Marc Cormier Helps PGA Tour Golfers Perform
by Scott A, Sumner
NW Ontario Golfing News
On the range at the RBC Canadian Open in Oakville, Ontario I came across two young Quebec men who were there with a purpose in mind. They help golfer's perform to the best of their ability by improving their ability to make the perfect golf swing for their body.
Marc Cormier is an instructor on the PGA Tour and runs his own company- Marc Cormier. Maxime Gauthier is the owner of Golf MD Performance based in Montreal. It is a big clinic with MRI and Xray capability as well as doctors, physio’s and occupational therapists. He also owns Kinetic Sport Clinic a brand with 24 sports and medical clinics in the Montreal area with almost 2000 people in total and 20 people in his clinic.
“ I basically realign the body with orthotics, do reinforcement programs, stretching and some active release therapy. I can focus better on the alignment and repositioning the person in front of the ball when I have Maxime with me who can do the physio type of work,” said Marc Cormier.
“ You concentrate on the player’s alignment, the way he will hit the ball and see if there is any the restrictive motion in the hip, back or shoulder. You have to make sure the golfer can be sore free when they swing. We have so many restrictive articulations in our body that over time you might lose your game as they become more restricted.”
“ My speciality is orthotics because we have a problem, a deviation. After that we release the tension the deviation caused. Then we reenforce the area to become stable. We reposition them in front of their ball to see no restriction and the alignment is good. It is tiny details that make those player get the ball to the pin.” said Cormier. “ My task in the team is to access the player to see if they have normal joint mobility, if they have stiffness or some muscle or ligaments that are damaged. If they need help I can treat them. I do a specific biomechanical assessment of every joint and body part. We are looking for flexability, stability, power, balance and strength,” said Maxime Gauthier. “ I work with Marc together. If it is physical I work on it. If it is more posture and alignment Marc does it. We would set them up with an exercise and stretching program which would help them with their goals.”
“ About 7 years ago VJ Singh was hunched over. We did some very precise exercises he could take. It took time with small exercises but he stands more upright now. He is very hard on his body. I have worked with over 95 PGA Tour players and put a lot of pressure on myself to guarantee my results.” said Cormier. “ Another player, Tim Clarke could not make a good motion in his ankle. The foot had changed position so we had to put in a new orthotic to reposition him. He came back to a stable position and back to his swing. “
