Golf swinging requires full-body movements coordinated by multiple muscle groups to execute, which when stiff can significantly impede your game and lead to poor mechanics that lead to injuries.
Dynamic stretching is a form of exercise designed to replicate the movements you’ll perform when golfing, mimicking what will likely happen during a round. By performing dynamic stretching before and after golf, it will increase mobility and lower risk of injury.
Upper Body
Upper body and shoulders play an essential part in driving a golf swing, so it is crucial that they remain flexible enough to allow for proper trunk rotation during each swing. Research has indicated that an increase in upper-body flexibility correlates to an increased X factor and greater clubhead speed during golf swinging.
Pectoral muscles (commonly referred to as chest muscles) play an integral part in rotating and producing force during a golf swing, as well as maintaining consistency throughout its entirety. Flexibility within these chest muscles is vital to creating an efficient golf swing with maximum power.
Stretch your chest and shoulder area by standing with feet approximately hip-width apart and reaching arms up over your head a few times, increasing stretching effects on chest muscles. Repeat these movements several times for best results.
Lower Body
Golf requires that lower body and hips remain flexible to support rotational power in an effective swing, as well as reduce injury risk and promote balance. Flexibility also serves a purpose in terms of injury prevention.
Golfers unable to rotate their trunk and shoulders properly cannot generate the required power to hit the ball far. According to research conducted, there has been a correlation between trunk flexibility and driving distance for male and female collegiate golfers.
Effective methods to increase flexibility for golf include dynamic stretches that include movement and target the muscles used during the swing. Try adding these exercises into your regular practice regimen:
Shoulders
Golf requires many twists and turns of the body to produce power and accuracy. If your body isn’t flexible enough for these movements, power production will become limited, as will accuracy.
Shoulder turn is at the core of every effective golf swing and is commonly referred to as your “x-factor.” Without enough of this turn at impact, maintaining proper posture position and getting maximum power into each shot could become increasingly difficult. Improving this component requires hip rotation, shoulder rotation and core rotation – essential elements that together form the “x-factor.”
Arms
Golf is an intense physical sport that requires strength, balance and coordination – as well as flexibility as its foundation.
Without proper flexibility, arms will not be able to produce the required power needed for an effective swing – something especially vital for older players.
Tight hips, shoulders and trunk rotators can lead to compensations in your swing that result in poor posture or injury. This stretch will help to alleviate this by increasing hip rotation flexibility and permitting more free body movement throughout the entire swing.
Chest
Pectoralis major muscles play a significant role in producing power in a golf swing, providing necessary rotational forces required to generate an effective swing.
Studies have demonstrated the importance of fast hip, trunk and shoulder rotation with an optimized x-factor in executing an effective golf swing (6). Flexibility within these areas has also been linked to this efficiency.
For the chest stretch, stand in a doorway with one foot several inches in front of the other foot. Bend forward at your waist while raising arms overhead before returning to starting position on other side and repeat on other side.
Back
Golf is a full-body sport and flexibility in your back is key for an effective swing. This golf stretch will help increase shoulder turn and extend drive distance.
Golf injuries often stem from inflexibility in the back, hamstrings, shoulders and neck areas. Implementing stretching exercises specifically targeting these areas may reduce injury as well as decrease muscle tightness and improve balance – ultimately helping you hit longer and more consistently with each swing.
Hips
Since golf swings involve rotational power from both shoulders and mid-back/thoracic spine joints, hips also play a crucial role. By increasing hip rotational power during a swing, greater club head speed and distance off of the tee is likely.
The iliopsoas muscles (comprising the iliacus and psoas) are responsible for internal rotating of your hips. When these muscles become tight they reduce your ability to generate hip rotation which reduces overall power of your golf swing.
Studies have demonstrated the value of balance and flexibility to improve swing performance. One such study revealed a correlation between lower scores on the sit and reach test and greater driving distance among male golfers, and lower scores on this assessment tool for proficient golfers having superior trunk/hip rotation flexibility than average golfers.https://www.youtube.com/embed/eDVl5a1i7Gk