laser in most efficiently to create a customized program,” she said.

Then it was over to the hitting net. I tried to smack a few balls into the net wearing the vest. That’s how Cormier knew, as I swung first a driver and then an iron, that my posture and sequencing were off. While the pros start the swing with their pelvis followed by the torso, arms and then hands, I was all over the place, never leading with my pelvis.

I couldn’t feel that I was leading with my torso or hands as I did it. But the vest knew. And the report synthesized and illustrated the information in a way that I could see it. It put more emphasis on my body than my golf game – exactly the point.

Focusing on Body Mechanics

Cormier and the other TPI-certified physical therapist at the center, Matt DiBona, are trained to concentrate on how body mechanics affect the game. For example, if you have a sore back, they can assess what’s causing the pain and how it affects play, and then work on solving the issue and improving your movement. But most golfers will benefit, according to Cormier. In fact, the center has recently started working with high school coaches to help young athletes improve their movement and body mechanics. The center is offering small-group sessions (two to three golfers) for young athletes at $75 for a 60-minute session.

“We’re looking at functional strength, speed and stamina – 3D integration of knowing where their bodies are in space and trying to learn to use their bodies more efficiently,” she said.

Cormier calls the program an “eye-opener” for players.

“Especially if you’ve been playing a long time and you haven’t really looked at your body changing over time,” she says. “We have to learn to play differently so we don’t get hurt. That’s the best part: seeing somebody who thought they weren’t going to be able to play anymore figure out a way that is not painful and is enjoyable.”