Pain Free Golf

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The Importance of Core Strength & Flexibility

We have all been on the course and seen people with the elbow straps for tendonitis. Or halfway through the round someone in your group is in agonizing back pain that they say is always there when they play. You can watch people on the tee box, and they have a half or quarter swing because anything more hurts their body. Which, as a result effects their game and scorecard. Maybe this is even be you on the course. Let’s learn why and how you can fix it. 

Golf is a sport that ranges from youth to the elderly. It can be a great way to get some exercise in, enjoy being outside with friends and be competitive. Whether you’re a youth player learning, a highly competitive pro trying to make it, or an amateur who just loves the game, the answer is the same. Core strength and flexibility is what allows you to be pain free and perform better. Doing the right, simple and easy things will allow you to be pain free and improve your game at the same time. 

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Impact of flexibility on swing ROM and chronic pain associated to it

One of the most common complaints in golf is low back discomfort and/or pain. Your golf swing is your unique Range of Motion (ROM). Flexibility has a massive impact on swing ROM. Which means flexibility can also be the main component to relieving chronic low back pain in the golf swing.

The human body is amazing. Even though flexibility may be lacking, the body will do its best to find a way to still complete a task. Speaking specifically about the golf swing. If you lack hamstring flexibility you will not be able to complete a full turn in the golf swing. Which in return your low back will have to do much more. This is because instead of rotating you will start to extend during your back swing. Your low back will take the complete & constant load of the movement.

The low back and muscles in that area are not designed to take that constant load and as a result of poor hamstring flexibility you now have low back pain. Unfortunately, you also have a weaker swing because it is not efficient. This is the most common example of chronic pain in golfers we see, but there are several others. This example really shows why flexibility plays such a massive role in pain free golf. 

By prioritizing a flexibility routine you will:

  1. Improve your comfort while playing your favorite sport,
  2. Improve your golf performance
  3. Increase the amount of time and length of time you can play golf.

Check out our video on flexibility for golfers here.

Read more about golf flexibility here. 

Core strength and stability for proper loading and muscle firing in the golf swing

Flexibility is half the battle in pain free golf. The other half is core strength and stability to keep you healthy. Stability is turning on the appropriate muscle groups that we want involved and that should “fire” during movements. We call this a proper kinematic sequence. It is our job to teach the body which muscles to fire at the right time during the golf swing. This allows you to play pain free and dramatically increase your performance.

We always like to start from the ground up when working with stability. When you watch the PGA pros play it’s amazing to see their power that they generate from their legs. It is imperative that we give your legs the proper stability training to ensure the proper kinematic sequence for the rest of the golf swing. As we move up the body, we want proper movement and stability in the glutes and hips, and then the core. If we can initiate proper muscle firing in the legs, to the glutes/hips, and then to the core you will be able to play the game of golf pain free. 

It is very important to focus on training these muscles to fire properly. Simply going through the motions of movements doesn’t fix the problem. Flawless technique, mental focus and proper repetition is how your body will learn to do things right and then continue to do them right.

Check out our video on hip stability for golfers here.

Read more about stability for golfers here.

Focusing on the flexibility, stability and core strength is the key to eliminating pain and improving golf performance. How you go about it is a massive component of how successful you will be. Follow our proven PureForged Method and find out for yourself. 

GOLF FITNESS STABILITY

GOLF FITNESS STABILITY

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Recently we discussed the importance of Range of Motion (ROM) for the golf swing. Read that article here. Now, we will touch base on how to give stability within this new ROM. It is imperative that once you have ROM you give the muscles the stability required to use this new ROM. Below will outline four simple exercises to give you the next step towards gaining power and speed in your golf swing. 

Stability within Range of Motion

Your legs must be the main power source within your golf swing. They hold your biggest muscle groups and can generate the most power. Stability and strength in your legs will help you to load the posterior chain and be more efficient in the golf swing. By choosing not to focus on the ROM and stability at your legs you are leaving out a very large percentage of power. Which in this situation means DISTANCE.

Read through the exercises, descriptions and recommended repetitions for our four standard lower body stability exercises for golfers. There is a short video included at the end that gives you a visual understanding of these exercises. Enjoy and get to work! The courses in Wisconsin are opening up!

Equipment

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Stability Workout

Lateral Band Walks (20 Steps Each Way) 

Place the Hip Circle right above the knees and get into an athletic stance of shoulder width feet, bent knees, extended hips and flat back. Maintain the athletic stance and take 30 lateral steps one way and then 30 steps back. This exercise will get your glutes firing, which is a key component to loading posterior chain and creating more power in your swing.

Forward & Backward Band Walks (20 Steps Each Way)

Place the Hip Circle right above the knees and get into an athletic stance of shoulder width feet, bent knees, extended hips and flat back. Maintain the athletic stance and take 30 steps forward and then step 30 steps backwards. This exercise will keep your hips as strong as possible again to help with faster club speeds.

