One of the biggest killers of distance is your inability to make a good backswing. Logic has it that the further back the club travels, the more speed you’ll be able to generate on the way down. For every 1 mph increase of clubhead speed, you can expect about 2 more yards. A limited backswing, though, is a common swing fault that reduces speed and yardage. The good news is that it’s relatively easy to cure.
Now don’t get me wrong. A big backswing is not a must-have for distance, as I’ve seen quite a few golfers with short takeaways boom the golf ball down the fairway. A textbook swing sequence also has a lot to say about distance and as long as you lead with the hips and maintain a good wrist hinge, you can certainly make up for backswing limitations. Most amateurs, though, are in need of help with sequencing and a restricted takeaway, which is a formula for frustration.
The golf leaders have tried to help by encouraging golfers to “tee it forward” to make up for lost ground. This would allow golfers to once again hit greens in regulation and have those birdie attempts, bringing back the enjoyment factor. It’s been my experience, however, that many are not taking advantage of this initiative.
The physical deficiencies that you frequently see with a limited backswing include a C-posture at address, a lack of external rotation in the trail shoulder (right shoulder for a right-handed golfer), the inability to disassociate the upper body from the lower body (X-factor), and/or tightness in the mid-back/lats. Once identified, a targeted exercise program can work wonders in correcting these power-robbing flaws in a relatively short period of time.
C-posture is an epidemic in golf. You see it more and more thanks to the fact that we’re glued to our chairs hunched over computers. It results in a tightening of the muscles across the chest and a weakening of the muscles across the upper back, known as Upper Cross Syndrome. All the dentists I’ve worked with have it as they are confronted with a daily hunched over position while working on their patients.
It’s bad for your health as it crowds out the internal organs in your chest and it’s bad for your golf swing for the simple reason that you can’t rotate around a bowed spine as easily as you can, a straight one. The result is usually a limited backswing. If you desire to bring the club back further, you will need to stand up as you bring the club back. This is called dynamic posture, which often has a negative impact on swing plane and ball striking.
To offset the muscle imbalance that develops from sitting over your computer, patient and/or workstation, you’ll need to stretch out the tightness in front and strengthen the weakness in back. A simple, yet effective exercise is the Shoulder Pinch. Lie on a stability ball or foam roll and place your arms out 90 degrees with elbows bent 90 degrees (an easier version is to do this standing with the foam roller placed between your spine and wall). From this position, pinch or squeeze the shoulder blades together and hold for a 10 to 15-sec count. Your forearms will move slightly toward the floor as you do. Relax and repeat 5 to 10 times, remembering to breathe normally throughout. This will work on both areas at the same time. A small weight (1 to 2 lbs.) held in each hand will also aid in improving external shoulder rotation, which is our next flaw.
Another great exercise you could/should do daily is the Posture Stretch. You can access the video here. I can’t emphasize enough the importance of good posture on both your golf game and overall health.
The inability to rotate the forearm back while giving the scout sign is an indication of limited mobility in the shoulder. Not being able to get into the 90/90 position is a significant limitation. Ideally, an extension of at least 110 degrees is desireable. Should this occur in the trail shoulder, there’s a good bet that the backswing will be negatively impacted. Tendonitis in the elbow is also a concern.
A great exercise to help is the Open Book. Lie on your side in the fetal position with shoulders, elbows, hips and knees at 90 degrees. A small weight (1 to 2 lbs at most) can be placed in each hand. While maintaining the angles, slowly rotate the upper arm over to the opposite side of your body as if you were opening a book. Rotate your head, as well, but stop when you are looking at the ceiling. Go as far as comfort allows and then let gravity do the rest. Hold for 10 to 15 secs., close the book, and repeat 2 more times before rolling over and repeating on the other side. Remember to breathe normally throughout.
Another exercise to help with external shoulder rotation is Arm Wipers. Take a light weight in each hand and place your elbows against the sides of your body with forearms parallel to the floor. Slowly rotate the hands out and back, like windshield wipers, to each side while keeping the forearms parallel to the floor and elbows in contact with your body. Don’t overdo this exercise. Just rotate out as far as comfort permits. Exhale on the effort. Do 10 to 20 reps.
Not having the ability to independently move your upper body or your lower body (X-factor) will more than likely create some swing issues that will impact swing plane, distance, and ball contact. To assess your ability to disassociate, get into a golf stance with your arms folded across your chest. Now keeping the belt buckle nice and still, try to rotate your upper body back and forth. Easy to do? OK, do it again, this time keep your shoulders quiet while rotating your hips back and forth. How did that work out?
Many golfers have no problem rotating the shoulders and upper body, but have a tough time when it comes to isolating the hips and lower body. Several physical factors come into play like tightness in any one of the three main muscle groups attached to the hip (hamstrings, hip flexors, and/or internal hip rotators). In addition, tightness in the mid-back, which I’ll address below, can influence rotation as can lower back tightness.
One of the exercises I often recommend to help with separation is the Dishrag and a good drill is the Separation Drill. For the Dishrag, lie supine on the floor with your knees bent and feet flat. Cross your right leg over your left and then gently pull the left knee down to the right till a gentle stretch is felt. Hold for 10 to 15-secs, cross your left leg over right and gently pull the right knee to the left. Continue to alternate side-to-side until you’ve done 3 repetitions on each side. If crossing the legs causes too much discomfort, start with knees together while rotating left and right. Your arms can be either at your side, overhead on the floor, which will engage more of the upper body, or rotated toward the opposite side of the knees (shown in photo).
For the Separation Drill, place a stability ball between your knees and get into your golf stance with arms folded across the chest. Slowly go into your backswing as far as comfort allows and hold for 3 to 5-secs. Return back to the starting position and repeat. Do 10 to 15 total reps. then repeat to the other (follow-through) side. The stability ball will stabilize your lower body while rotating the upper. Be patient and persistent as your range of motion will get better. A good drill to do in combination with the Dishrag stretch.
If tightness in the mid-back and/or lats is identified, it may restrict your ability to make a good shoulder turn in the takeaway. A real good stretch that you can do both on and off the golf course is a Lat Stretch, which can be found in this short video on golf cart stretches, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=siobIuBPrHw. Stretching out on the golf course while waiting to hit your next shot is an excellent use of your time and the golf cart is a good stretching apparatus.
Increasing your ability to get the club back will have a positive return on distance and bolster your joy for the game. Much of the shortcomings mentioned above are due to lack of a consistent stretching routine that would offset the poor body alignment we place ourselves in on a daily basis. A few minutes is all it takes to improve your game, but you’ve got to put a little effort into it. Not only will your game improve, you’ll feel better, too. Find a local Golf Fitness Professional and go through a golf fitness assessment to identify and correct your distance-robbing deficiencies.