Got some interesting feedback on the previous post on this topic, so thought I’d share this research with you, where unloaded and loaded (2.8% body mass) golf shots were compared in five female golfers (average handicap 4). The players were loaded on the trail side as shown in the diagram. They performed five loaded and five unloaded shots in a random order. The loaded condition resulted in significant increases in:

· Club head speed – 3.5%
· Flight distance – 7.0%
· Vertical ground reaction force (GRF) lead leg – 11.4%
· Mediolateral GRF, trail leg – 7.1 % (Macadam, Int. J. Sports Sci. & Coaching, 2019, 14(5) 675-680)

It seemed the additional mass (2.8%) was effectively used to create greater momentum (mass x velocity) in the players, which in turn was transferred to the ball, resulting in greater club head speed and flight distance.

Do you want to be able to hit longer tomorrow? Attach loads to your legs, torso and/or arms during competition to affect your momentum therefore subsequent ball velocity and carry distance? You can’t argue with physics – or can you?