Benefits of Tai Chi for Golfers

I have been taking Tai Chi, a Chinese form of exercise, and I believe there are a lot of things that I have learned doing Tai Chi that has helped me develop a consistent golf swing.  The benefits of Tai Chi for golfers are both physical and mental.  The following are the benefits that I have gained from doing Tai Chi.

Be calm – You must be calm to do Tai Chi. You also must be calm in order to play golf.  The average golfer worries or is anxious before hitting their golf shot.  Learning how to consciously be calm will help block distracting thoughts.

Focus – Focus on being in the present is required to correctly perform Tai Chi movements. Thinking about the past or the future will hamper the execution of the current Tai Chi movement.  The average golfer is constantly distracted with worry, stressing over previous shots, or thinking about results.  Learning how to  be in the present and focus on your swing will help the golfer win the mental game of golf.

Feel Proper Posture, Weight Shift, and Balance – The slow movement of Tai Chi provides the opportunity to learn to feel what the body is doing.  It is important to feel the proper posture, to feel the shifting of the weight from one foot to the other, and to feel balanced.  The average golfer does not consider that the proper posture, the proper weight shift, and balance are important.  Learning to develop feel for the proper posture, weight shift, and balance, is crucial in order to develop a consistent golf swing.

Execute Precise Motions – Tai Chi requires the execution of precise motions.  The movement of the feet, legs, body, arms, and hands must be precise in order to be correct.  Golf is an extremely precise game yet the average golfer is not aware of the precision that the game requires.  The average golfer is focused on hitting the ball or trying to help the ball in the air.  When the average golfer executes a good shot, the golfer is not aware of the motions that resulted in the good shot.  Tai Chi will help the golfer develop the mental and physical skills needed execute precise motions.  Learning to execute precise motions is crucial in order to develop a consistent golf swing.

Leg Strength – Over time, Tai Chi maintains or increases leg strength.  Golf requires strong legs to support the motion of the upper body and arms.

The Power of Intent – Intent in Tai Chi is a mental component that leads the body.  When the intent moves, the body follows.  In the golf swing, feel the intent coil back and then move towards the target and feel how the body automatically follows.

Arms and Hands Coordinate with the Lower and Upper Body – Tai Chi requires that the lower body and upper body support and prepare for the movement of the arms and hands.  The average golfer moves the arms and hands without precise coordination with the lower and upper body which causes inconsistent results.  Learning to develop a consistent golf swing requires that the arms and hands precisely coordinate with the movement of the lower and upper body.

Dantien the Source of Power – The Dantien is the center of the body; an area three fingers below the navel and two fingers behind.  Energy or Qi (pronounced “chi”) produced from the Dantien requires less effort and yet is more powerful.  Tai Chi movement originates from the Dantien and radiates out towards the fingers.  The average golfer originates movement with the arms and hands and at best has the lower body follow the hands. The majority of the time, the average golfer does not use the lower body efficiently in the golf swing.  Using the Dantien as the source of Qi for the golf swing is the best way to develop a consistent and efficient golf swing.

Allow Energy to Flow from the Dantien – An important Tai Chi concept is to feel the Qi, originating from the Dantien, expand through the legs, body, arms, and fingers. Patience is required to feel the complete flow of energy from the ground up through the hands.  The movements described in my blog post, Feel an Efficient Down Swing, are all initiated by the Dantien as the following describes:

  • Feel  the body settle and then feel the flow of Qi from the Dantien initiate the back swing coil and the expansion of energy is felt up through the legs, lower body, upper body, and arms to finally feel the stretch in the fingers
  • At the end of the back swing, feel the energy settle down over the right foot and feel the increased stretch.  This is used to gather the Qi before feeling the Qi flow, from the ground up, to snap the right upper arm and the hands down

Learning to have patience to feel the Dantien be the source of power, for the back swing and the down swing, will greatly improve the golf swing.