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Jenni Martin, golf’s doctor of the green, helps older players improve

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Dr. Jenni Martin looked at her computer screen and pointed to the videotaped golfer as he hit a ball.

“That guy is a good golfer,” Martin said as she folded her arms. “But he’s losing power. I have to get him to stretch his pecs.”

It’s that type of advice that can help older golfers who are looking to improve or just maintain their skills.

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Martin, a Newport Beach resident who just moved back from Sacramento after 30 years, is traveling to Southern California golf courses in her fitness trailer to spend a few weeks at a club, talk to golfers about their games and show them how they can improve through changes in their bodies.

In her program, titled “The Golf Gapper,” Martin wants to understand an individual’s goals, physical needs, limitations, body and swing. She believes this method is the only way to make permanent and effective swing changes and improvements.

Her interest in golfers began years ago when, in Sacramento, she helped Natalie Gulbis, an American professional who plays on the U.S.-based LPGA Tour.

Martin has the background. She’s been in the medical, fitness and health profession for more than 30 years. She has advanced certification in orthopedics, sports and recreational injuries, a master’s degree in biomechanical injuries and LPGA training.

She learned how to play golf at age 40 and improved enough to pass the Playing Ability Test. She grew up next door to Mark O’Meara, a prolific tournament winner on the PGA Tour and around the world. Her backyard was the Mission Viejo Country Club.

For her first Orange County gig, Martin brought her trailer to Coto de Caza Golf & Racquet Club on Oct. 4. She explained that the accompanying computers, camera, balance plate and inertial sensors for 3D motion capture are used to determine a client’s strengths and weaknesses.

For two to three hours, Martin evaluates a golfer, beginning with an interview session where she asks about his or her past. It’s here where injuries, surgeries and basic health history are discussed.

The next step is asking the golfer to grab a club and hit balls. Martin will sit inside the trailer, behind the computer screen, and tape a full-swing video analysis where she measures faults correlated with physical limitations. Once she assesses the golfer’s physical limitations, she creates a program of exercises that are tailored individually to address the issues at hand.

Then come the drills. Martin said she provides golfers with certain exercises to practice at home so they can train further to make lasting improvements. She gives a take-home folder where the golfer can look at the review of her findings, recommendations and exercises. A video of the swing she taped earlier is privately listed on YouTube.

And she’s seen it all.

“I’ve seen hilarious stuff,” Martin said with a laugh as she recalled a bizarre swing. “But if you’re efficient, I’m not changing your style.”

Martin said her clientele is over age 60. She wants to figure out where the person is losing power and what she can do for rehab.

There’s the case of many golfers shuffling their feet. Martin will show them how to do duck walks, an exercise done by squatting and walking slowly, relying on hips, quadriceps, hamstrings and gluteal muscles.

People over age 70, Martin said, have balance problems. The golfer Martin watched in the previous video was losing power because of his lack of posture, which made it hard to rotate his spine.

“Over the last 10 years, equipment has changed and it’s super-easy to use,” she said of golf clubs. “They’re not being told the right things. I like to think I’m giving them things that enhance what they’re working on.”

J.D. Ebersberger, the general manager and director of golf at The Palms Golf Club in La Quinta, said he was happy to have his club as the first stop for Martin, since his membership is known for its low handicappers and overall playing level. He said Martin is helping those kinds of golfers interested in making adjustments on their bodies to improve or maintain their game.

“If you can play pain-free, the game is much more enjoyable,” Ebersberger said.

Having Martin bring her fitness trailer on the range at The Palms intrigued Ebersberger from the beginning because he said Martin was providing a service for pro players at golf clubs that couldn’t afford a facility that would cost millions of dollars.

“I had no idea if this was going to be successful,” Ebersberger said. “But then she was booked solid for three weeks.”

Ebersberger said he booked Martin for two weeks in January through February of next year. He said she’ll have shorter sessions for golfers who are already in the program and will offer services to new clientele.

“It was one of the best well-received programs I had put in,” Ebersberger said. “It exceeded my expectations.”

Professional golfers feel the same. Martin said Barney Adams, the founder of Adams Golf, told her she is the only golf pro he’ll pay for professional information. And Martin said Phil Mickelson called Big Canyon Country Club to have her bring her trailer to the golf course. She’s also spent a few weeks at Eldorado Country Club in Indian Wells.

Martin said she usually has two to three scheduled appointments a day. The Golf Gapper experience is built as a member benefit. The assessment, which costs $400, includes the video swing analysis, a club review and recommendations, a 3D swing-efficiency study, take-home exercises, a review of putting, chipping and sand play and a checklist of suggestions for a golf club professional, fitness trainer or medical provider.

Now that she is in Newport Beach surrounded by family and friends, Martin said she wants to add stops at Shady Canyon Golf Club and Big Canyon.

And challenges? She’ll take anything on. In Sacramento, she taught golf to a woman who was 78 years old.

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