Northern Golfer has teamed up with personal trainer and golf fitness expert Shawn O’Neil to share his knowledge with golfers of all ages and abilities in the coming months.
Through his column, which you can read on page 43 this month, Shawn will share advice based on his eight years’ of experience as a personal trainer specialising in golf.
Part of the Elite Golf Academies system and based at The Golf Hub in Gosforth, Shawn works with some of the region’s best amateur golfers, including England international Rosie Belsham, professional Will Wilkinson, and a number of male and female Northumberland county players. His qualifications include Titleist Performance Institute Level 3 Fitness and Level 2 Power certification, and he is a Register of Exercise Professionals level 3 personal trainer.
While working with elite players, he has also built a great deal of experience working with club golfers to improve their ability to make consistent swings, aiding the reduction of their handicaps.
“I’m really looking forward to sharing my knowledge with Northern Golfer’s readers and promoting the benefits of physical training to as many golfers as possible,” said Shawn.
“In my experience, the fitness aspect of golf is not only massively underutilised among club golfers, but also misunderstood. It’s certainly not all about world-class male athletes like Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm moving huge amount of weight in the gym, it’s important to create programmes for individuals which promote injury prevention and playing longevity, and ensure your body is robust enough to facilitate the repeated forces of the golf swing over a round and season.”
The addition of Shawn enhances Northern Golfer’s columnists in each edition, which includes DP World Tour player Chris Paisley, Ganton course manager Simon Olver, PGA professional Doug Brolls, our editor Dean Bailey, and Tour Tips caddies Sean Russell and Chris Simmons.