This past spring I conducted a three-day golf school that included both a back surgeon and a physical therapist in the class. The following three days, I had a chiropractor and a fitness trainer on the student roster. The back surgeon stated to me that he had never performed lower back surgery on anyone who had loose hips and flexible hamstrings. I shared this comment with the other specialists and now to you as well. Stretching is a part of all school sessions at the Classic Swing Golf School and is usually conducted during the morning talks. The following is a list of exercises (with pictures) that stretch the major body parts involved in the golf swing. These stretches promote power through range of motion.

To keep the medical jargon to a minimum and avoid confusion, let's go over a couple of terms. The word "thoracic" is used when referring to the middle of the back, and the word "pelvic" describes the lower, or lumbar, area of the spine. Torso or trunk rotation involves the middle to upper part of the back while pelvic rotation involves the lower back and primarily focuses on the hip action. Mobility in the thoracic area helps to promote a large degree of upper body turn while mobility in the pelvic area helps to compliment the speed of the turn. Fast hips with a full shoulder turn are a wonderful combination for power.

The following is a list of power stretches for the pelvic and thoracic area of the body:

Half-Kneeling Long Turns

1. Half-kneeling long turns - These are done to increase the amount of shoulder turn in the backswing as well as the finish. INSTRUCTION: Get into a half-kneeling position with the down knee on a comfortable cushion. Grab each end of a golf club, hold it overhead and keep the posture as tall as possible. Without moving the lower body, try to rotate the torso as far as possible to the right and then the left. Always try to work on thoracic mobility with arms extended.

Stork Turns

2. Stork Turns- These are done to enhance the range of motion of the hips as well as their speed of rotation. INSTRUCTION: Stand on one leg and cross your arms over the chest. Hook one leg around the back of the knee of the down leg for support. Try to rotate the pelvis and hips back and forth for up to 25 seconds without moving the upper body. Repeat on the other side.

Torso Turns One Leg

3. Torso turns one leg- The X factor Stretch INSTRUCTION: Stand on one leg, cross the arms over the chest and get into your golf posture. Try to rotate the torso back and forth for up to 25 seconds without moving the lower body. Repeat on the other side.

Prayer

4. Prayer-This is done for the entire back. INSTRUCTION: Grab your Swiss ball and start by getting into a prayer position by kneeling down on the ground and sitting back on the heels. Place both arms on a Swiss ball and roll the ball strait out in front of you. Roll until there is a big stretch in the body.

Always stop if there is any pain during any of these exercises.

For a more in depth study and to understand your limitations, give our two- day Peak Performance School a try. The fourteen point Titleist Performance Institute evaluation and the prescribed exercise protocol are amenities to understanding why you are working on certain things in your swing. On course video instruction makes this school complete on your quest to taking your game to the next level.

Ted Frick
2005 Carolinas PGA Section Teacher of the Year
Owner / Director of Instruction
Classic Swing Golf School (Located at Legends Resort)
P.O. Box 50955 Myrtle Beach, SC 29579
(843) 903-5560
1-800-827-2656
tfrick@classicswing.com
www.classicswing.com