Improve Your Golf Swing And Driving Distance With Golf Stretches
The golf swing is arguably one of the most difficult athletic actions to perform. The golf swing requires you to draw the golf club through a long range of motion with proper technique and exact timing.
Any error in swing plane, timing, or sequence will cause your golf swing to suffer, and suffer it will. Unfortunately, the result of your golf swing suffering will be errant shots, poor golf scores, and frustration on the golf course.
Often the amateur is at a lost for why their golf swing results in errant shots. Countless hours are spent at the range in an effort to improve their golf swing. Hundreds or even thousands of dollars are spent on lessons each year, and not to mention the purchasing of new equipment.
It all adds up to a lot of time and money spent on improving the golf swing. Unfortunately, for many amateur golfers their handicaps and score never improve. Leading to the question "why is my golf game not improving?"
If this is you and this question lingers in your mind. The answer to your question could easily be staring right back at you in the mirror. The failure of improvement may have absolutely nothing to do with the driver you are swinging, the teaching pro helping you with your swing, or even your practice routine. It could all do with you! Yes you, the physical body swinging the golf club.
Keep in mind the golf club does not perform the mechanics of the golf swing. Nor do the mechanics of the golf swing execute themselves without you. It is you and your body executing the mechanics of the golf swing. The point to make is your body directly affects the mechanics of the golf swing.
Additionally, the golf swing requires your body to encompass certain physical qualities to execute the mechanics of the golf swing correctly. These physical qualities are certain levels of flexibility, muscular strength, balance, and power. If you are lacking the minimal amounts of flexibility, balance, strength, and power to execute the golf swing correctly. Compensations will occur even before you swing the golf club.
For example, let's look at your flexibility. The golf swing requires you to draw the golf club through a large range of motion. The backswing requires a full shoulder turn to set the club in the correct slot for the downswing, and the finish position is almost a mirror image of the backswing.
In order to perform these parts of the golf swing correctly, the muscles of your body must be flexible. An inflexible body in which muscles are "tight" creates restrictions in movement. Restrictions in movement in relation to the golf swing will undoubtedly result in limitations pertaining to golf swing. The limitation will impede you from creating a full shoulder turn and balanced finish position. This causes compensations in the mechanics of the golf swing.
The entire body needs to be flexible for the golf swing. Certain muscles more than others are involved in the golf swing, and if these muscles are "tight" they will directly affect your golf swing. One such set of muscles is your hamstrings.
The hamstrings (back side of your upper leg) are often "tight" and cause problems to many people, not just golfers. However, they have a profound effect on the golf swing and it is not a good effect. Hamstrings that are "tight" are in a shortened position. The shortened position of the hamstrings has a direct effect on the position of your hips. Your hips will be "tucked", directly affecting your posture. This in itself can hamper the ability to place oneself in the correct position at address within the golf swing, not to mention maintaining a proper spine angle during the swing.
Additionally, "tight" hamstrings place an undo amount of stress on the lower back. Large amounts of stress on the lower back cause fatigue, soreness, and increase the possibility of injury. If you are a golfer that has ever experienced lower back pain you know the effect it has on your ability to swing the golf club correctly.
A combination of a postural change and undo amounts of stress on the lower back, just begin to scratch the surface of the effect inflexible muscles can have on the golf swing. "Tight" muscles change the kinematics of the body. As a result, the biomechanics of the golf swing must be altered. These alterations usually lead to compensations in the mechanics of the golf swing resulting in errant shot patterns on the golf course.
And no matter what you do in terms of practice or instruction these alterations will not go away until you address them. Just as you address swing faults, you must address flexibility faults. Flexibility faults can be addressed through golf stretches.
Golf stretches enhance the flexibility of your body in relation to the golf swing. Golf stretches often times return muscles that are "tight" such as the hamstrings to their proper length. This results in the ability of your body to perform the biomechanics of the golf swing correctly. If you are one of many golfers who are not finding their golf swing improving through practice and instruction. Take a moment and look at the body swinging the golf club. This very well may be the root of your golf swing problems. Fix your flexibility faults through golf stretches and find yourself on the road to lower golf scores and more enjoyment in the game of golf.
Sean Cochran
Watch the video related to Golf Swing
per un corretto swing
Help answer the question about Golf Swing
How can I play baseball without messing up my golf swing?
I am on the golf team in high school? And I am doing baseball in gym? But I don't want to mess up my golf swing?
Does anyone know?
About Author
Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly with 2005 PGA
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18 comments
matrixtc16 on September 3, 2009 at 5:41 pm
Yes, I agree. He should utilize his hips more. Start from the ground up. Shift your weight forward, release your hips, and the arms will follow.
