Spotlight on Yoga for Golfers with Christel Thimont

In our series of Spotlights, after Yoga for Skaters, Yoga for Addictions, Yoga for Runners, Desk Yoga, Yoga for Cancer, and Yoga for Menopause, we are now talking to Christel Thimont, who specialises in Yoga for Golfers in the South of France. You can book Yoga for Golfers classes right here on this platform.

Could you let us know the journey that brought you to teaching yoga for golfers?

I have been a golfer and a yogi for about 20 years. When I became a yoga instructor it was very clear to me that Yoga was the perfect complementary physical activity for a golfers and that was probably why I became a good player pretty quickly so I decided to start giving classes to the lady golfers of Royal Ascot Golf Club, my golf club at the time so they could also see the benefits of practicing yoga on the golf course.

I started golf at about the same time I became a yogi which was quite unusual at the time. I used to play a huge amount of golf as my partner was a very keen golfer too.

I started playing golf in my early thirties. It can seem quite young, but actually, it is late in life if you want to play at a very good level. Now, parents take their kids to the driving range at a very early age as they know that to play at a very good level, you need to learn at a very young age.

When I was in the UK, I played about twice a week. I basically spent all my weekends on the golf course, not mentioning the numerous golf holidays around the world and also volunteering at big golf events like the BMW PGA Championship and the Ryder Cup. Since my move back to France, I haven’t found a nice course to play on yet, so the search goes on.

Any difference in playing golf in the UK vs France?

There are many differences between playing golf in the UK and in France. Golf is really accessible to most people in the UK and there is no shortage of driving ranges and golf courses from the cheap municipal ones in Scotland (the home of golf) to the exclusive courses like Wentworth. In France, golf has been for many years very elitist and it was totally inaccessible for the majority of the population. French golf courses are working hard to change the image of golf in France and make it accessible to a larger public which is great but I think the image of golf remains in people minds as an elite sport than only the very wealthy can afford. Also in France you need to purchase an annual license to play golf and they measure distances in metres which confuses me a lot as I learnt to measure in yards.

How can yoga help for playing golf?

Yoga is just the perfect complement to golf: In order to play well you need to be able to control your shot and there are two aspects to getting good control. The first and most important aspect is fitness: you need flexibility, agility and strength. Yoga gives you all of these. The second is technique, which you can only attain with coaching and golf practice. And let’s not forget the significant role that the mind plays in being successful on the course hence a mind-body practice like yoga is perfect for golfers on that level too.

What injuries do golfers get often? Doing what move?

Golfers often get low back injuries from lack of flexibility in their spine, from carrying heavy bags and not warming up properly. Elbow & wrists injuries are also very frequent (golfers and tennis elbow) from gripping the club too hard or hitting the ground too much. Golf is very much an outdoor sport and as you walk on average 7 km in all weather on every round, anything can happen to your body during those 4 hours!

A golf swing is a very difficult movement for anyone as it is completely asymetric for the body, there is just nothing natural in a golf swing. It put a lot of strains on the back, hips, knees, feet, arms and wrists.

Could you give an example of a recommended pose to prevent/fix injuries?

Most yoga poses will help a golfer with his swing. But what a golfer need mostly is spine and hips flexibilty so all spinal extension and twisting postures (spinal twists) as well as legs strengthening poses (warriors poses) are great for a golfer. Yoga not only helps prevent injuries, it also helps them heal: for example, I used to have golfers elbow every season but as soon as I started practicing yoga daily, I did not suffer from this any longer. My arms muscles are stronger and stretched every day thus preventing any other onset of the dreaded condition

Could you give an example of a recommended pose for concentration, and focus?

When you play golf, you simply play against yourself. We often say: golf is all in the head! So all poses requiring focus are also great for golfers: balancing poses like tree pose, eagle pose, warrior 3 are just the ticket! And let’s not forget meditation to allow deeper focus and inner-calm especially during match play competitions.

Any recommendation on when to practise yoga for golfers? Before or after playing golf? Same day or day before/ after?

I would recommend practicing yoga in between rounds so the body has time to integrate the practice as playing 18 holes can be quite tiring already. Also I highly recommend doing a warm up before heading out on the course as well as a short meditation on competition days. There a few key yoga poses that will greatly help for that like shoulder stretchs standing up (see photo) and twisting standing up whilst holding your club in both hands.

Is there any Yoga for Golfers teacher training?

I am not aware of any Golfers teacher training but I do know that some PGA Tour players have integrated yoga in their golf practice. Over the years elite golfers including Tiger Woods, Jordan Spieth, Tony Finau, Rory McIlroy have credited their impressive golf swings and ability to perform under pressure in part to incorporating yoga into their routines