Let's discuss proper posture for golf. Getting into the proper posture at address is key to initiating the golf swing properly. The thing is…your daily posture impacts your golf posture.
Many people are not conscious of their daily posture. They slouch when they sit, they are hunched over their smartphones, and don’t stand tall and balanced! They tend to collapse into their core with their feet splayed apart and out like a duck. Or they are leaning and shifting their weight to one side. Not too lively looking!
Poor posture causes a negative rippling effect of compensations and mobility problems throughout the body. Here are just a few:
- Overly tight, shortened hip flexor muscles tug your upper body forward and your body gets out of alignment.
- Add to that weakened core muscles, which encourage more slumping and the rib cage collapses into your core.
- Overly tight upper chest muscles pull your shoulders forward.
- Improper posture of the legs causes inflammation in the joints, plantar fasciitis, ankle problems, hip mobility issues.
- Poor posture in general leads to headaches, shoulder issues, back pain, joint pain.
Let's talk about how poor posture can impact your golf swing.
Poor posture causes the stronger areas of your body to compensate for the weaker ones, which then results in changes to how you move. For golfers, this can lead to less power and potential injury caused by mobility restrictions and resulting compensations causing incorrect movement patterns. Basically, you move bad, feel bad and play bad!
For example:
- Weak core strength affects your ability to transfer power from your legs and the ground to the upper body and club head, you can’t use your pelvis properly.
- Back pain impacts your ability to maintain proper spine angle during the swing, often causing you to move up and down rather than turning. The result is poor contact, loss of power and more pain!
- Tight hips lead to limited hip rotation which causes low back pain, poor swing technique and loss of power.
- Limited hip mobility is one of the major causes of low back pain, poor overall swing technique and loss of power for golfers.
- Tight back and shoulders lead to decreased trunk rotation, limits the ability to turn and pivot on backswing properly.
- Poor shoulder strength and mobility, especially in the rotator cuff due to slumped shoulder, leads to loss of arm extension, an inability to lift arms into proper backswing position, poor club control and loss of power
As you can see, poor posture pretty much affects everything in your golf swing! And these postural issues don’t occur overnight. The biggest physical challenge faced by golfers entering their 50s and 60s has to do with the posture they’ve developed over their lifetime.
Let’s talk about good posture.
- Good posture keeps bones and joints in the correct alignment so that muscles are being used properly.
- It helps decrease the wearing of joint surfaces and decreases stress on the ligaments.
- It prevents the spine from becoming fixed in abnormal positions.
- It prevents fatigue because muscles are being used more efficiently, allowing the body to use less energy.
- It prevents backache and muscular pain.
- It contributes to overall good appearance.
So you can see, it's well worth it for your golf game and your overall health to maintain good posture.
Here is a simple yet very effective technique we practice for getting into good postural alignment:
- Stand with your feet facing forward, equal weight on both feet, feet directly below the hip joints
- Your knees should be pointing straight ahead and slightly bent, avoid locking or hyper-extended at the knees, this causes the pelvis to tilt and the belly to fall.
- You should have about 60% of your body weight on your heels.
- Have your chin slightly tucked, parallel to the floor.
- Your shoulders should be relaxed and even. Roll your shoulders up, back, and down to help achieve this.
- Have your arms at your sides with elbows straight and palms facing forward.
- Squeeze the glutes and engage the pelvic floor, this will shift the pelvis slightly forward.
- Hold this position for several minutes, breathing using the diaphragm.
Try this 2 to 3 times a day and notice the change in your posture… and your golf swing. You can also try it with a book rolled up in a towel between your legs, squeezing the book. We use the block buddy (as in the photo below) as part of our Block Therapy fascia decompression program - Block Therapy Fore Golf.
Click the link below to learn more:
https://kd167.isrefer.com/go/golf/TGib/
Remember to practice good posture every day, on and off the golf course.
Feel better, Move Better, Play Better!
To your best golf,
Barry & Tammy
Over50Golf
