A Golf Season On-Hold
Unfortunately, just as the weather is turning, the COVID-19 pandemic has put our golf season on-hold. There is a silver lining however! There is no better time than now to prepare your body for golf after the stay-at-home restrictions and closures are lifted. Best of all, you can improve your body with no expensive exercise equipment and very little space.
When we’re not golfing, we’re not rotating. When we can finally get back to golfing, it’s important to have the mobility required to make a good turn in the swing. This is important to not only play good golf, but to prevent early season aches and injuries.
Spine Mobility and Shoulder Turn
Almost all effective golf swings contain anywhere from 70-90 degrees of shoulder turn in the backswing and 20-35 degrees of shoulder turn at impact. If you’re not regularly doing stretches and exercises that require body rotation, then you’re missing out on a huge opportunity to improve ball striking.
The Thoracic Spine
The primary source of upper body turn is the thoracic spine. The thoracic spine is the middle-upper part of the spine. The vertebrae of the thoracic spine need to be very mobile to meet the rotational demands of the swing. The anatomical and physiological reasons behind the loss of thoracic mobility can be complicated, but it’s safe to say that sitting around doesn’t help the cause!
Perform the exercises below daily to improve your spine mobility and shoulder turn for golf:
EXERCISE #1: OPEN BOOKS - 1-2 sets x 10 reps/side
EXERCISE #2: TALL KNEELING ROTATION - 2 sets x 5 reps/side
EXERCISE #3: HALF KNEELING ROTATION - 2 sets x 10 reps/side
Looking for more exercises to improve shoulder turn?
Here are a few more of my favorite exercises from our Exercise Library for the thoracic spine:
– Prayer Stretch: 2 sets x 30 seconds/set (Focus on deep breathing)
– Prayer Stretch with Twisting: 1 set x 5 reps/side (Hold each rep for 3 deep breaths)
– Cats and Dogs: 1 set x 15 reps
– Prone Extension Over a Stability Ball: 2 sets x 10 reps
If you try these exercises and you find them to be too challenging or uncomfortable, do not continue until you have consulted with your physician. All exercises for golf should be customized to your needs after a proper evaluation.