Tom Rush has been playing golf and tennis his entire life. He credits his mother for getting him and his siblings actively involved in both sports. Now 39, Rush says one or both sports have been likely contributing to his back pain for the past six years.
Once that started, the Minnesota resident immediately called his older brother, whom he’d once teased for complaining about back issues. “The first time I threw out my back, I called him and apologized because this pain is the worst,” he says. “Over the past six years, I’d probably seen three or four physical therapists who each time would give me a few stretches that would work for a period of time. I’d do them every day, though eventually their effectiveness would wear off. I didn’t know medically what was happening, but it’s like each stretch would put a band-aid on that issue and then a new issue would arise.”
But within the past year, Rush found himself browsing YouTube and came across a GolfForever video with World No. 1 golfer and GolfForever brand ambassador Scottie Scheffler. “I remember watching it and being annoyed that it was clearly just an advertisement disguised as a non-ad,” he says, so he ignored it at first.
“That was the first time I heard about the program. All winter long, I put a lot of effort into working on my back and tried a lot of new stretches, just trying to do more. And then in April or May, I threw my back out again from playing golf. That was when I realized I didn’t know what I was doing. I clearly needed more than the physical therapist I’d seen, and I needed more than what I was trying to do on my own. Then, I thought why not give GolfForever a shot. I remembered seeing that commercial and figured maybe that’s exactly what I needed.”
He purchased the GolfForever training system and has stuck to the program every day since. Desperate at that point, he was unable to play golf, tennis or even throw a baseball with his kids. “I would pretend to be a catcher with them and would feel it the next day,” he says. “I was basically in constant fear of doing anything, really. I’m obsessed with being active yet felt totally sidelined. It’s a desire to be a good dad and play with my kids. I got very desperate and had to try something.”
After he started the GolfForever program, Rush says he has not had an issue or anything above very minor pain. “When I started working with GolfForever and the Swing Trainer, my back was sore,” he recalls. “I knew I was going to give it a little bit of time. I wasn’t playing golf when it first arrived, so I waited to swing until I was confidently pain-free. I maybe took another week or two off just to just to try to commit to the program before I tried golf. And since I started playing again, I’ve been free of major issues. Even minor pain now is super minor and doesn’t last long.”
Rush particularly focuses on GolfForever’s glute exercise videos – both to strengthen and engage them before doing any activities. What makes GolfForever different than any other approach he’s tried is “the variety. Every day they give you 10 or 15 minutes of stretching, and then usually about 20 minutes of some sort of strength component. All of my back pain has been a mystery and I’ve been pulling my hair out over why it was happening, what I was doing wrong, and what I could do differently. My best guess about why this works is the daily variety that’s made the biggest difference.”
Rush’s initial goal was to be able to play golf, and to not be afraid that his upcoming golf trip would be ruined because he accidentally bent over to pick up his kid and threw out his back.
“Now what I’m seeing is that this is the best golf I’ve ever played,” he says. “Doing the GolfForever exercises has improved my posture. That, combined with the increased flexibility and swinging more freely, I believe has directly contributed to a more consistent setup, a more consistent swing, and ultimately more consistent contact,” he said.
Rush, who has done cardio his whole life and, with triathlons, runs and bikes, believes he’s seeing more distance on his shots. “Adding distance has never been a goal (since golf is a precision sport), but I’ve probably gained at least a few yards per club. The consistency in my swing is an exciting byproduct of these workouts,” he adds. “When I was in pain (or constantly in fear of causing myself pain), I’m pretty sure I was always overcompensating in one way or another to protect something else, and that poor posture tends to make the swing less consistent.”
From missing golf and dealing with ever-present pain, Rush is now enjoying the results of his commitment to his GolfForever daily routines. “There are times where I’ll look at a drive and be like, wow, I wasn’t even trying to lay into that one and it went pretty far. Since I started with GolfForever, I haven’t skipped a day using it. I even bring the bands with me when I travel.”
The baggage he no longer carries? Back pain.
