Mobility is the foundation on which to build your golf swing. Want to generate more power? Increase your backswing length. Feeling restriction in your hips or lower back? Stretch. The better you move, the better you’ll feel – and see your performance improve in the process.
In this article, I’ll give you some simple stretches that will help improve your mobility and golf swing in just a few minutes each day.
Defining mobility
Mobility is “the ability to move or be moved freely and easily.” At a young age, all of us were naturally very mobile. Imagine a toddler who has recently learned to walk. When they squat down to pick up a toy, they don’t bend over at the waist and drop their head towards the floor to grab it. They perform a deep squat with near-perfect form, grab the toy, then stand back up. Over time, that natural mobility slowly declines due to many factors, none more significant than the fact that we spend the majority of our day sitting (this is your cue to stand up and stretch at your desk).
The impact this has on our golf swing is direct, ultimately leading to an increased challenge in separating the upper body from the lower body.
Key areas of focus
When training to improve mobility in the golf swing, there are areas of the body we will target to help free us up. The neck, shoulders, back, hips, hamstrings and ankles are all highly involved in the swing.
Why it matters
Shoulder mobility is crucial to gaining width in the backswing. If you are unable to rotate through your spine, you’ll have a hard time separating your upper body from your lower body. Ever played golf with a stiff neck? I have and it’s nearly impossible to swing effectively. Tight hips and hamstrings prevent you from getting into a good posture at address while limited ankle mobility can lead to swing flaws like early extension.
Let’s take a look at some simple but effective stretches you can perform to start seeing the benefits of mobility training on your golf game.
Effective daily stretches for improved mobility
These stretches will target areas of the body mentioned above. Instructions for performing each stretch will be given along with a video demonstration to give you a clear picture of how to perform the stretch.
NOTE: With each stretch, do not go past a point of MILD DISCOMFORT. None of these stretches should be PAINFUL.
Deep squat
The ultimate movement to promote improved hip, knee and ankle mobility, the deep squat is an incredibly impactful stretch to help promote improved lower-body flexibility while promoting increased strength.
Performing the deep squat
- Set up with your feet in a shoulder-width stance, toes pointed slightly outward. Shoulders are down and back with your chest up
- Initiate the movement by pushing your backside towards the wall behind you, lowering your body until your hips are parallel or lower than your knees
- Stand into a tall posture and repeat; perform eight to 10 repetitions
Tips, feels, modifications
- Your weight should be distributed through your heel and midfoot. Too much weight in the toes means your knees are too far forward at the bottom of the squat
- If you cannot get to or below parallel, hold onto a table, chair, wall, etc., to assist. The key is a full range of motion so modify as needed!
Toe touch to back extension
The toe touch to back extension will help improve flexibility of the spine and hamstrings, each of which play a large role in upper and lower body separation in the swing and maintaining posture, respectively.
Performing the toe touch to back extension
- Set up with feet in a hip-width stance, toes pointed forward. Shoulders are down and back with your chest up
- Begin by tucking your chin, then slowly rolling down your spine, reaching your fingertips towards your toes; briefly pause at the bottom of the stretch
- Slowly roll back up your spine, opening your arms and chest as you lean back; lift your chin towards the ceiling
- Reset to a tall posture and repeat; perform eight to 10 repetitions
Tips, feels, modifications
- As you begin this stretch, feel like you’re lowering fingertips towards your toes one vertebrae at a time through your spine. Take your time!
- If you begin to feel lightheaded at any point during this stretch, STOP. Take some time to rest, drink some water and try again.
Upper body rotation
It goes without saying that in order to successfully swing a golf club, we need to be able to rotate through our upper body. This stretch aims to improve that range of motion and is simple to perform.
Performing the upper body rotation
- Stand tall with your feet in a shoulder-width stance; shoulders pulled down and back and chest up
- Grip a golf club or exercise band in both hands and extend your arms in front of you at shoulder height
- Rotate left to right, focusing on a full turn through the upper body
- Perform eight to 10 repetitions
Arm circles
Arm circles will help to increase shoulder range of motion and mobility through the upper back. Increased range of motion at the shoulders will help in allowing you to achieve more depth at the top of your backswing as well as increasing width in the takeaway.
Performing arm circles
- Stand tall with your feet in a hip-width stance
- Press your palms together in front of your waist and raise your arms over your head, trying to keep your biceps as close to your ears as possible
- Separate your hands to create a wide circle with each arm
- Perform each rep in a slow, controlled manner
- Reset, repeat; perform eight to 10 repetitions
Neck circles
More important in the golf swing than many realize is neck range of motion. If you’ve ever tried to play with a crick in your neck (I have), it is a miserable experience. It limits the ability to turn your head independently of your shoulders which can lead to an open upper body at address.
Performing neck circles
- Stand tall with your feet in a hip-width stance
- Begin the movement by pulling your chin down towards your chest, then slowly rolling one ear towards your shoulder
- Continue in a circular motion, lifting your chin towards the ceiling and opposite ear towards that shoulder until you return to the starting position
- Repeat in the opposite direction; perform eight to 10 repetitions
Mobility matters!
The more freely we move, the more potential we have for a powerful golf swing. Doing these five basic movements each day is a step in the right direction towards increasing not only your mobility in the golf swing but in day-to-day life as well. Give these a try and let me know what you think! Odds are you’ll be feeling better physically in short order.
P.S. Looking for more advanced mobility exercises? Check out another article I wrote here.
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