The biggest flexibility issues I see plaguing everyday golfers are tight hip flexors and lower back muscles, as well as tight pecs and lats on the upper body. These tight muscles in combination with under active or weak stabilizing muscles can lead to serious hip and shoulder mobility impairments. They will also wreak havoc on your golf swing. Poor hip and shoulder mobility lead to loss of posture, sway, slide, early extension, etc. in the golf swing. Aside from performance problems poor hip and shoulder mobility can greatly increase the risk of injury.
In the golf performance (and fitness) world we hear the terms flexibility and mobility tossed around, oftentimes interchangeably. That couldn’t be more wrong. This blog will address what flexibility and mobility are and how they relate to golf. We’ll also touch on what the most common flexibility and mobility issues for golfers, and lastly some simple exercises to try and combat these issues.
Flexibility is the ability of a muscle to lengthen. Mobility is the ability of a joint to move through its full range of motion. Flexibility of the muscles surrounding a joint is imperative for good joint mobility. While flexibility is important, this isn’t the only factor influencing joint mobility. Joint Mobility is also dependent upon the structure of the joint, limb length, tendon length, soft tissue integrity etc. To achieve proper joint mobility we need to actively move the joint through a complete range of motion.
Think of the toe touch test as an example. Jim NoHinge can’t touch his toes. Common sense would say that is due to tight hamstrings limiting Jim’s range of motion and leading to the inability to performa a toe touch. We have Jim lie down and check his hamstring flexibility, and find his hamstrings have no flexibility, but he still can’t perform the toe touch. This tells us Jim has hip mobility issues limiting his toe touch ability. The practitioner must then find out what is causing the hip mobility issue. This could be tight hip flexors and low back muscles, or weak stabilizing muscles such as the abdominals and glutes. (Most likely it’s a combination of the two). This little hypothetical shows, flexibility is important but not the determining factor in joint mobility.We need a combination of flexibility, stability and strength to achieve proper mobility in our joints.
In golf we need a combination of mobility and stability throughout the kinetic chain to have an efficient repeatable swing. We know our flexibility can greatly influence our mobility, but it isn’t the only piece of the puzzle. We need strength and stability as well (next blog issues). Circling back to the opening paragraph most everyday golfers struggle with poor hip and shoulder mobility due to some common flexibility issues (Tight hips, back, pecs, and lats). These issues are generally due to or exacerbated by sitting and starring at screens.
Luckily it doesn’t take much to fight these issues and most can do it from the comfort of their homes. I have linked to a couple different flexibility stretches for hip flexors, pecs, and lats and also linked to a few mobility exercises for the hips and shoulders various coaches and practitioners around the world. Give these a try and stay tuned for the next blog as we tackle Strength and Stability issues plaguing the everyday golfer.
To look up this research on your own, check out the sources below.
7 Best Hip flexor stretches (Lacy Borussa)
Lat and Pec foam roller stretch (Jeremy James, Golf Forever)
Hip mobility – (Dr. Katie Dabrowski, Instagram page)
Ryan Munoz
Ryan's goal is to develop healthy athletes for the game of golf, regardless of age and skill level. He is Titleist TPI certified with a Master's degree in Exercise Physiology, which he's used in developing high school and college athletes into top prospects.
