What you can learn from Me and My Golf’s Assessment at TPI

Recently, Andy Proudman of Me and My Golf came to TPI to experience firsthand how we evaluate a golfer’s physical capabilities, force production and 3D to establish a Body-Swing Connection. What we discovered helped reshape the way he looks at his own game.

TPI Screen Results: Fitness Handicap vs Golf Handicap

As with every golfer we see at TPI, Andy began with the comprehensive physical assessment that we teach in our Level 1 course which helps evaluate a golfer’s mobility, stability, strength, and power (we teach the power screen in our advanced Fitness and Power courses). These tests provide the foundation for understanding how an athlete’s body influences their golf swing - and highlights where limitations may be holding them back.

Our app establishes a “fitness handicap” for golfers because it helps us quantify their physical capabilities as they relate to the golf swing. That said, a fitness handicap does not necessarily reflect a golf handicap.  Golf is a game of skill. While quality movement can help a golfer improve consistency and power, the ball only knows what the clubface tells it.

Andy is a terrific golfer, but had a “23 fitness handicap.”  He only failed six of our 16 tests, but we found limitations in some of his key rotational centers - especially spine and hips - so the AI engine behind our app predicted that his body was likely to affect his swing. 

As a great athlete, he’s able to make compensations to deliver the club to the ball effectively, however, if we are able to eliminate the physical limitations, we may be able to help him do it with greater efficiency.

Body-Swing Connection: Characteristics Related to Limited Rotation

When we identify a physical limitation in the body, our app helps highlight potential swing characteristics to look for in the swing.  This is what we call a Body-Swing Connection. 

Andy had three swing characteristics that were likely related to his limitation with rotation: Hiking, Sliding and Early Extension. 

Though these characteristics can be purely technical issues, it’s logical that they are the product of physical limitations.

When golfers have difficulty internally rotating, we often see compensations.  If rotation is limited, other planes of movement can dominate the pattern.  Since Andy struggled to turn into his lead and trail hip, it might be easier for him bump his hip vertically in transition (Hiking), or to thrust towards the target line in the downswing (Early Extension), or have excessive lateral shifting near impact (Sliding). 

Force Plate Analysis: Untapped Power

Next, we moved Andy onto our force plates, which measure how efficiently a player uses the ground to generate speed and power. While Andy’s swing looked technically sound, the data told a different story: he wasn’t applying force into the ground in the most effective way.

Andy’s strength and power tests revealed that his lower body has sufficient “horsepower” to match PGA TOUR-level clubhead speed, but he wasn’t using it in his swing.

This is because, like many amateurs, Andy created his vertical force too late. While this is not an uncommon characteristic of amateurs, it did offer an opportunity to teach one of our favorite drills for improving timing of force production: the golf vertical jump.

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The insights gained from these assessments offered a powerful insight into Andy's game. Even highly skilled players can leave significant distance and efficiency untapped when their body isn’t working in sync with their swing.

Armed with these findings, Andy left with a roadmap for improvement - specific areas of mobility and power outlined by our app that he can train to unlock more distance and efficiency in his game.

It was an eye-opening session that reinforced a core TPI principle: if you want to fix the swing, you have to first understand the body behind it.

View TPI Level 1 Online Course

If you're a golfer interested in a physical assessment, you can connect with a TPI Certified expert via our Find an Expert page.