625412 on September 3, 2009 at 5:52 pm
good looking swings dont mean to much its impact impact impact if ur body finds it to hard to take the club on the outside dont do it if u do u might injury urself or hit b4 the ball fat shots good shoulder turn is the most important thing i think
woods on September 3, 2009 at 6:15 pm
Yes, you can.
Big Bob on September 3, 2009 at 6:42 pm
ive been playin for years and i have the same exact problem, however instead of trying to fix it I use it to my advantage. Play the hook the right way and it could work just as well.
Aim the ball slightly more to the left when you hit, at first it will feel unnatural but once you see how your ball moves it will make sense. Plus on doglegs right you will have a natural curve that will really help.
I play my hook well but when I want to hit straight I drive with a 4 iron instead of a driver. You get less distance but you get the desired accuracy. I play every week and my average is around 79. You cant argue with results
andyclydefc on September 4, 2009 at 2:50 am
cheers this helped me a lot…i tend to do what the guy on the right is doing although not as exagerrated and dont do it that often..only when im tired
smoothswinging14 on September 4, 2009 at 5:37 am
this is one of the most important things in the golf swing..however, it is not easy to fix if you are used to taking the club inside.
Al on September 4, 2009 at 12:23 pm
Al-
The most important thing in a golf swing is a nice, smooth tempo.
You should always have only one thought in your head while you are swinging, whether it be tempo, weight transfer, straight-left arm, ect.
As far as hitting the ball crisp, a smooth swing should be your #1 priority. When you are practicing, you can even count it out. 1…2…3 on the way back 1…2..3 on the way forward.
Good luck!
SmokinHotButts on September 5, 2009 at 12:25 am
THX!
dave on September 5, 2009 at 2:19 am
LIKE I DON'T MESS UP MY GOLF PLAYING CRICKET(LOL).
Absolutely not, if you play both sports one will not hinder the other. The mechanics of swinging a baseball bat are very similar to those taught to golfers today and vise-versa. The biggest difference is the angle of attack since the baseball is thrown and the golf ball is stationary. The main thing is, the hardest thing to do, in both hitting baseballs and golf balls is, keeping the eyes on the ball until either the bat or golf club makes contact with the ball.
Hope this helps
Tommy H on September 5, 2009 at 3:51 am
Ben Hogan's "The 5 lessons: The Fundamentals of the modern golf swing..
Ben Hogan laid the foundation of the golf swing that is used today by the pros..
BoBcatPoPdog on September 5, 2009 at 5:43 am
true, I used to swing correctly, now I keep doing that stupid thing like the guy on the right does URG.
Chris M on September 5, 2009 at 1:08 pm
This is a common misconception in the golf swing.
Brian Manzella explains this the best at:
http://www.brianmanzella.com/forum/showthread.php?t=3390
You have to sign up for the forum, its free (the forum has pictures too). But I can summarize. Alot of people hear that at address you should raise your hands and then bend your wrists straight up. This is WRONG!
Try this:
Put the club out in front of you parallel to the ground, toe of the club to the sky. Bend your wrists so that the club swings backwards, but stays parallel to the ground with the toe still facing up to the sky. THIS is the correct wrist hinge you should be after.
Took me years to find this out and once I did – I went from a 15 handicap to a 6.
robigd2923 on September 6, 2009 at 8:09 am
The ONLY consumer cameras that even approach what you want are a few of the higher-end Sony consumer camcorders that have the "smooth slow record" feature. Be advised that even though these camcorders are considered "high definition", when the smooth slow record" feature is invoked, the video quality is degraded (and no longer high definition).
smoothswinging14 on September 6, 2009 at 8:45 am
then you should try to take the club even more outside…ala freddie couples.
Peter L on September 6, 2009 at 9:27 am
Confucius say…
"He who look up…
…see bad shot!"
gocical on September 6, 2009 at 1:56 pm
please dont click me!
boykinpowers on September 6, 2009 at 2:16 pm
if he turned his lowers body in the downswing it would fix everything, take a look at adams hips at impact and then the hips on the guy to right.
nunu on September 6, 2009 at 10:37 pm
hi. take the shoe . right shoe . the shoemaker puts a small piece of plastic . 3 inches long . 3/4 inch hi9gh. at the back of the shoe to the sarch. this causes legs to stay stable, forces right knee to stay stable , and foot connected to rthe ground . it does work. please stay away from shoemakers in a mall just go to a small shop. a very high number of medical staff have the same thing done to thier shoes. when you tell the shoemaker what it is for. he will understand. it is a very simple illegal adjustment . the shoemaker will have you wait . cost under ten bucks. go for a walk before playing with the brace. after two months you could have it removed . there were shoes built this way early 90s . they worked so usga banned them . ken venturi, ben hogan, sam snead and byron nelson to name a few used this method . good luck . sorry spelling eyes screrwed up from cancer hack saw surgery .