The Golfer's Resource Library: Fitness Screens, Instruction, Rules & Bay Area Courses
The outside resources our PTs actually point golfers to — from TPI's movement screens to the region's public courses
Updated October 20262 minute read
The vetted external resources worth a golfer's time: the Titleist Performance Institute's body-swing screening system, instruction channels that teach without gimmicks, the NCGA's handicap-and-events machine, the gear community, and the Bay Area's public golf institutions — with a note on what each is genuinely good for and where physical therapy picks up what they can't.
A note before the links: these are external sites we don't control, and none of them pay to be here. Where something costs money, we say so.
The body-swing connection
- Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) — the closest thing golf has to a fitness standard: free swing-and-body articles and exercises, plus a directory of TPI-certified professionals (many of them physical therapists). Their core idea — screen the body, then build the swing the body can deliver — is exactly the philosophy behind swing changes and injury and golf fitness training.
Instruction without gimmicks
- Rick Shiels Golf — the biggest golf channel on YouTube for a reason: clear fundamentals, honest gear reviews, zero snake oil.
- Danny Maude — the most beginner-friendly swing teacher online; gentle progressions that respect older bodies (pairs well with golf after 50).
- Me and My Golf — structured improvement plans from two PGA pros; free YouTube library with paid plans.
A swing tip is a load change — introduce new mechanics the way swing changes and injury describes, and keep the range-ball budget in mind when a new drill has you hitting double your normal volume.
The game's infrastructure
- NCGA — the Northern California Golf Association: the region's handicap (GHIN) home, member events and tournaments at every level, and course deals across the Bay Area. The default membership for a NorCal golfer.
- USGA — rules, handicapping, and the national championships pipeline.
- GolfWRX — the gear community's deep end: club and fitting knowledge for days. As with all forums, enjoy the equipment threads and treat the medical ones with skepticism.
- r/golf — the recreational game's town square: honest, funny, beginner-tolerant.
Bay Area public golf
- SF Rec & Park golf — the city's public courses, including Golden Gate Park's 9-hole (the perfect return-from-injury course: short, flat, cheap) and Lincoln Park's views.
- TPC Harding Park — the public course that hosts majors; walking its hills is a genuine workout, which is worth knowing when you're budgeting load.
- Presidio Golf Course — the historic course in the eucalyptus; hilly enough that the walk is its own training stimulus.
What the internet can't do
Every resource above works best on a body that rotates without complaint. Back, elbow, or hip pain that's lasted more than two weeks, changes your swing, or returns every time you ramp up needs an evaluation, not another swing tip — the traffic-light rules tell you how urgent, and what PT costs covers the money. If you're local, browse golf-friendly PTs across the Bay Area; either way, here's how to pick a good one.
Frequently asked questions
Sources (6)
- Titleist Performance Institute. The Body-Swing Connection: screening and golf fitness resources. — TPI
- Murray AD, et al. The relationships between golf and health: a scoping review. Br J Sports Med. 2017. — BJSM
- Fradkin AJ, et al. Opportunities for prevention of golfing injuries. Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot. 2006. — Int J Inj Contr Saf Promot
- AAOS OrthoInfo. Golf Injury Prevention. — AAOS OrthoInfo
- MedlinePlus (NIH). Sports Fitness. — MedlinePlus
- Kuitunen I, et al. Injury incidence in golf-a systematic review and meta-analysis. Ir J Med Sci. 2024. — Ir J Med Sci
This article is for education only and isn't medical advice. Always talk to a licensed clinician about your specific situation.