Abstract

Despite the emerging interest in physical fitness in golf, few studies have been conducted to assess the relationship between mechanical power and performance in golf. The aim of this study was to examine whether there is a relationship between ball speed when hit with a driver and the muscle power of the lower limbs and trunk in a group
in 8 golfers (16.8 ± 1.4 years, 2.2 ± 1.8 Handicap; 63.1 ± 6.4 kg; 172.7 ± 7.5 cm). The tests included measurements of ball speed and mechanical tests (horizontal leg press, bench press and trunk rotations). The results of this study indicate that there is a significant correlation between ball speed and power in the legs (horizontal legs press: r2 = .933, p = .000) and trunk (bench press: r2 = 0.66, p = .014). The best predictor of ball speed was the horizontal leg press (r2 = 0.934, p = .000).