SURPRISE, SURPRISE...LOOK WHO CAME TO GOLF! - Blog

[Guest Prosoft Admin]

Ok, you’re standing over the ball trying to keep all those darn swing thoughts to a minimum. “Just let it flow smoothly. Don’t over think it.”

Sometimes don’t you even imagine yourself taking a beautiful swing like Phil or Adam Scott or Tiger…a perfect ball flight and then the ball sitting right in the middle of the fairway off the tee, or maybe a few feet from the pin for a birdie putt?

Have you ever seen yourself swinging on video before? I did recently. And it messed me right up. The way I thought I looked was totally different than how I perceived it in my mind. That’ll probably be a topic for another show or blog. But it made me want to start fixing some things on my swing. I’ve gone to the driving range two of the last three days. I couldn’t stand that stinking video of me swinging at Durand that Karen took a few weeks ago.

For some of you you’d be surprised to know what body part can contribute significantly to the good and bad things about your swing.

That part can either help you have a beautiful, efficient, and powerful swing…creating ball striking that puts the ball out exactly where you envisioned as you stepped up to the ball OR it can also be like that monster you conjured up in your head as a child – hiding in the closet, ready to pounce on you when you fell asleep…causing all sorts of problems for you! Golfers know the “BIG ROCKS” as we call them. Trunk-spine. Hips. Arms-shoulders. Those are the body parts that can’t be missed in a golf swing. They’re the “no brainers.”

So who is that “hiding in the closet”…lurking in the background as a friend or a foe to your golf swing, and ultimately to your health?

YOUR NECK!

Lot’s of people are surprised when I check their CERVICAL SPINE and tell them what an important role it plays. But think about it. Turn your chin over to your left shoulder. You’d call that Left Rotation of your neck – and you’d be correct! Now, stand up and pretend to do your golf swing…assuming you’re right handed. Go ahead. Stand up. Who cares who’s watching. Do a little “air guitar” for your golf swing.

Pretend to take the club back. At the top of your takeaway or your back swing…STOP! Ok, now – where is your chin in relation to your Left Shoulder? Yep – same as it was before. They’re right next to each other. You guessed it – the back swing in golf requires CERVICAL LEFT ROTATION. We call that sort of motion “bottom-up” meaning that it was produced by the lower level body part (trunk/spine/rib cage) moving on a relatively stationary upper body part (head).

We’re so used to thinking of our head/neck from a “top-down” perspective that we can miss the hugely important role our neck motion and control plays in the golf swing. For crying out loud – it even looks like your head didn’t move, so how could it be so important?

Think about it a minute. If your head (neck) didn’t move relative to your trunk that would be “no motion” right? So if your shoulders turned to the right for the takeaway and there was NO neck motion, then where would your head be at the top of your back swing? You guessed it….it’d have to be facing right also. Definitely not where a golfer’s head should be!

At PEAK PERFORMANCE Physical Therapy & Sports Training our staff understands the biomechanics of human function and the golf swing. We’re here to help you get your body back on track so you can be at your PEAK PERFORMANCE! Call us today at 218-0240.