Thor Parrish, a two-time South Florida PGA Section Southwest Chapter Youth Player Development Award winner, is the Co-Owner of the Junior Golf Performance Academy in Naples, Florida, and the Founder of Thunder Performance in Fort Myers, Florida.
Thor Parrish on the importance of using innovative devices and aids in your clinics and instruction:
Stretching is vital before any physical activity, including golf, of course. Unfortunately, many athletes don’t conduct their stretching exercises correctly or in the most beneficial manner. So, I recently collaborated with several fitness professionals to create a golf fitness product that is affordable, convenient and easy to use for the everyday consumer. The Golf Rope is a stretching assistant tool that we launched at the 2024 PGA Show. The Golf Rope helps golfers stretch properly and more effectively. We created The Golf Rope to be travel-friendly so golfers could bring it to the range and utilize it before every practice session or round of golf. They can even implement it into their daily workout routine when not playing golf or hitting balls. This is not an advertisement for my product, but a best practice on the benefits of using tools and training aids in sessions with clients. As a PGA of America Golf Professional, I have hosted clinics, small groups and individuals to help golfers gain more enjoyment in golf, most often done by playing better, but should also be done with one’s health and wellness in mind. At Thunder Performance and in my junior clinic at my academy, I incorporate six-week small group clinics that focus on specific skills that golfers are trying to improve. This concept started when I implemented the SuperSpeed Golf Training System into my player development programming several years ago. This has been a great revenue-builder for my business and our facility and also gets golfers excited about golf fitness and golf performance. It’s also been an effective feeder system for my private lessons and personal training business.
Thor Parrish on the business impact of using innovative devices and aids in your clinics and instruction:
The Golf Rope has allowed me to run longevity and golf stretching classes, which has brought in a diverse demographic of students. With the product price point being considerably less than most tools and training aids, I can accommodate much larger class sizes and touch more individuals than ever, again increasing engagement throughout other aspects of my businesses as a result. I still run the SuperSpeed clinics for those who desire speed training, but The Golf Rope Experience sessions are a great complement to my original agenda. Most golfers want to play more, and ALL golfers want to play longer in years and play pain-free. The Golf Rope is for injury prevention and increased overall longevity. It’s about properly warming up so you don’t get hurt, and maintaining your flexibility during the round. After all, range of motion has a time limit. Your range of motion is at its max after your warmup but slowly dissipates throughout your round. The Golf Rope can be utilized between holes to get some of that range of motion back. It’s even permitted according to USGA Rule 4.3a(6).
If you would like to email the author of this Best Practice directly, please email thor.parrish@gmail.com.
