Where does motion come from to swing the golf club properly and efficiently?

When it comes to training in the gym during the cold winter months this is a very important question to consider. The power we generate to hit the golf ball, like any other ground based activity, comes from pushing into the surface we are standing on, and transferring as much of that force as possible into our clubface. How we use our body to transfer these forces optimally comes from the mechanics of how the body’s joints are made and how they all work in relation to one another. The basic biomechanics of the golf swing are the same as any other rotary motion, like throwing a ball or hitting a forehand tennis stoke. All good rotary motions start with a weight transfer from the back foot down the intended target line initiated by the lower body, the hips then rotate, followed by the torso, arms, and then the release of the club, racket, or ball. In all of these motions it is important to have good stability on the side of the body closest to the target so that the body segments can rotate around a stable pivot point, following the basic biomechanical principle of the law of conservation of angular momentum to generate rotary speed. So for the rotary motion of the golf swing, one must have a combination of joint stability and mobility (or flexibility), which can be evaluated with a golfing specific physical screen and improved upon with appropriate exercises.

Because golf is a ground based activity it must be looked at from the ground up, meaning that joint limitations in the lower body will have an effect on components of the swing further up the chain. For example, a golfer may be losing their posture at the top of their swing due to limitations in ankle mobility, and if the cause of the problem (the ankle) is not addressed, the resulting loss of posture will not be alleviated. There are many combinations of joint mobility and stability issues that can lead to commonly observed swing faults. The Titleist Performance Institute has identified twelve common swing faults seen in most golfers:

1. S- Posture
2. C- Posture
3. Loss of posture
4. Flat shoulder plane
5. Early hip extension
6. Over the top


7. Chicken Winging
8. Sway
9. Slide
10. Hanging Back
11. Casting/Early release of the club
12. Reverse spine angle

Thus each joint of the body that contributes to motion during the golf swing must be evaluated, and from this evaluation a specific exercise program can be designed to target these potentially limiting areas. It is important that nearly every joint in the body is looked at to get an overall picture of potential physical limitations that lead to swing faults (ankle mobility, knee stability, hip mobility, pelvic and core stability, thoracic spine mobility, scapular stability, and shoulder mobility are all very important). When there are no limitations present, any swing faults that occur are more likely due to technique problems or misunderstanding of correct positions, which should both be addressed with the help of a teaching professional. However, things are very rarely this black and white, most golfers out there have both physical limitations and technical problems that should be attacked by a conditioning consultant and teaching professional working as a team to enable golfers to swing the club in a more efficient manner.

Golfers like Tiger Woods, Vijay Singh, and Annika Sorenstam have really brought attention to how important fitness is to the game of golf. However, what these three elite golfers do in the gym is not necessarily what the average golfer should be doing to improve his/her game. Professional golfers, for the most part, have nearly flawless technical swings compared to the everyday golfer, due to a combination of many factors, including very few (if any) physical limitations and excellent swing coaching. Thus just making their bodies much stronger and more powerful will enable them to generate more club head speed and hit the ball further with the same or less effort. And although making a recreational golfer more powerful in the gym will result in more distance with the golf ball, if their physical limitations are not corrected then the ability to improve their golf swing with proper swing instruction will only take them so far, and the capability to create an efficient and consistent swing will not be met. Doing general strength and power exercises should not be avoided in the early stages of a training program, but should be complimented by specific exercises to target any golf related joint stability and mobility weaknesses.

If you have any questions or are interested in getting started in golf specific training, please contact me at:

jesse@sportdevelopment.com (403) 284-7175

www.sportdevelopment.com

Jesse Wright, MHlthSc