Could pilates be the secret to playing better golf?

Nancy Griffin, a certified personal trainer and pilates coach, thinks so.

Consider these benefits:

Pilates can help golfers enhance their swing by improving their balance, posture and flexibility.

An improved swing can help increase driving distance and accuracy.

Pilates also can decrease pain, prevent injuries and improve a golfer's stamina through an 18-hole round.

Griffin, a Canonsburg resident, has taught pilates to area golfers of all ages and skill levels since 2005. She has a new class that will be starting soon: From 9-10 a.m. each Saturday beginning this week through April 18 at the Peters Township Community Recreation Center.

Griffin will be joined at these classes by Matt Kluck, a golf instructor at the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Golf Course.

"Students report they hit the ball higher, farther and straighter as a result of [pilates training]," Griffin said. "These classes couple fun, upbeat, golf-specific exercise using balls, bands and balance devices with pilates matwork specific to the golf swing.

"The class is fun, athletic and hits everything from the small muscles of the shoulder to strengthening the abs, backs and hips. Everything is designed to create symmetry or balance throughout the body."

Since pilates is a unilateral sport, golfers develop muscle imbalances.

"My job is to identify weak muscles, and those that are tight, and provide more appropriate exercise that will correct these problems," Griffin said. "The result is the ability to perform a golf swing with more fluidity, accuracy and less pain."

Pilates, named after German fitness trainer Joseph Pilates (1880-1967), is a form of physical fitness that teaches a series of body movements designed to strengthen the core muscles. It focuses on effective breathing, agility, proper posture and flexibility.

As strength training has increased in popularity with golfers in recent years, so has pilates.

"You have to credit Tiger Woods, who practices pilates," Griffin said. "He's an example of how fit golfers are now. But you have to be both strong and flexible. That's the great thing about pilates. It helps to create a streamlined physique, rather than a bulky one."

Griffin, 47, was introduced to pilates for golf through a special training session she participated in at the PGA National Resort and Spa in Palm Beach Gardens, Fla.

"I worked there with a golf pro," Griffin said, "to perfect my swing and movements. We talked about what golfers faced. I learned specific golf movements. That type of training helps me to be in tune with what golfers need."

Griffin said she is not an avid golfer, though she plans to join a league starting this summer.

"What I am is an expert of pilates," she said, "and how a golfer moves through his swing and what he needs to be able to do to get that swing to work."

Then Kluck steps in. He teaches a golf swing clinic to Griffin's students.

Kluck, 51, has been with the Mt. Lebanon Municipal Golf Course for 25 years. A Mt. Lebanon resident, he described Griffin and her pilates instruction as a "great asset" for golfers.

"If people can't move the way I ask them to move, they won't be successful," Kluck said.

"Nancy has introduced ways to create better movement. She improves range of motion. She prepares the body to perform a better golf shot."

Griffin and Kluck will hold a clinic, "Hit it High, Far and Straight," from 9 a.m. to noon on April 25 at the Robert Morris University Island Sports Center's Golf Dome on Neville Island. Other golf experts will speak on keeping your mind in the game, minimizing injuries and maximizing performance.

The cost is $99. Golfers can register the day of the event or beforehand by going to Griffin's Web site: www.SkinnyJeansForever.com or by calling 888-733-7375. The first five people to register will receive a copy of Griffin's book "Secrets to Better Golf."

More information on Griffin's upcoming classes are also available at her Web site.