The Biomechanical Approach

JW: You have worked with National Teams including Australia, Scotland, England, Norway, Switzerland and New Zealand. What is your general opinion on HK Team golfers? Do you think they have any competitive edge over other national players?

RL: One of the main things is how any information I provide at camps is followed up and reinforced and I have worked with many of Jon’s Elite players and Tour players over the last 10 years, so having a good relationship with him was important and he said this could be a great project as there is several talented young players in HK. And he was right - there are definitely some good players and with the right input, structure, and foundation work, HK could really enjoy some strong success over the next decade.

JW: How do you foresee the use of 3D technology with HK players and Teams in the future?

RL: We are looking to have 2 day camps periodically - from 2 to 4 times per year. For this to have any long term enduring success it requires a consistent program over a number of years. This will allow Jon and I to create a blueprint for each individual player and then we invite all local coaches to attend the sessions and they can then reinforce the work done in-between these camps.

JW: How does biomechanics help to prevent elite golfers' increasing number of injuries?

RL: Essentially, we are getting more players specialising in golf at an earlier age, often with equipment that is inappropriate for them and before their bodies are ready to cope with the number of repetitions they are making. Thus, we are dealing with far more injuries at an earlier stage in their ‘careers’ (particularly wrist injuries). Through biomechanical analysis, we can identify and ‘red flag’ the movements being made that put stress on certain areas of the body, and whilst always trying to correct any swing movements and integrating appropriately with their physical programs, ‘load management’ (balls hit) is always going to be key to reducing injury risk with developing players.

Biomechanical analysis allows us to correlate the physiology of a player to how they swing. We can then prescribe gym exercises that reduce the risk of injury, as well as correct any swing movements that are putting excessive stress on joints or other parts of the body.