MINNEAPOLIS (WCCO) – Whether you are in your 20s, 40s or older, chronic aches and pains can have a big effect on your golf swing. You can watch the lessons they offer on the Golf Channel all day, and it doesn’t matter if your body won’t move that way.

That’s why the folks at Viverant Physical Therapy decided to take a real pro-active approach to working through those sore shoulders and hips.

How many times have you said it while out on the golf course — the PGA pro’s make it look so easy with the perfect swing and the perfect tempo.

That’s a fantasy land for most golfers, especially those dealing with various aches and joint pain.

So Viverant offers a new, pro-active facility which takes a unique approach — combining the expertise of a golf pro with their physical therapists — to address your various challenges when your swing won’t do what you want it to do.

Pete Garber doesn’t think much of his own golf game, but as the lead physical therapist, he knows he can help yours.

“You get a little bit older, you get a little bit dryer in some of those joints, you gotta make sure you’re taking care of yourself on your swing. A golf pro can come in and give you some of the things you can do to improve that swing but that’s where my job comes in and says, we’re a little bit tight in this area, let’s loosen that down,” Pete said.

“Everybody that I send out on the golf course they have my little ‘Pete Cheat Sheet’ that they have and they’ve got they’re instruction to do it every two holes,” he said.

Pam Kowalski had surgery to repair a herniated disc last December. It took her pain away, but it also altered her golf swing, causing other issues. This is where both golf professional Matt Garber and Pete tag team her to bring out the best of Pam’s golf game and overall health.

Once the diagnosis on the shoulder issue is made, Pete’s gifted hands go to work to make sure she can optimize the mechanical position that Pam needs to be in to achieve that desirable swing.

“I’m playing a lot better and thanks to Pete, and again doing some body work, it’s helping me to get my turn, it’s helping my hips to move better,” said Pam. ”Having a herniation for that long and limping around for as long as I did, I ended up with a lot of issues in my hip-flexors and my whole hip area and so Pete  has helped me get my swing back and get my turn again.”

“If you’ve got a golfer who’s golfing around 100-110, you can see some really substantial cuts now where they’re pulling 90s-80s,” said Pete. “You get a good golfer, a scratch golfer, and you take them to a 72-70 or a 74-70, they’re starting to get in tournaments and be competitive. They got a nice spirit for the game again; it’s great.”

For more information on Viverant Physical Therapy, click here.