"IF YOU LIKE GOLF"
weekly online golf column
by
Chris Dortch

May 8, 2001

While researching and writing an upcoming book about Chattanooga golf legend Lew Oehmig, one of my objectives was to explore the secret of the great champion’s longevity. What enabled him to win tournaments well into his 70s?

I’m not sure I completely answered that question in the book, which by the way will be available in June. But I partially answered it. Decades before it was fashionable in athletics, particularly for golfers, Oehmig was sold on the benefits of weight training and flexibility exercises.

Actually, it was Oehmig’s father who first suggested to Lew that weight training might be able to help him gain through hard work what his three husky brothers were born with—size and strength. Though taller than his brothers, Oehmig was rail thin by comparison. Mr. Bill, as Oehmig’s father was known, correctly reasoned that if his son increased his strength and flexibility, it would improve his golf swing and add length to his drives.

"If you happened to be at the Chattanooga Golf and Country Club Sunday, you probably admired the build of sun-tanned Lew Oehmig," Al Sharp wrote in the Chattanooga Times in 1936. "… You were bound to notice his calves, constructed along the lines of a jumper or toe dancer. … And after seeing him knock the cover off the ball a couple of times with driver or iron, you started wondering about the shoulders and especially the wrists. A glance showed you that Oehmig’s forearms, although not like Popeye’s, and his wrists look just as powerful as his iron shots. And they are. But they just didn’t grow that way.

"… Oehmig has been working out with dumbbells ever since he was a little fellow. The reason, his father, W.G. Oehmig, Jr. explained, was that Lew suddenly shot up toward the sky when he was four and weight went into height. Which left Lew without the sturdiness and heftiness of the other Oehmig boys—Von, Bill and Dan."

Oehmig lifted weights and swung a weighted club all his life. And it was no secret that he’s the oldest man to win the United States Senior Amateur (69) and the Tennessee Senior PGA (70).

Is there really a correlation?

"The aging process doesn’t have to happen," said Grant Schlisner, a certified strength and conditioning specialist at the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopaedics. "A person’s calendar age could be 70, but if they’re committed to a program of stretching and try to build their strength and improve their balance, they can perform at a much younger level than their actual age."

Schlisner has essentially built his career around that statement. As he proves in his "Back to Golf," program, players can enhance their performance, steel their bodies against injury and prolong the golfing experience if they commit to the custom tailored program he prescribes.

The goals are the same, but Schlisner has a different method for every golfer to achieve them.

"I provide the golfer with the ability to move the body into the correct position to swing the club and strike the ball," Schlisner said.

How does he do it? First, he evaluates each golfer’s strength and flexibility. "To look for movement restrictions and muscle imbalances," he said.

Once he uncovers those—and every golfer is different—Schlisner prescribes a program of exercises and weight training.

"My job is to ensure that the golfer has the flexibility, strength and coordination to move the body into the proper position," Schlisner said. "They can then respond to the instruction of the golf professional."

It’s amazing how Schlisner’s program corresponds with the theories of golf instructors. A day before I went to speak with Schlisner, my swing coach, Zeb Patten, worked with me on a drill to allow the big muscles to control my golf swing. At 6-4 and 210 pounds, I’ve got the physical strength and leverage to hit a golf ball a long way. But because I’d been overly reliant on my body’s smaller parts—i.e. the hands and arms—I’d been wildly inconsistent as a ball striker.

With Patten’s emphasis on allowing the big muscles to control the swing, and Schlisner’s instruction on how to make that happen, well, I’m excited about the future. Other Chattanooga-area players must be, too—Patten and other area golf professionals are sending clients to Schlisner, and vice versa.

There’s another benefit to Schlisner’s program. Golf isn’t a physical sport, but injuries are common. "Micro injuries" occur when our bodies make the wrong motion in the golf swing over and over again for years.

"Our body will compensate for poor flexibility or strength, but the price we pay may be joint and muscular pain and inconsistency in performance," Schlisner said.

Boy, Schlisner much have watched me play. My neck and back often kill me after a round of golf. A quick once-over by Schlisner revealed my neck’s lack of flexibility turning toward my left, reason enough for a swing fault uncovered by Patten—my inconsistency in rotating my body in the forward swing.

Often at the key point in the swing—impact—my body stopped turning and the hands and arms took over, resulting in a mixed bag of shots. And the trouble was, I had no way of knowing which bad shot would result, or when. Talk about scary.

I could be wrong, but I think with the help of Patten and Schlisner, my handicap might drop this summer. I’m going to put in the time and find out. Already, some exercises prescribed by Schlisner have made my neck and back feel better than they have in years. That’s got to help my golf swing, and keep me pain free after I play.

I’ve committed to Schlisner’s program, especially after studying for six months at the hand of the master, Lew Oehmig. If it worked for the greatest amateur golfer in Tennessee history, it can work for us all.

If you’re interested in seeing what Schlisner can do for you golf swing—and your health—sign up for the Back to Golf Program. Contact Schlisner at the Center for Sports Medicine and Orthopedics at 423-622-6200. Check out the Center’s web site at www.sportmed.com.

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