A Golf Specific Musculo-Skeletal Screening: Your Long Term Future in Golf Could Depend On it

Ramsay pictured left taking a golfer through one of his specific routines

Ramsay McMaster was a world leader in physiotherapy—with a strong interest in golf.

With his background in physiotherapy, Ramsay knew that there was a strong relationship between golfer’s physical capabilities and limitations and their ability to swing the golf club properly and remain injury free. 

In addition, many times, improvements the golfers were trying to make were impossible since their bodies limitations did not allow them to make them. 


He knew that a proper muscularly and skeletal screening method could identify these limitations.  Then based on the results of the screen, a specific plan of improvement could be developed.

As he began working with golfers at all levels, including elite golfers, he found that they were not being screened muscularly and skeletally in a suitable and specific way.  Therefore, he developed a new and golf-specific Musculo-Skeletal Screening method.

Ramsay, in addition to developing a new Musculo-Skeletal Screening method, developed a unique approach to preparing players for tournaments with specific pre-round warm up routines.  When he first developed these pre-round warm-up routines they were considered "not normal," but then again anybody who knew Ramsay understood he didn't follow the crowd.

---

Click Here For Ramsay's Products

His use of large elastic bands, training belts and spikey balls are now the norm on golf tours around the world. Go to any amateur or professional tournament and you are likely to see Ramsay's toys (as he used to call them) being used in locker rooms and out on the practice areas.

Unfortunately, he left us in December 2011, but his legacy lives on in the players, golf coaches and other service providers that he worked closely with for over 20 years.

Here is a little more background on this expert. Ramsay migrated from Scotland to Australia. Based in Melbourne he:

• Worked closely with the Australian Institute of Sport (A.I.S.) Golf Program in the early 1990's
• Was on the panel that founded the Titleist Performance Institute (T.P.I.)

• Worked world-wide with National Amateur Golf Associations, Professional Golf Associations and many of the world’s top golf coaches to get their player’s golf fit and help them remain injury free.
  
• Established the Melbourne Golf Injury Clinic to help injured golfers, both young and old, to get back onto the golf course to play the game that they loved.
• Was actively involved in the First Tee program in the U.S.A.

---

What is Musculo-Skeletal Screening and Why Do You Need it? (11:47)
David co-director at Pro Tour Golf College worked with Ramsay for over 20 years and through his close relationship with Ramsay he saw the value and the importance of his elite golfers working closely with Ramsay and the golf specific physiotherapists who were trained by him.

In this interview David talks with Martin McInnes a golf specific physiotherapist based in Perth, Western Australia (trained by Ramsay) about the importance of having a Musculo-Skeletal assessment to identify your strengths and weaknesses and also how they affect your ability to move your body to swing the golf club in an optimal way.

Click on the image above to see the video. Give it 30 to 45 seconds to load before you watch it.

The Musculo-Skeletal Screening Tests (7:14)
In the following video Martin McInnes takes one of our students at Pro Tour Golf College through some of the Musculo-Skeletal screening tests. You will see Martin testing for muscle length and strength and these tests really do expose weak areas of the body that can and do influence your golf swing to break down, and the screening process helps the physiotherapist and your coach identify the places where injuries could manifest over time.

Click on the image above to see the video. Give it 30 to 45 seconds to load before you watch it.

Stretching and Strengthening Exercises (17:58)
In this video Martin McInnes takes another of our students through some specific golf exercises that relate to his specific weaknesses. These specific exercises are designed to strengthen and stabilize weak areas in the body and will influence more functional golf swing positions and better shot-making.

Click on the image above to see the video. Give it 30 to 45 seconds to load before you watch it.

A golf specific Musculo-Skeletal screening is a must for any serious golfer who wants to have a long and injury free career in golf. Because of the way the game is practiced and played elite golfers are prone to injury mainly because of the repetitive nature of their practice, and the forces involved in swinging a golf club and hitting a stationary ball.

If you are lucky enough to schedule a session with a physiotherapist who has trained under Ramsay McMaster in Australia or the United Kingdom then go and do it right away so you can find out specifically what you need to do to maximize the hard work you are putting into your game, and also reduce the likelihood of injury.

If you haven't got access to a golf specific physiotherapist, then visit The Titliest Performance Institute website at http://www.mytpi.com/ to find an instructor in your region http://www.mytpi.com/experts who can take you through a thorough golf specific screening to get you on track to have a long and pain free career playing golf.

Remember an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.


Lawrie Montague and David Milne - Pro Tour Golf College
Your Success On Tour is Our Business