Flexibility1

Flexibility, Strength and the Golf Swing

Improved consistency and scoring are universal goals in the game of golf. One sure way to improve these is to
develop a repeatable, more reliable swing. Lessons, practice and more lessons are priceless, but the golf swing
also requires sufficient physical abilities. Optimal flexibility and strength promote a more efficient, balanced and
coordinated swing which in turn results in more consistent ball striking and helps build a more repeatable swing.
Better scores will follow. Proper conditioning also enables you to take full advantage of your lessons, your time
spent on the range and will reduce the risk of injury.

Flexibility
Although golf is a sport that is generally not considered strenuous, sufficient range of motion or mobility is
necessary. Optimal mobility promotes an efficient swing by reducing stress on the many joints, muscles and
connective tissue involved, including those of the neck and back, shoulders, wrists, hands, hips and knees.
Restrictions within any of these ‘links’ that make up the ‘kinetic chain’ that is our body, promotes compensation.
Compensation puts stress on areas above and below the area of restriction and eventually causes injury. For
example, restricted hip rotation leads to excessive compensatory motion in the spine and shoulders. Restricted
movement and compensation also promote inconsistencies in our swing which will result in any number of faults
and miss hits. Adequate flexibility promotes a more efficient golf swing and reduces your risk of injury.

Strength
Strength is important to the golfer for many reasons: yes, strong muscles, tendons, and ligaments help keep us
injury free by improving our body’s ability to absorb and distribute the stress of the golf swing. But strength
training also provides stability, coordination, endurance and power. Strength in our legs, hips, trunk, shoulders
and arms, which make up the links that connect our kinetic chain, provide a stable base of support for each
succeeding segment to work from. This allows the forces we generate throughout the golf swing to be
transferred through each link to the club head and golf ball in a more efficient and coordinated manner.
Improved efficiency yields greater power with less effort and less stress on the body. Core strength (strength in
our trunk and hips) is important because it provides the foundation for the extremities to move on while also
allowing for efficient energy transfer. The more stable and efficient our trunk and hips, the more efficient our
extremities are. It doesn’t matter how fast you can swing a golf club if the foundation on which you are
swinging is not stable enough to control the path of the golf club.

Posture
Mobility and stability also provide the ability to maintain proper posture and spinal alignment. The ability to
maintain your posture throughout the swing is one of the keys to a repeatable swing and consistent
ball striking. Postural strength and stability, combined with leg, hip and trunk strength, allows for a more
reliable axis of rotation throughout the golf swing which in turn allows for more precise coordination of the legs
and arms with our core. Good posture is also less stressful on your spine and back muscles. The inability to
maintain your posture throughout the swing will result in any number of swing faults and miss hits and possible
injury.

Balance
With club head speeds averaging 70-110 mph, the golf swing is a very dynamic movement. Good balance
promotes crisp ball contact by preventing excessive movement such as hip slide or sway. In order to be most
efficient and successful, more consistent and accurate, we need to maintain our balance throughout the swing.
Adequate flexibility and proper strength training that includes balance training will contribute to a more balanced
swing.

Endurance
Maybe one of the more under rated benefits of conditioning is improved endurance. Proper conditioning delays
the onset of fatigue. Fatigue in one or more links within a chain or segment can lead to any number of faults
such as loss of posture, coordination, balance and timing. This is obviously not conducive to an efficient or
repeatable swing and leaves us more vulnerable to injury.

Injury prevention
All of the above reduces the risk of injury and promotes a more efficient, consistent and repeatable golf swing.
Of the hundreds of training devices on the market today, not one is more effective at improving your ability to
play the game of golf better than your own body. It’s never too late to start a flexibility and strength training
program.