A Dynamic Warm-up Improves Titleist Performance Institute Screen Scores In Adult Golfers

The Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) screen is a comprehensive physical assessment used in golf to evaluate biomechanical factors related to swing mechanics. Understanding the impact of a warm-up on TPI screen scores is crucial for clinicians to accurately quantify golfers’ physical limitations. PURPOSE: To examine the effects of a dynamic warm-up on TPI screen scores in adult golfers. METHODS: Twenty-four golfers (19 male/5 female, age: 44.0 ± 15.4 years, height: 171.3 ± 8.6 cm, weight: 82.5 ± 16.3 kg) participated in this single-session crossover study. Participants completed the TPI screen, with each test first demonstrated and verbally explained by the researcher. TPI screen tests were administered in the following order: pelvic tilt, pelvic rotation, torso rotation, overhead squat, toe touch, 90/90 external rotation, single leg balance, lat length, lower quarter rotation, seated trunk rotation, bridge with leg extension, cervical rotation, forearm supination/pronation, wrist flexion/extension, and wrist hinge. Each movement was scored in real-time based on the ability to complete the desired movement on a scale of 0-2, 0-3, or 0-4, depending on the test. For bilateral tests, the lower score of the 2 sides was used, resulting in a maximum possible score of 45 points. After a 20-minute washout period, participants completed a standardized dynamic warm-up including 3 sets of 10 repetitions for major regions of the body, followed by 30-seconds of practice golf swings with a standardized 7-iron. Immediately after the warm-up, participants repeated the TPI screen. A Wilcoxon signed-rank test with r effect size was used to compare TPI screen composite scores before and after a warm-up with significance set at p ≤ .05. RESULTS: TPI composite scores were significantly higher following the warm-up (median: 33, IQR 28/36) than before the warm-up (median: 36, IQR 31/40) (p < .001), with a large effect size (r = .81). CONCLUSION: A dynamic warm-up acutely increases scores on the TPI screen. These findings do not suggest a warm-up should or should not be completed prior to the TPI screen but show that scores may differ. Therefore, clinicians should consider whether their patients have completed a warm-up prior to assessing movement capabilities to ensure consistent scoring, especially when tracking performance over time.