Advice To Consider If You Want To Improve Golf Flexibility

Supple for Golf

Flexibility is everything in golf. A golfer does not need to have a great cardiovascular system, just enough to be able to walk eighteen holes. You don't see many power lifters playing golf so strength is not essential. You need to be flexible to bend over and pick the ball out of the hole and you need to be flexible to turn your shoulders 90 degrees behind the ball and hit the ball a long way.

Long Drive Champions

If you look at the physiques of the golfers who compete in long drive competitions, they are either huge and strong or thin and flexible like a rubber band. One example in the niche sport of power golf is Jamie Sadlowski who is not big and strong but hits the ball a long way purely because of flexibility.

Old Father Time

Your flexibility well wane as you get older, it's natural. Your backswing will get shorter and your distance off the tee will diminish. For these reasons, maintaining and even increasing your flexibility is so important.

Here are two exercises that you can do to improve your flexibility for golf:

  1. Grab a chair and turn it around. Straddle the chair and turn your shoulders 90 degrees as if you were performing a golf swing. This exercise will keep your knees solid and stretch your upper body.
  2. Grab your left hand with your right and bend your wrists back to improve the flexibility in your wrists. Having supple wrists will help you whip the clubhead through the ball and drive it further.

When you perform these stretches, remember that:

Any stretch not held for at least two minutes is not as effective. Focus on breathing through the stretch and don't hold your breath.

Focus on stretching the muscles in your shoulders and hips because that area of your body is responsible for you turn. Try to get your rotator cuff muscles and hip flexors loose.

Warm Up for 18 Holes

You can improve your flexibility by warming up properly before every round. Make sure that you leave yourself about 40 minutes before your round to get loose and warm. This is an example of a typical warm up routine:

  1. A few stretches to get the muscles loose
  2. Start hitting half wedge shots and gradually progress to a full swing
  3. Work your way through the bag until you are hitting drivers
  4. Head to the putting green and hit a few putts before you go the first tee.

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