Personal trainer Hattie Lawrence has taken simulator golf and golf fitness to another level and now she’s ready to take on the world of ‘Long Drive Tour,’ but how easy is this to achieve for a woman in the UK?
A former junior county player and member of the England coaching squad, sadly Hattie’s interest in the game dwindled, especially when her golfing friends at Goring and Streatley Golf Club left for university, leaving her with few playing partner options.
Hattie is an all too common example of a female golfer that became unretainable for a variety of reasons, and there is still a big gap to fill between playing golf as a junior and continuing to play as a young woman.
That said, communities and groups such as UKWGC and Skratch Women are making a huge wave in this area and the number of women in their 20s and 30s playing golf is monumental compared to days gone by. There’s no better time to capture the imagination of this demographic with an empowering version of the game, and the rise of indoor golf simulator bars such as The GolfRooms and the appeal of TopGolf has helped assist this.
It wasn’t until 15 years later, and with a significant amount of gym training under her belt that Hattie rekindled her love of golf and discovered the difference strength training had made to her game. She started playing again at The Caversham and after a while discovered the wonder of indoor golf.
As we all know, there’s something so empowering about smashing a driver in an indoor simulator where there are no consequences or broken windows, as Hattie highlights.
“These make golf events more sociable, accessible and are useful for those who are short on time and perhaps don’t have time to play a round of golf. Plus, if you’re a bit of a fair weather golfer like me, they allow you to continue playing some form of golf through the winter without getting cold, wet and have the fear of the course being shut! This is the first year of adult golf when I have actually continued to play through the winter rather than taking the game back up every March, and that’s all because of an indoor simulator!”
Hattie is an accomplished golfer, but I believe a simulator also plays a huge part in 'freeing' up the game, especially for women who are new to golf. On the golf course, many women worry that they might hit someone or embarrass themselves, but a screen takes all that worry away, so it’s a great introduction to the sport.
Let’s face it, one area we all enjoy when it’s working, is hitting a decent shot off the tee. However, longer hitting women are often restricted to hitting hybrids and even irons off many tees because the forward tees are just not long enough for them.
Thanks to the introduction of gender neutral tees this is becoming less of an issue, but better players are restricted at clubs where red tees are still so prevalent. Being heard as a woman like Hattie who thwacks it a country mile is hard, but that’s why she was so excited when she found out that the Long Drive format of golf in a simulator was actually a thing, so the training began.
“I thought that with my PT background and knowing how much further I hit the ball now after a fair few years of training under my belt, it would be a great new challenge for me. It means I may be able to compete in a different way than I have with golf in the past.
The type of training also fits in well with my lifestyle as I see it like a gym training session - an hour/hour and half in the simulator or on the range and you’re done, rather than 4 hours on the course,” says Hattie.
Hattie, who only started training for Long Drive at the end of last year, might well have dreams to compete on the Long Drive circuits just like men do, but compared with the USA, where the World Long Drive Championships are held, they’re not readily accessible in the UK.
“Long Drive is on a much bigger scale in the US. There are more colleges where training in the gym and swing speed training is encouraged from a young age - the hype around the events is also very captivating so you can see why it attracts more attention out there.”
There will be two qualifying events in the UK in August for Europe’s Long Drive competition in Germany, although there will only be a women’s long drive category if enough women enter. No British women qualified for the World Championships in the US last year, but Hattie is on a mission to change this.
“Raising awareness of Long Drive is the first step as not many people I speak to know much about it! Girls who already play golf, having somewhere to go with their golf journey and having more information around potential development paths in golf - this could be one of them.”
Hattie is now in the early stages of considering starting her own women’s long drive mini tour, as she explains, “I would love to be able to ignite a new generation of Ladies Long Drive Champions in the UK and empower more women to hit the ball further than they realise is possible!”
In addition to her gym work, Hattie works with long drive coach Lee Cox and Gareth Johnston for her regular on-course play. In different ways, both are currently working on her trail hip rotation.
“I have a tendency to sway in the backswing, so for a long drive, I’m trying to use my legs and create more push off the ground and get more whip through my wrists. For my on-course swing, this is focusing on lead foot pressure, making sure my swing path doesn’t come over the top. I’m also trying to drill down and transfer these thoughts to my wedge play so I have a better chance of getting some scores on the course.”
It’s fair to say that the idea of smashing the ball as far as possible may send red flags up all over the show, in particular if you are worried about an existing back problem. This is another reason why many women steer clear of weight training, Hattie emphasises that we should not be put off.
“Always work with a professional initially to ensure your positions and form are correct and you could find your back pain lessens. Everyone is different and needs an individual approach. If you’re worried about walking into a gym environment, you can make good progress at home with body weight exercises."
Let’s worry less. If you haven’t been to a facility like Pitch or The Golf Groove yet, I urge you to go and have a go. Allow yourself to play some fun golf and it might just help you on the course. Add some squats as a warm up and a few hinges too and you’ll be doing mini workouts before teeing off.
If you do fancy getting golf fit, or let’s face it just getting motivated and receiving a huge bucket load of positive energy? Get in touch with Hattie whose clients include golf's social media star Mia Baker. Hattie inspired me and she also reminded me that the thing that is preventing my golf from becoming more stable and consistent in my is in fact me!
Hattie Lawrence’s Exercise Tips
- Include variations of squat and hip hinge exercises for the lower body which will build strength in your legs and glutes. The lower body generates a lot of power in the golf swing so build strong legs and you’ll find this will help you hit the ball further; single leg and staggered variations will also help create more stability in your swing.
- Upper body push and pull movements such as push-ups, chest press, pull downs, pull-ups, rows etc. This is an area that women tend to neglect, but is so important for posture and strength in the swing.
- Core exercises such as planks and deadbugs then progressing to anti-rotation and rotational movements. These help protect the spine, improve posture and create rotational power through your body.
- Incorporate explosive movements such as jumps, throws and sprints to create speed and power that can then be used in the golf swing.
