We all want to have
more consistency and accuracy with our game. Most teaching professionals agree that at least 90%
of all swing faults can be improved with the proper posture. This means not only
being able to achieve good posture at address, but more importantly, to maintain
it throughout the swing and throughout the round.
Proper posture and spinal alignment not only promote better swing mechanics, but
also help to prevent injuries. That’s a winning combination! We all WANT to play
better, but we all NEED to prevent injuries. You need to stay strong and healthy
in order to keep playing your best golf.
Did you know that golf has more injuries than any other sport? Most of these
injuries are the result of poor posture, tight and/or weak muscles, overusing
muscles and joints, and using poor body mechanics throughout the round. When
golfers do not have the correct physical tools to play the game, they have to
make a number of compensations during the swing to try to hit the ball
consistently. This is the main reason why golf is so difficult! The goal is to
improve each golfer’s body so that they do not have to compensate for their
physical limitations.
Your address posture should be rock solid and balanced with your body positioned
so that your ears, shoulders and hips are aligned. You should be able to hold a
golf club along your back with contact at your sacrum, spine, and the back of
your head in your set-up position. This good spine angle allows your body to
move much easier throughout the swing, and allows your body to move the way it
was designed to work. A good analogy that we like to use is if you bent the
shaft of your golf club around a tree, would you continue to use it? Certainly
not! You would get the shaft replaced with a STRAIGHT shaft, so why do most
golfers continue to play with their backs in this faulty, BENT position?
In a good set-up, you should be bent forward from your hip sockets, not from
your back. Your shoulder blades should be pulled down and back to open up your
chest and allow your shoulders to work from their strongest position. This also
allows your hands to stay relaxed directly under your shoulders. Your lower
abdominal muscles are your powerhouse and need to be strong and activated
throughout the swing. They also support your back, pelvis, and hips.
Proper posture at address also requires a side tilt of your body. Most teaching
professionals will agree that you want to maintain a straight spine angle with
your shoulders and hips parallel to each other. Think of your body as a capital
letter “I”. Your shoulders are the top of the “I”, your hips are the bottom of
the “I”, and your spine is the straight line connecting the top and bottom
lines.
For right-handed golfers, your right hand is lower on the club, correct? How do
you maintain this letter “I” when you grip the club? Most golfers will side bend
their spine to the right instead of keeping it straight. This can eventually
cause a lot of strain to the low back, which is the number one injury in golf.
As the picture illustrates, the spine stays straight when you pivot through your
hips instead of your spine. Maintaining the “I” will make you a more powerful
and consistent ball striker. Why? Because you are moving from a powerful,
athletic position; not from a side-bent, injury-promoting position. This side
tilt move is great because it sets you into a pre-loaded position so that you
can more easily transfer your weight onto your right side in the back swing.
Some simple thoughts for attaining and maintaining proper posture:
1. Always try to be one inch taller than you actually are. This will
automatically start to strengthen your abdominal and shoulder blade muscles to
support a strong, stable posture.
2. Try not to let your chest and bellybutton get closer together. This is a
great tip to pay attention to not only in your golf posture, but also sitting at
work every day. Most of the activities that we do during the day are forward
activities where it is very easy to round the back and shoulders into a weak,
“bent golf club” position.
Now we know the correct posture and body mechanics to utilize for golf, so why
don’t we see every golfer at the driving range in the correct position? Well,
it’s simple, most people cannot physically assume or maintain the positions we
have discussed above. Each golfer’s physical STRUCTURE will govern how they
FUNCTION while playing golf. So if a golfer is lacking flexibility and strength
in certain key areas then they will have to change their structure (improve the
strength and flexibility limitations) if they want to improve their function
(lower golf scores with less risk of injury).
We are going to show you two flexibility exercises that are typically needed for
golfers to begin to change their structure to improve the address position.
The first area to focus on is tight hamstring muscles. Most golfers have tight
hamstrings so when they attempt to get into the straight spine, athletic address
position, these tight muscles will pull their seat underneath them because of
the muscle’s attachment to the pelvis. Because of this, the only way to then get
the club to the ground behind the ball is to round the back and shoulders into a
weak, faulty position.
So let’s stretch the back and hamstrings out! Stand with your feet slightly
wider than shoulder width, place a club on the ground in front of you with both
hands on top of the club. Squat slightly so your hips and knees are bent. Keep
your back flat and begin to sit back toward your heels. Push the club out away
from you as you straighten your elbows. You should feel a stretch in your back,
shoulders, and along the back of your legs.
You can also move the club to each side to feel a bigger stretch along your side
muscles.
The next stretch is great for stretching the front of your chest and shoulders.
Like the hamstrings, these muscles, when tight, do not allow the optimal spine
and shoulder position at address. To stretch these muscles, move your elbows out
to your sides to shoulder height with palms facing outward. Open your chest and
shoulders by pulling the shoulder blades back and down while moving the elbows
down slightly.
Hold these stretches for 30 seconds to one minute taking deep breaths to allow
maximal muscle stretch. These flexibility exercises should be done daily to get
the best results (they should also be used as part of your warm-up before
practicing and playing).
These two flexibility exercises will begin to help you achieve the ideal posture
at address and maintain it throughout your golf swing. We hope these exercises
and the information about the proper spine position at address help you!
Remember, the path to lower scores and more enjoyment with your golf game is
directly related to changing your physical structure to allow your body to
perform optimally for you.
Special thanks to Chris
Kendall, MPT and Betsy Voyles, MSPT
|
