Attention parents and coaches of aspiring junior golfers:
As you already know, the world of junior golf and the pursuit of golf scholarships has become incredibly competitive in the last several years.
In order for your junior to be competitive with the new breed of golf-athletes, you NEED to seriously address EVERY aspect of their training,or their competitors will; and the result will likely be that your junior gets beaten by others who have less talent and skill than he/she does.
There are Three Foundational Principles of our Renegade Junior Golf Fitness Program:
1) Better Junior Athletes Make Better Junior (and Adult) Golfers
Studies of PGA Tour players have shown that the vast majority of them played multiple sports while growing up, and only specialized in golf in the later high school years. These same players attribute a good deal of their success on Tour to training as an athlete first, and then applying that athleticism over to the sport of golf. Based upon these facts and viewpoint, we strive first to ensure that all of our junior golfers develop fundamental movement skills and establish functional movement patterns. These qualities will serve them well in golf, other sports, and functionally in life.
With the solid athletic foundation in place, we can progress your junior through all of the golf-specific training protocols, including strength and power, with better results and without injury.
2) Juniors are NOT Just Smaller Versions of Adult Golfers
There are distinct differences in the way an adult golfer should train and eat to prepare for a round, compared to his 13 year old son or daughter. It is precisely these differences that can make or break the budding career of a junior golfer.
For example, the latest research has determined that there are optimal “windows of opportunity” in regards to training specific elements of a junior athlete?
By “elements” we referring to Stamina, Strength, Speed, Skill, and Mobility. If your junior golfer misses these windows, their overall potential in each area is compromised, meaning that there will be a “ceiling” on how much they can improve.
But it gets even more complex than that. For example, one of the junior boys “windows” for speed is ages 13-16.
BUT, we are NOT talking about chronological age; instead we need to track the biological (or developmental) age. That means that your son or daughter may actually be primed for a specific element of training before or after some of their friends who are the “same age”. We will track growth spurts and then adjust the specifics of their training accordingly (we use an advanced formula based on 6-8 months of height measurements).
Now, we’re not throwing all of this nerdy exercise science around to impress you, but rather to impress upon you, the importance of not only addressing your aspiring junior golfer as part of a group of young athletes, but also as an individual.
3) If it isn’t Fun… It won’t Get Done
The junior golfers in our program work hard, really hard. That being said, our philosophy is that there must also be elements of fun, camaraderie and accomplishment, in order for your junior to equate the hard work with something enjoyable and of value.
We are fond of saying a couple of things:
- “There are no shortcuts to anywhere worth going.”
- “Take this training seriously, but not yourself, have fun on the journey.”
Special Notes to those with College Scholarship Goals:
Playing collegiate golf is a dream come true for many junior golfers. We have a particular passion for being part of a team that transforms these dreams into reality for these kids.
There is one aspect of the college golf world of which many parents and juniors are unaware:
The Intensity of College Golf Team Workouts
The majority of college golf strength training programs are similar to those of the hockey team (which are brutal). This actually makes sense, as both are rotational power sports. This can come as a shock to the under-conditioned freshman golfer. Our mission at The Renegade Junior Golf Fitness Academy is to ensure that your junior is fully prepared to not only survive the intense college workouts, but to excel in the weight room and impress the coaches.
The Titleist Performance Institute has compiled fitness benchmarks based on the top junior golfers in the US (graduating seniors who will be playing college golf). We have added several other benchmarks, and can guarantee that your junior will be able to compete at the highest level of conditioning.
To view The Renegade Junior Golf Fitness Benchmarks – CLICK HERE