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One of the more common swing flaws is reverse spine or a leaning back of the upper body toward the target during the backswing. It’s easy to spot; you don’t even need a slow-motion camera, and generally results in the notorious weak slice that can frustrate the heck out of you. It can also lead-up to low back discomfort.

At address, the trail hand is placed lower on the golf club causing the spine to lean away from the target. This secondary spine angle should remain intact during the takeaway in order to place the golfer in a good hitting position at the top of the backswing. This ideal hitting position will set-up the golfer well, enabling him/her to initiate the downswing in the proper swing sequence.

When the proper swing sequence is mastered, better ball contact is achieved as is better distance due to an efficient transfer of energy up the chain from the hips, which should initiate the downswing, to the golfer’s trunk, then arms and finally club. A lower risk for injury is also attained as poor mechanics is minimized.

Reverse spine, on the other hand, does not facilitate proper sequence. With the upper body leaning back toward the target (photo right), it’s much tougher to lead with the hips as they are essentially pushed away from the direction they are intended to move.

As a result, the upper body tends to control the downswing causing an over-the-top swing path that forces the club out. This out-to-in descent on the impact area cuts across the ball and typically produces a slice.

The other consequence of the upper body dominated swing is a casting of the club early in the downswing. This loss of the wrist cock or wrist hinge adds loft to the club through impact resulting in a higher trajectory ball flight off the clubhead. In essence, the golfer is turning a 7-iron, for example, into an 8 or 9-iron. The outcomes from casting are a reduction in the ability to generate power and a loss of distance.

Still another unwanted consequence of reverse spine is the force applied to the right lower back area (for a right-handed golfer). As the upper body transitions from a left bend to an explosive over-the-top right side movement pattern, stress to the lumbar-sacral joints can become an issue causing inflammation and discomfort. The abdominals, too, can become inhibited with this swing fault losing stability in the area, leaving the lower back vulnerable.

The correlation exists between tight lats and/or mid-back (thoracic spine) muscles and reverse spine. This is especially true if the target side groups are tight as they are the ones being stretched as the club is taken back. The limited range of motion, once reached, will either shorten the backswing or pull the upper body back toward the target as the golfer attempts to take the club further back.

A second consideration for reverse spine is a lack of external rotation in the trail shoulder. Again, once the limitation in range of motion is achieved, the golfer will either stop the backswing or lean back toward the target as a compensatory action to bringing the club back further. Often times a swing plane change is seen with or without reverse spine if external rotation is restricted.

A lower body deficiency that can result in reverse spine is tightness in the trail side internal hip rotators. This could limit rotation and instead pull the hip laterally as the club is brought back. This excessive lateral movement away from the target, known as sway, is typically accompanied by a lateral bend of the upper body in the opposite direction.

Still, one more physical flaw that can lead-up to reverse spine is the inability of the golfer to disassociate their upper body from their lower body (X-factor). Several factors have been identified including lack of mobility in the upper body and/or lack of mobility in the hips.

Keep in mind that if all reverse spine related deficiencies check out fine during the physical assessment and the golfer presents with the swing fault, it can be concluded that a bad habit has been formed. This can actually apply to all swing faults and is another practical benefit of the golf fitness assessment.

Regardless if the fault is related to a physical deficiency or not, a motor learning drill should be included into the golf fitness program. This is necessary in order for the golfer to “rewire” the brain-body connection so that the bad technique can be replaced with good swing mechanics. Such a drill, as it relates to reverse spine, would be the sequence drill. It should be noted that improving a particular anatomical deficiency does not necessarily carry over to better swing mechanics.

An exercise to correct a tight mid-back is the reach thrus (click on exercise name for video). To perform the reach thrus, kneel on all fours and keep your weight slightly back toward your heels. Take your right arm and slide it along the ground over to the left until a gentle stretch is felt in the back. As you do this, keep the left arm straight, do not bend the elbow, and keep looking at the floor. Hold for 10 to 15-seconds, return to the starting position, and repeat with the left arm sliding to the right. Keep alternating and do 3 sets to each side. Remember to breathe normally throughout and don’t force the stretch or injury to the back may occur.

A slight progression to this stretch is to move the left hand, in the description above, over to the right so that it’s situated directly below your face or left shoulder. The further right you go, the more stretch you feel as you reach the right hand through.

For lack of external shoulder rotation, try the open book. Lie on your side in the fetal position with elbows, shoulders, and knees bent at 90 degrees, and a light weight (1 to 2 lbs.) in each hand. Without changing any of the angles, slowly rotate the top arm up and over, as in opening a book, until a gentle stretch is felt. Keep the knees together. If needed, hold the knees down with the stationary hand. The head can roll until you’re looking at the ceiling.

Hold for 10 to 15-seconds and return to the starting position. Make sure to breathe throughout. Do 3 to 5 sets, roll over and repeat to the other side.

It’s important to mention that heavy weight should not be used when performing the open book as it may strain the shoulder and cause injury. One to two pounds and gravity is all that is needed to offer a good stretch.

If the internal hip rotators are tight, the reverse clam is an exercise you’ll want to focus on. Lie on your side with your head supported by your hand and knees bent so that your feet are about even with your butt. Keeping the knees together, you want to internally rotate the top leg by slowly raising just the top foot as high as comfort permits. Return the feet together and repeat raising and lowering the top foot 20 to 25x. Roll over onto your other side and repeat with the other foot.

You should feel the gluteus medius (part of the glute group) on the side of your hip initiating the movement as the top foot moves up and down. Your range of motion may be limited at first, but as the gluteus medius becomes stronger and hip rotators more flexible, you will notice an enhanced movement pattern.

The dishrag is a good stretch to help disassociate the upper body from the lower. Cross the right leg over the left leg and slowly pull the knees down to the right (lower to the side of the top leg) until a gentle stretch is felt. The shoulders should remain in contact with the floor.

Hold the stretch for 10 to 15-seconds and then repeat to the opposite side. Continue each stretch by alternating the knees side-to-side for a total of 3 sets while breathing normally.

The arms can be either at your side or reaching up overhead on the floor. Extending the arms overhead will provide a better trunk stretch as the muscles in the upper body are elongated. A third progression would be to extend both arms toward the opposite side of the knees. This can be accomplished by first raising the hands up toward the ceiling and then lowering them down to the opposite side. This offers an X-factor component to the exercise.

The reverse spine swing fault afflicts many amateur golfers and is a major reason why so many are frustrated with their game and/or are injured. External factors like the latest new driver and/or golf ball will not do much in solving the problem. The focus needs to be placed on fixing your body. Address the deficiencies to better your swing and your game.

GOLF TALK LIVE
Ted Odorico and I discuss fitness for golf, 10/31/2024.
www.blogtalkradio.com/golftalklive

LOOK AT YOUR THUMBS FOR BETTER GOLF
Danielle and I discuss golf posture – the segment starts at the 1:08:45 mark of the show

LOOK AT YOUR THUMBS FOR BETTER GOLF
segment starts at the 1:08:00 mark

https://www.hernco.com/golfclub/radio/2024/3_9_24gc.mp3

GOLF PERFORMANCE CLINIC

If your Club or organization would like to host a live GOLF PERFORMANCE CLINIC, contact me at bob@golfitcarolina.com. This
90-minute, interactive session will help attendees play better, healthier golf. This unique fitness clinic focuses on the physical readiness of golfers and will enhance swing efficiency, distance and playing performance, while reducing injury risk. It’s an excellent compliment to the skills and techniques taught by the PGA Professional. Informative and well-received by golfers of all ages and skill levels.

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