PART X (Conclusion):  Golf Specific Exercises

Stretch ‘em Out for Golf and Life (Part 4, Conclusion)

Continued from blog entry – “The New Season . . . PART X (Part 3)”

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Develop Muscles for External Rotation
The upper body area – the shoulders, neck, upper back and chest – obviously is involved in the golf swing and needs to be developed and stretched just as much as the lower body. These muscles deal with external rotation, the forearms swinging to the outside. They are critical to your ability to invert your forearm on the downswing so you can get the club on a shallower plane, coming from the inside. One big reason that golfers come over the top on their down­swing is that their lack of external rotation prevents the club from shallowing out and coming from the inside on the way down. Essentially, they don’t have enough motion in their shoulders.

To do this drill, hold the club in the palm of your right hand and the grip end in your left, the shaft running under your arm as shown (1). Then pull back with your right hand. Chances are you won’t be able to get the hand back much beyond the shoulder. Hold the pull for as long as you can, then relax and repeat. This stretches the rotator cuff area and the pectoral or chest area. Eventually you’ll develop enough freedom in the area to swing the club the way you want.

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Exercise the Rotator Cuff
Swing a club in a vertical circle a dozen times or so (2 and 3). Switch to the other arm, then repeat. This exercise benefits the rotator cuff area. Once you have developed the muscles to some extent, try the same exercise swinging two clubs.

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Repeat all these exercises as many times as you can, gradually building up the number of repetitions.

Do the exercises when your body is warm. Do a few minutes on the treadmill or stationary bike to work up a sweat. Or take a hot shower before you begin stretching.

By the way, don’t limit your exercising to the off-season. This should become a year-around regimen, at least three or four times a week and especially important on the days you play golf. Once you establish that regimen, you’re on your way to feeling better and scoring better.