To golf at your top potential, it is important that your body be able to rotate every single joint through its full range of motion.
If you have movement restrictions in your shoulders, pevlis, hips, you will have to compensate to get the range you need. This compensation is where your swing breaks down and takes you off plane.
Compensation due to movement restrictions can also reveal themselves through pain or injury.
Here are a few examples:
Tight shoulders is a common issue among golfers. Due to sitting at a desk all day with shoulders hunched over your chest muscles become tight. This causes many problems…
- Can lead to back injury because you lack rotational flexibility. The shoulders are restricted and the spine can not compensate due to limited rotation flexibility. This causes head motions and breaks own your swing plane. Most commonly you end up with a fat or thin shot.
- Excessive elevation on to the toes of the left foot during your backswing can also have detrimental effects. Fat shots ensue because you are chopping down at the ball.
- Hip joints lacking proper range of motion can cause overuse of the wrists to drive and accelerate the golf club. If you have wrist issues, you probably have a lack of range within your hip complex.
The #1 issue with reduced flexibility is power. Flexibility reductions within the shoulder, torso, hips and pelvis are costing you distance and club head speed.
It is recommended that as a golfers flexibility improves, golf lessons are a good option. Simply because you are better able to slot the club in the optimum positions. If your body has a mechanical issue, golf lessons can NOT fix these problems.
I’ve heard a million times that everyone has a different body and a different swing. I propose to you that this is WRONG. The only limiting factors from keeping you from a perfect swing are within your very own body. By removing these barriers, you can improve your swing by allowing your body to properly place the club in the ‘groove’.
If you can’t get the club in the proper groove, you don’t have a chance at maximum club head speed. Furthermore, you are opening yourself up for injury because your body must compensate for its decreased range of motion. When it compensates, you feel pain or get hurt.
In reality, all your golf pro can do is find new ways to compensate your swing faults caused by your decreased range of motion.
So you get a lesson, you program your mind to swing a certain way, and then you gain 10 pounds. Guess what? Better go get a lesson again because your swing will change due to your body changing. The pro will have to find some new compensations for you.
Getting your body fixed is the best solution before taking a lesson. Get your range of motion back and your golf score will improve.
Here’s a free Golf Fitness Workout you can use to improve your range of motion as well as your power and core stability. All key components to a great golf swing.
Chris
