IT’S A MATTER of weeks since he underwent surgery to rectify a knee complaint but Pádraig Harrington is already in the thick of his preparations for the season ahead – although you would hardly expect anything else.
After sustaining knee ligament damage whilst playing tennis with his kids during the summer, Harrington delayed the operation so it would fall in line with his scheduled time off.
It is the only extended stretch he’ll spend away from the Tour all year but also the most important period in the calendar.
2016 will be his 20th season as a professional and the demanding nature of life on both sides of the Atlantic requires strength of body and character.
As one of the game’s thinkers, Harrington is renowned for his meticulous preparations, both on and off the course.
His mental resilience, demonstrated most recently at the Honda Classic in March, is one of his strongest suits but oftentimes the work of a golfer in the gym can be overlooked.
With a new cohort of players, the likes of Spieth and McIlroy, beginning to change the face of the sport, Harrington, at the age of 44, is always looking for ways to keep up.
On the course, it’s his putting. His work with coach Bob Rotella in a bid to find the right formula has paid dividends and he hopes to see the results when tournament golf returns in January.
But there’s now more to golf than fine-tuning your game on the range. For two weeks of the year, Harrington works closely with strength and conditioning expert Dr Liam Hennessey.
By his own admission, he ‘goes all out’ in order to build strength and work on new programmes which he’ll follow whilst on the road. It’s about striking the right balance.
“It’s important for all golfers to be doing something in the gym, especially when you’re getting on and trying to compete with young guys,” the three-time Major winner tells The42.
“My game has become more of a power-based over the years and I have to keep up so it’s doubly-important for someone of my age to maintain my flexibility and maintain my power and speed.
“For me particularly I would tend to practice a lot so I would have to manage my body so I’m able to spend hours on the range or course.”
As a talented goalkeeper for his school and Ballyboden St Enda’s during his teenage years, Harrington has always had a keen interest in gym work.
But it was only when he turned professional in 1995 when he embarked on a structured training regime. Naturally, his focus in the gym has changed as the years have passed but the fundamentals have remained the same.
“When I first started going, it was about managing by weight. At one stage, I went from 210 pounds to 170 pounds so it was about managing weight loss, as well as building muscle. Now, as I get older, it’s really to maintain as much muscle mass as I can.
“Unfortunately that’s the one thing that goes as you get older so you have to work additionally hard to maintain that muscle mass. I’d do little or no cardio in the gym, all my time in the gym is spent working on flexibility, stability and then strength and power and speed.”
For the former world number three, less is very much more. Time is of the essence during the year and managing the workload can be one of the toughest challenges.
Unless he’s at home in his own gym, Harrington will spend no more than 30 minutes working out. It’s just enough time for the adrenaline and endorphin levels to peak but not leave him feeling drained after the session.
“There is always a battle between whether to spend your time practicing because the more you practice obviously the tireder you get so so there’s less motivation there.
“I always practice but there were times when the gym was a big focus of mine. Now it has to fit in with my golf. Having a six-pack won’t make you play better golf so I have other goals in the gym.
“If your gym session is taking you an hour, an hour and a half when you’re on the road, after playing and practicing, you’re going to be tired and don’t have the time or the energy.
“So I have the flexibility and stability done before I go playing golf , I might return to certain exercises after the round in the evening. But in general, if I have time, the evening is used to do a weights session in the gym which I always keep to 30 mins, never go over.”
Dr Hennessey, who worked with the IRFU for over a decade, has designed at least a dozen different programmes for Harrington to complete depending on varying factors. In essence, however, the workouts are short and quick.
“I want to leave the gym feeling good,” he explains. “Because the next day I’ll want to go back and get that feeling again.
“I’m in and out in thirty minutes and I get the buzz out of it and that’s they key. You don’t want to be leaving gym on the ropes because when you’re trying to motivate yourself the next night, you won’t go.”
Although working on his strength, mobility, swing technique and recovery has become an intrinsic part of Harrington’s routine, it’s not the be all and end all – and he’s come to realise that as the years have gone on.
There are some weeks when the facilities aren’t available or other commitments fill the schedule. While there is a physio truck furnished with benches and squat racks on tour, Harrington has learned to be flexible.
“There are a few gym rats on tour, no doubt about it, who seem to spend more time in the gym than on the range,” he admits.
“As somebody said, you’ll never have a problem finding a spot on the range on a Thursday or a Friday afternoon but you might have a problem finding a spot in the gym.
“But I’m not dependent on it anymore. I used to be disappointed with myself for not going but now I bring a gym bag with me so I always have stuff that I can do in my room so I don’t always need to go to a formal gym if I don’t want to.
“There’s plenty of work for me to do. It’s not a big issue.”
Keep an eye out for an extended interview with Pádraig Harrington over the Christmas period on The42.
