Shaun Diachkoff is the founder of Fairway Performance is TPI certified in both fitness and power.
In this episode I sit down with Shaun to work out what golf parents should actually be doing, for their kids and for themselves. He is a golf dad too. His 5 year old just hit a 93 yard drive on a launch monitor. And Shaun says the most important thing you can do for your child's training has almost nothing to do with your child.
🎯 Key Takeaways
- Why your lower back is where golfers feel pain but almost never where the problem actually is
- The 10 to 20 minute daily mobility routine Shaun gives most clients, and the 3 areas it targets: hips, thoracic spine, shoulders
- The rep range mistake: 8 to 12 reps builds size, 4 to 6 builds the strength golfers actually want, and most of us have been doing the wrong one since university
- Core bracing is not pulling your stomach in. Shaun's Coke can explanation reframes it completely
- Why he calls the deadlift the most underrated exercise in golf, plus the Pendlay position 1, 2, 3 method for learning it without wrecking your back
- When to introduce weights to a junior golfer, why "swing as hard as you can" is the instruction before that point, and what puberty has to do with the timing
- Squat, hinge, push, pull: what each one gives a golf swing, from holding posture to keeping the face square at impact
- The Bulgarian split squat standard that separates most people from tour level lower body strength
- Shaun's advice for parents: look in the mirror first, because kids copy what you do, not what you tell them
⏱ Episode Chapters
00:00 Welcome to The Golf Parent
01:36 The fitness mistake almost every golf dad makes
03:31 Three movements to master if you only have 20 minutes
04:39 What the thoracic spine is and why your swing depends on it
05:04 Undoing the modern hunch: posture, desks, and daily habits
08:38 What actually goes first as golfers age
09:20 Why your lower back hurts when your lower back is not the culprit
10:29 Building your bomber's blueprint: assess before you build
13:19 The rep range mistake: 8 to 12 builds size, 4 to 6 builds strength
16:29 What Rory does, and what is actually worth copying
19:52 Training kids by age: what comes before weights
21:01 Look in the mirror: your kids copy what you do
21:51 Cooper's first 93 yard drive and the case for many sports
22:30 When to introduce weights, and what puberty changes
23:20 Squat, hinge, push, pull: what each one gives your swing
29:17 Why coaching is an investment, not an expense
32:57 The most underrated exercise for golfers: the deadlift
35:35 The Pendlay method: learning the deadlift in three positions
39:54 Core bracing is not what you think: the Coke can explanation
43:02 How to breathe through a heavy lift, and whether it belongs in your swing
46:46 The Bulgarian split squat and the TPI strength standard
50:18 Shaun's advice for golf parents: make it frictionless
⛳ The Adventures of Chase & Bella
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🔗 Resources
Atomic Habits by James Clear - https://jamesclear.com/atomic-habits
Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) - https://www.mytpi.com ETPI, the European Tour Performance Institute - https://www.instagram.com/etpi_performanceunit
Glenn Pendlay on the deadlift - https://www.setantacollege.com/glenn-pendlay-deadlift-blog
The Fairway Performance App and coaching - https://www.fairwayperformance.com
📲 Connect with Shaun Diachkoff
Instagram: @shaun.diachkoff
Website: fairwayperformance.com
Email: shaun@fairwayperformance.com
Podcast: Fairway Performance Podcast YouTube: youtube.com/@fairwayperformance
📲 Connect with The Golf Parent
Instagram: @golf.parent
Tik Tok: @thegolfparent
Website: www.thegolfparent.com
