PART X:  Golf Specific Exercises

Stretch ‘em Out for Golf and Life (Part 1)

Continued from blog entry – “The New Season . . . PART IX”

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Most people forget, or choose to ignore, that there is this thing going on called the aging process. The body doesn’t respond very well when you sit around all winter, then make a few light swings and think you’re ready to go. You’re not. You need to make your muscles stronger and more flexible. Strength training and golf-specific flexibility work complement each other. I certainly want you to get stronger, but when you make muscles stronger, they tend to get tighter, so you need flexibility exercises to stretch them and increase your range of motion. I’m not going to get into strength training in this article. I’m not an expert in that area. But there are plenty of experts available, and I urge you to seek one out.

Most golfers come to me with back problems, usually in the area of the L4 and LS vertebrae. That aging process causes muscle fibers to become tighter and less elastic. So when you try to hit a ball hard, making a bigger turn to get more clubhead speed, the body says, “No, I’m not going to do that for you.” Something’s got to give. Often it’s the discs between the vertebrae and then comes the pain.

If you can elongate all the muscle groups around the pelvic area, you take a lot of pressure off your vertebrae. If you can elongate and build more flexibility into the quadriceps, hamstrings and hip flexors, it’s going to be of benefit, both in preventing injuries and in increasing the range of motion in your golf swing. Not only are you helping your golf game, you’re helping your life.