6 Things Golfers Need To Start Doing!

The 2 biggest frustrations we hear the most from golfers are “I want to hit the ball further” and “I’m sick of being injured.” 

The great news is there’s some simple things you can do that will both improve your swing speed (which means more distance) and also decrease your likelihood of injury (especially wrist, elbow, shoulder, and low back injuries). 

For so many golfers there’s one key part of their body that is primarily responsible for not hitting the ball as far as you’d like, and is also responsible for low back and arm injuries. 

What part of the body is this and why is it so important? The mid back. 

The vast majority of people are far too tight in their mid backs. It’s already a part of the spine that doesn’t move as well as the rest of the spine due to the rib cage being attached to it (a necessary evil as the rib cage protects our vital organs). 

Then we add more stress from sitting too much, looking down at computers and phones, all of the “posture killer” things we do. So why does this matter to our golf game? 

Look at professional golfers - they get an amazing shoulder turn which creates their amazing swing speed. That shoulder turn comes from their mid back allowing maximum rotation. 

So if you have poor mid back mobility you can’t get a strong shoulder turn so you lose a lot of clubhead speed. This also leads to injuries because you’ll try to make up for that lack of rotation by twisting more in the low back or trying to get more power from your arms. 

This leads to low back injuries, tennis or golfer’s elbow, and a lot of wrist compression injuries.

Thankfully there’s some simple ways to address this issue: 

Get assessed and adjusted by a Chiropractor - you’ll get almost immediate improvements in mid back mobility and can also get the other injuries addressed in the arm and/or lower back. 

Start using a foam roller daily - here are two videos showing how to use one effectively.

 

 Do this rotational stretch daily.

 

 Improve your office ergonomics set-up, especially if working from home.   

Cut down on phone and screen time. 

Walk or run daily as the rotation from swinging your arms occurs in the mid back and will naturally help it loosen. 

If you do all of these things you’ll get far less injuries on the golf course, and you’ll start hitting the ball further. Now for the word of warning - at first as you hit the ball further, you’ll have to deal with a slice until your brain catches up to your increased swing speed!