Golf is a very unique game as you start in a static position and then have to move your body suddenly into very athletic movements. Good players are taught to coil up their upper body (mid spine) 90 degrees against a more stable lower body by turning the hips only 45 degrees. These movements produce a lot of torque to transfer to the downswing to hit the ball. If either area is deficient in its range of muscular movement, the result will be to cause extra pressure on subsequent areas causing injury.

 Athletic set up: Good posture set up over the ball. The golfer must bend from the hip joint and not the waist in order to use the bum muscles rather than the lower back. To do this stand upright and place your thumbs on the front of your hips and push your hips backwards, at this point the backs of your legs become tight and straight. To release the pressure off your legs and back bounce slightly with your legs to relax them. This also puts the weight onto the balls of your feet. This is where the weight should stay throughout the golf swing if it is to stay balanced and athletic. The bottom should sit backwards while the golfer maintains a straight spine and slightly dipped head with good upper body height (not bringing the chest down low).

Strengthening Exercises:

(1) Single leg rotation

Holding a club infront with both hands, the golfer adopts the stance of addressing the ball. Next they transfer all their weight onto the right leg with the knee slightly bent. Then rotate the thoracic spine (upper body) to the right over the stable right leg, working on bum muscle control and taking care to turn the chest, rather than simply allowing the shoulders to move back and forth.

(2) Squats

Stand tall and straight and always face forwards. Hold a club with both hands in front of you just above head height. Now bend slowly from your knees keeping your feet flat to the ground at all times into the squat position. Hold the squat position for a few seconds and return back to the standing position. This is a great exercise to regain control and strength of the buttock muscles.

Rotational Exercises:

Good rotation through the upper body is essential to wind up in the backswing and rotate through the shot. Some ways to increase spinal range of movement:

(1) Sit with a golf club placed horizontally behind the back, tucked into the elbows, and twist round. Aim to turn through 60 to 80 degrees. The positioning of the club restricts movement at the shoulder blades, forcing you to use the spine to turn.

(2) Get into your address position and hold the club horizontally with both hands in front of your chest. Turn to your right as in the backswing and feel the side stomach muscles tighten and stretch.

(3) Hold a club across your chest and breath in, keeping the pelvis still and without turning the head. Breathe out and turn to the right as far as you can through the waist. Hold at the end point for a couple of seconds, then rotate back through as far as possible to the left. Hold this position again for 2 seconds and repeat several times.