Wall Sit with Band Pulses (20 Pulses)

Place Hip Circle right above knees and set yourself against a wall in a squat position where your butt, back, and shoulders are flat on the wall and your knees are bent at 90 degrees. Keep your feet flat on the floor, including your big toe, with the majority of your body weight distributed midfoot/heel and NOT on your toes or balls of your feet. While holding the wall sit position you will drive your legs out into the band, cautious to maintain proper foot and floor contact, and then relax to your starting position. Repeating this pulsing movement 30 times. Again, a great exercise to activate your glutes as a primary muscle group.

Single Leg RDL – Ground and Bosu Ball (10 Reps Each Leg)

Balancing on one leg it is important to keep your weight on your single leg midfoot/heel while taking your opposite hand and reaching and touching just below your knee. Make sure you keep a slight bend in your knee and push your butt straight back while keeping your back nice and flat.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After you have established range of motion, built up the stability at your hips you are ready for step 3. But before you read about step 3 you need to understand that step 1 and 2 never go away. As you build power you must ensure that your maintain proper range of motion (flexibility) and the proper stability within this range of motion. Neglecting any part of the process will negatively impact your results.

 

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GOLF FITNESS FLEXIBILITY

GOLF FITNESS FLEXIBILITY

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Today we’ll cover the first of three steps in the PureForged method. We have found, regardless of your golf specific flexibility, these four stretches will help you and your swing. If you already have great flexibility, then the idea is to maintain it. Below are the four stretches: three of them are static stretches, meaning you hold them and one is a dynamic stretch, meaning it’s done through repetitive movements.

If you haven’t read our first article covering all three steps click here.

Four Stretches for Pain Free Range of Motion

Important: Each static stretch should be held for 30 seconds. Making sure your alignment is perfect and that the stretch is NEVER painful. If it is painful you need to decrease the intensity immediately. Go through each stretch twice, two times a day, every day to maximize results.

  1. Straight Ahead Hamstring Stretch (Static)
  2. Sideways Adductor/Hamstring Stretch (Static)
  3. Standing or Kneeling Quad/Hip Stretch (Static)
  4. Isolated Thoracic Wall Rotation (Dynamic)

How we apply these stretches is important. Follow these steps to get the most out of your flexibility training. Each static stretch should be held for 30 seconds. Making sure your alignment is perfect and that the stretch is NEVER painful. If it is painful you need to decrease the intensity immediately. Go through each stretch twice, two times a day, every day to maximize results.

Take a look at the video at the bottom for a clarification of the exercises. We walk you through how and why to use these exercises.

Straight Ahead Hamstring Stretch (Static)

Stand on two feet with toes pointing straight ahead and a tall posture. Lift one leg up and rest your heel on a bench (or other object) in front of you. Check to ensure that your hips and shoulders are squared straight ahead, your weight baring leg is straight and your posture is still tall. You should feel a slight pull in the back of your leg that is not too discomforting to hold for a 30 second count and then switch legs. If discomfort exists lower the height of the elevated leg, if there is no stretch and all other parameters are met increase the height of the elevated leg. Keeping your hamstrings loose helps directly with allowing your body to load the posterior muscles and increases the range of motion to allow you to get into power positions within your swing.

Sideways Hamstring Stretch (Static)

Stand on two feet with toes pointing straight ahead and a tall posture. Open up one foot so that it is now perpendicular to the other foot. Lift the other leg up, or the foot pointing forward, and rest your heel on a bench (or other object) in front of you. Check to ensure that your hips and shoulders are squared straight ahead, your weight baring leg is straight and your posture is still tall. You should feel a slight pull in groin of your elevated leg that is not too discomforting to hold for a 30 second count and then switch legs. If discomfort exists lower the height of the elevated leg, if there is no stretch and all other parameters are met increase the height of the elevated leg. This stretch you will feel in your groin area and directly helps with rotational flexibility and range of motion. 

Standing Quad or Kneeling Quad Stretch (Static)

While standing bend one leg and rest your foot on something around hip height behind you. Make sure your knees are next to each other, toes are pointing forward, and posture is tall. You should feel a slight pull in the front hip/quad of the bent leg. To perform this stretch kneeling find a soft surface to rest one knee on in a split kneeling stance. Engage your core, squeeze your glutes and gently push your hips forward until you feel a pull in your quad of the leg kneeling on the ground. Hold for 30 seconds and then switch legs. This stretch will also help with rotational flexibility as the hips get a lot of work in the golf swing and will tighten up on you.

Kneeling Thoracic Rotations on Wall – 12 Rotations Each Way (Dynamic)

Against a wall get into a split kneeling stance with your outside leg (furthest from the wall) kneeling on the ground. Make sure your inside leg (closest to the wall) is touching the wall and then place your hands behind your head and interlace your fingers. At this time your chest will be facing away from the wall. From this position rotate your upper body towards the wall so that both elbows can get as close to touching the wall and then rotate back to center. Repeat this for 12 rotations and then switch sides. This is very important to isolate thoracic rotation flexibility that will help in the golf swing and keep your low back healthy.

WHAT’S NEXT?

After you are CONSISTENTLY using this flexibility program it is time to move onto stability training. If you aren’t doing these stretches on a daily basis I would not advise moving on to stability training. You may not have the necessary range of motion. 

When you are ready read our Golf Fitness Stability article and find out what exercises will help improve your golf performance. 

 

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fitness articles
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DISCLOSURE

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.