LYNN KENNY EXPLAINS HOW EXERCISE HELPS HER SWING

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FROM THE LADIES EUROPEAN TOUR SITE
FEATURING LYNN KENNY
as part of the LET’s ‘Healthy May’ campaign.

Scottish professional golfer Lynn Kenny answers a health and fitness questionnaire as part of the LET’s ‘Healthy May’ campaig.


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Lynn: Describe how your exercise program benefits you and your golf game.
My exercise program has been designed to help strengthen weaknesses in my swing. For example, my shoulder blades were popping out on my backswing so I needed to strengthen certain areas in my back and my core and legs just to hold the positions that my coach wanted me in. I need to do the gym stuff to make sure that the swing stays in the right place and can last the year.

Describe when and why you started exercising for golf. I started doing it when I got into the GB&I squad so that’s early 2000, 2002 maybe, which was quite late compared to other girls, but that was when it was starting to become more of a thing for golf. Fitness for golf wasn’t really heard of until Annika and Tiger came onto the scene and then it was really important to be fit for golf. Maybe it was the late 90s. I’ve always been a fit person because I did a lot of other sports so it wasn’t a massive issue. I used to be a good squash player and tennis. I was a sporty person.


Describe how your pre-season exercise program is different to your in-season exercise program. For example, do you focus on different aspects of fitness? Are your goals different?
I’d say my out of season program is just more intense. It’s the same stuff it’s just more focused towards building up the CV for the second half and so I can play the season round after round after round. It’s a lot of focus on building the right muscles for the golf swing. In the on-season it’s more about maintenance so it’s not so intense or frequent. It’s lighter sessions and keeping things where they were to start with. I try to go to the gyms in the hotels if they have them but it’s hard. I’ve got some Thera-Bands and a spiky ball and stuff. You can go for a run wherever to keep the heart going.


With respect to your pre-season program, please describe your exercise program.
I do pulleys on a frame, six or seven exercises specific to the golf swing for the body and the core and then I move to the free weights and I do triceps and then I do stretching. I do a few stretches and then I do CV for 25 minutes, half an hour. I try to beat the distance in the time frame or something to get a bit of competition in there as well. I do a bit of rowing for five minutes to warm up. All in its about an hour and 15 minutes.

With respect to your in-season program, please describe your exercise program (where possible, include the type of exercises you do, the frequency, dosage, duration of each exercise session etc).
If I can when we’re at tournaments, I’ll do the machine stuff and then I’ll do the swing specific stuff but sometimes that’s not available so I’ll improvise with the stretchy bands that I’ve got to do the same movements and keep the muscles moving. There’s always a machine of some sort to do CV so that’s enough and then more stretching probably after the round of golf and before the round of golf just to keep the body supple.

Describe your warm-up program (include the type of exercises you do and how long your warm-up routine takes to perform). For golf, I’ll arrive an hour and a half to two hours before my tee time depending on whether I need to stretch or not. I’ll do an all over body stretch mainly focusing on the back and the legs to make sure they are nice and loose so I can do a good turn. My warm up on the range is starting with the wedges building up to the driver and I’ll finish with some putting and off to the tee.

What is the most enjoyable thing about your exercise program?
None of it: when I finish!

What is the least enjoyable thing about your exercise program?
When I arrive!

How do you manage to maintain a fitness program when you are touring?
It’s all about maintenance on the tour. You can’t do more.

Which components of fitness (e.g. muscle strength, balance, muscle endurance, cardiovascular fitness, flexibility, power) do you think are most important for playing golf?
Most important is probably core and legs. You need to have flexibility for your turn and it’s hard to pin-point. I’d say you need a bit of everything. Definitely core and legs for the power.

Describe how important maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is for you and your golf game.
I think that it’s important to have a healthy, balanced diet for anyone, not just golfers.

How do you manage to maintain a healthy diet when you are touring?
You’re asking the wrong person! I try to eat pasta the night before tournaments and although the girls laugh when I eat burgers I don’t eat burgers all the time! I’ll try to eat fish and pasta. It’s not easy to find what you like on tour as what is available is different so I tend to eat things I’m familiar with.

What tips would you give golfers who really dislike exercising or to those golfers who say that exercise is only for elite golfers?
I don’t enjoy going to the gym and never have but when I’ve been I can see the benefits in my golf game since I’ve been at the gym. No matter what level you’re at you will get some benefits. Doing a bit of CV will ensure that you last for 18 holes and you can play into your 70s.