Dr. Gary Gray, the “Movement Guru” who has certified more than 250,000 fitness professionals while helping them become go-to movement coaches and trainers, shared details on two certifications – including one specifically for golf coaches – during a Golf Fitness Association of America special presentation Wednesday at the PGA Show.
Gray (pictured), founder of the Gray Institute and considered the world’s foremost authority on how the human body works and optimizing movement and stability through the Applied Functional Science platform, shared details of the 3D Functional Movement Coach certification (FMC3D) and the 3D Functional Golf Coach certification (FGC3D) designed to help PGA Professionals and teachers accelerate their careers while helping golfers develop body flexibility on and off the golf course.
“Our passion is to understand this wonderfully made human body and how it works. Our passion is to engage and empower you to make a difference in your life, your family’s lives and your clients’ lives,” said Gray, who has worked with hundreds of amateur and professional athletes across all sports.
“Both certifications focus on movement literacy, so people of all ages and all athletic abilities can enjoy life. The objective is to provide a platform that allows our coaches and teachers to develop a consistent program based on movement fundamentals that can be applied to every walk of life. We’re talking about a basic health and wellness program that will benefit everyone. Then we can structure a program specific to whatever sport or physical activity the person specializes in, such as the golf swing.”
Gray was joined on the Golf Fitness Association of America presentation dais Wednesday by Mike O’Donnell, founder of Converge & Integrate Consulting and previously associated with the Nike Sports Research Lab; and by Dr. David Tiberio, Academic Dean at the Gray Institute and professor emeritus at University of Connecticut.
“Gary saw years ago that the body was an integrated system – all physical, neurological and mental parts working together to achieve efficient movement,” said Dr. Tiberio. “That’s Gary’s greatest gift, and it especially applies to the golf swing. Everything is integrated in the golf swing – the takeaway, the backswing, the shoulder and hip turn, and the follow-through.”
George Puchinsky, PGA of America Golf Instructor at the Bonita Bay Club in Bonita Springs, Florida, asked the panel about how he could communicate the proper body movements for the golf swing to a longtime baseball player he was teaching. He was impressed by the answer.
“This opens a window and piques my interest to get out of my comfort zone. I want to know more about these movements and how I can use them to help golfers,” said Puchinsky.