Healthy Blog

I'm a golfer - Should I have a TPI screen done?

Thursday, February 6, 2020

So you're a golfer and you've heard about this thing called a TPI screen? So what's all the fuss about? Is it worthwhile and will it help your golf game? In a nutshell – absolutely!

At Physio Inq Penrith we love analysing and breaking down the complex movements that we see in sports that are played by the athletes that we treat. When we look at the golf swing we can see that there are certain elements that are going to be imperative in order to improve our performance, whether that be how far we hit the ball, or the consistency of our ball striking.  They are also going to be important for helping us reduce our risk of injury while playing this sport that we love.

You can read our previous article on understanding the strength attributes required in golf and learning how to develop them.

I've also written this article about the advantages of plyometric training when it comes to the golf swing.

So what's this TPI screen all about? Since its inception in 2003, TPI (the Titleist Performance Institute) has studied thousands of golfers ranging from the top professional Tour players to weekend enthusiasts. An incredible amount of data on players of all shapes, sizes, ages, and fitness levels has been gathered during this time. Using this data, TPI discovered how a properly functioning body allows a player to swing a golf club in the most efficient way possible. Additionally, TPI has analyzed how physical limitations in a player's body can adversely affect the golf swing and potentially lead to injury.

Following on from this, the TPI screen is a Functional physical assessment of the golfer and what they can and cannot do with their body through the golf swing. It involves looking at 18 different movements across different joint of the body, all the way from the ankles up to the neck. It looks at the amount and quality of the movement and it finds impairments that may be hindering your golf swing. These impairments can lead to both poor swing habits, as well as increased risk of injury while swinging the golf club repetitively.

For instance: Can your front hip internally rotate 60 degrees? If not, that could be why you have knee or back pain while golfing. Can you rotate your lower body independently of your upper body? If not, this is probably why you keep hitting a slice, even though you know what it involved in trying to hit a draw.

One of the best things about getting a TPI screen done is that it uncovers impairments that are not allowing the golfer to achieve what they want with the golf swing. On so many occasions the golfer ‘knows' what is required in the golf swing, what position to get the body into – but they simply cannot do it. This screen uncovers limitations such as this so you can stop banging your head against the wall trying to get your body to do something, that at the moment is can't physically do.

The movements that are looked at in the screen are listed in the table below

If you are in need of a physiotherapist to look after your golf related niggles or you want to have a TPI screen performed on yourself you can make an appointment here.