Assessment
Domain 2 - Assessment
This domain tests a sequenced golf-fitness assessment: health history, static posture, movement screens, swing observation, and performance testing. The exam favors choosing the right test, interpreting the finding, and linking it to a swing characteristic.
Core rules
- Screen before you coach the swing. Use health history/PAR-Q, then static posture from anterior, lateral, and posterior views, then transitional screens such as the overhead squat and single-leg squat, then dynamic swing observation.
- Static posture findings are hypotheses, not diagnoses. Confirm them with movement.
- Key screens: overhead squat for ankle, hip, thoracic, and core function; single-leg squat for frontal-plane hip and knee control; push-up for scapular and core control; shoulder and thoracic mobility for backswing range.
- Golf-specific observation includes early extension, loss of posture (C-posture), reverse spine angle, flat shoulder plane, sway/slide, and casting.
- Performance tests should be repeatable: seated medicine-ball throw or rotational throw for power, single-leg balance, and relevant strength or endurance tests.
Worked example
Overhead squat shows heels rising, arms falling forward, and a forward torso lean. Reasoning: heels rising suggests limited ankle dorsiflexion; arms falling forward suggests lat or thoracic extension restriction; forward lean suggests core or hip control limits. Correlate with a loss-of-posture swing fault. Retest after four weeks of ankle mobility, lat stretching, and core activation.
Traps
- Starting with swing video and skipping movement screens.
- Diagnosing a limitation from one static view.
- Not retesting; assessment is a loop, not a one-time event.