Introduction:
Most golfers want to get better. And to achieve this outcome, most golfers buy expensive equipment and spend countless hours on the range. Some may even take a lesson now and again, so an expert at the golf swing can tell them what they’re doing wrong in the hope they’ll get “fixed” by the end of the hour.
What most golfers don’t consider is how well their body is functioning as it relates to what is desired of a mechanically correct golf swing. In other words, does your body move the way it needs to – to play golf the way you want to? Is your body equipped for you to play golf better?
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Probably not. But why? Likely because your pattern is broken.
By pattern, I’m referring to whether or not the mobile joints or segments have sufficient mobility (range of motion) to allow you to move your body efficiently and effectively without compensation.
The philosophy by which we look at how your body is supposed to function is called the Joint-by-Joint Approach. It’s a very simplified way of looking at human movement.
Simply stated, the body is a series of stable segments connected by mobile joints, and when this pattern is broken, bad things happen. What bad things, you ask?
With time and repetition, those bad things are all the things you complain about:
- lack of consistency
- lack of power
- pain and injury
- most commonly (low back and knee)
Here’s why.
If you are trying to make a turn in your golf swing, you need sufficient amounts of mobility in certain areas of the body. The hips, the thoracic spine (rib cage area), and the upper cervical spine. If you do not possess sufficient amounts of mobility in those places, your brain will tell your body to find it somewhere else. Those other places are the stable segments, places NOT designed for rotation. What happens when you repeatedly ask a stable segment to become mobile?
First off, a movement restriction leads to subconscious compensations. Those are the swing characteristics that make golf so unpredictable.
The sways and slides.
The upper body dominant, over-the-top, casting, and chicken wings.
And many others…
But even worse, irritation, inflammation, pain, injury, and possibly surgery.
How do we measure how well your pattern works?
Those of us who are TPI Certified use what’s known as the Level 1 Screen.
The screen tells us what’s working and what’s not working. We are also able to take the results of that screen and correlate them to what you may be complaining about in your body and your swing. This is known as the Body-Swing Connection.
Your Game Starts Here!
The first step in helping you become injury resilient and creating more power in your golf swing is knowing how your body moves and then helping you eliminate those physical restrictions that are preventing you from playing your best golf.
Brett’s Bottom Line:
You love golf, and you want to play golf forever.
Don’t let your current physical limitations stop you from doing what you love.
As a golf performance specialist, my job is to evaluate how a golfer’s body moves in relation to a mechanically correct golf swing and how the golf swing affects their body. Then design an exercise program to help them eliminate the physical restrictions that prevent them from playing their best golf. That leads to Longer Drives, Lower Scores, and Fewer Injuries!
If you have difficulty making a repeatable, powerful golf swing. If golf is something you want to be able to do for the rest of your life and do it without pain, it’s time to take charge of your body and your game.
Make the call. Let’s get started on the path to helping you Play Golf Better.
