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Discover The Secrets Of A Good Golf Swing

Golf swings are like snowflakes — every one is different. I think good golf swings are either handed out by God on a first-come, first-served basis — and most of us just got in line too late — or are consciously built through personal discovery and coaching. Golf professionals these days will tell you that golf swings are as unique as fingerprints and that to try to speak generally in terms of golf instruction is a thing of the past. While a golfers tempo is an individual thing, all great golf swings are smooth from start to finish.

The delivery position of the swing is when the club shaft is parallel to the ground. The swing plane is the plane formed by the shaft where it intersects the target line. The mysterious ’slot’in the downswing is nothing more than a spot where the shaft angle is parallel to the plane.

Golfers of all stripes have to adapt their swings to their physical attributes and strengths. The patented Callaway Performance Analysis System, used to custom fit Tour Professionals like Phil Mickelson, Ernie Els and Annika Sorenstam, employs two high-speed cameras and ball-flight simulators, while a computer monitor displays an analysis of each golfers launch conditions–ball speed, launch angle and spin rates. In addition, the system measures the path angle and the golfers angle of attack to the ball, utilizing 3D imagery and precision software designed by Callaway Golfs world renowned Research & Development department. Never before have everyday golfers been able to employ such high-tech equipment to improve their performance and enjoyment on the golf course.

Club

The power in your golf swing will come from the leverage in the angle between the club and your wrists. Try to hold the angle between the clubs and the wrists as much as possible in order to generate maximum power. Instead of thinking about my arms and swinging my golf club , I try to think of my back swing as turning my back to the target. One of the most common swing flaws occurs when golfers take the club too far inside the target line on the back swing. To keep your swing under control, opt for more club.

The five stages of a golf swing are set-up, takeaway, backswing, impact, and follow-through. If you look at the golf swings of great players, both past and present, you’ll see that players move the club quite differently in the backswing. The fact of the matter is you don’t strike the ball on the backswing; you strike it on the downswing. A faster backswing will run out in general to an enforced attack on the ball resulting in erratic flight and topped balls. The speed of the backswing should set the approach for striking the ball.

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Golf Swing Tempo Vs Golf Swing Speed

Are you told by your golf buddies that you swing too fast?

Do you think Ernie Els’ is nice and slow and rhythmic?

The chances are that Ernie’s smooth swing is WAY faster than yours. It’s not the speed, but the tempo, that separate you from Ernie, because Golf Swing Speed and Golf Swing Tempo are fundamentally different. Quite often, the average golfer may seem to appear extremely fast, because they don’t have the correct tempo. They usually have a very deliberate take away and back swing, where they are trying to ‘Place’ the club head in the correct position. There may even be a deliberate pause at the top. This is then followed by a rush, down towards the ball, trying to gain the momentum that was lost during the previous phase. The chances are that all of the PGA tour players swing faster than you. What separates them, from us, is that they do it with a tempo that is fluid not disjointed. They also swing to an exact tempo ratio.

I’ve read many articles, allegedly about Golf Swing Tempo, that start to talk about components of the swing. Club plane, take away, ball position, alignment. These are fundamentals and separate parts of the swing. These are the individual parts that you learn, which when combined, give you a complete golf swing.

Golf swing tempo, is the glue that holds all of these constituent parts together. In fact, the more you practice, with the correct swing tempo, the more stable all of those separate, fundamental, components become.

So what is Swing Speed? Well it’s simply the amount of time you take to get from the start of your takeaway to the point of impact. But let’s say for simplicity sake, that for you, this takes 4 seconds. (And it better not! Otherwise you and I won’t be playing together anytime soon!) If you take 2 seconds getting to the top of your back swing and then 2 seconds getting the club head to the ball, you really are not going to generate any club head speed.

So what is Swing Tempo? Let’s take the same 4 second swing OK? This time you take 3 Seconds getting to the top, but 1 second on the way down, and what do you have? Well you have a very slow swing, but you have PERFECT Golf Swing Tempo…..Why?

Because all PRO’s swing at this exact tempo ratio. 3 To 1. So you can swing as fast as you like..Really! As long as you do it using the 3 to 1 ratio. Now all you have to do is achieve this tempo using one of the many training aids available. Most of which are audio cue devices. When you do what you will find (As I did), is that you will swing faster than you ever have, but with a tempo and a consistency, that is going to stay solid throughout your next round of golf. Also, when you use one of these aids, your mind tends to focus on waiting for an audio cue, which eliminates those mind games you tend to start playing when you are addressing the ball. You know, the ones that get you all tensed up and anxious, the ones that took away any chance you ever had of a good smooth tempo.

Your golf buddies will probably make comments like, “Wow, Your swing is so much smoother”. They won’t notice ‘Faster’.

Because as I said…Golf Swing Speed and Golf Swing Tempo are two different things.

Whether you share this secret with them…Is up to you!

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Why Tiger Woods’ Golf Swing Technique Is So Effective

Golf sensation Tiger Woods’ golf swing technique has been the subject of many interesting studies.

One thing that has come out very clearly from this leading golfer’s style and his golf swing technique is his amazing flexibility and high fitness level which have contribute tremendously to his golf career. A career that has seen him crowned in the minds of many as the undisputed greatest golfer in the history of the sport.

The Tiger Woods golf swing technique sees Wood utilizing his flexibility at the back of his swing to comfortably reach far back.

As he begins his swing, his level of fitness and muscle strength enables him to build up club head velocity by turning his torso quickly and pressing his right leg forward. There is minimal waste of energy as he maintains his position above the golf ball.

Driving through, Woods uses his hips, shoulders and wrists to concentrate his force and create a high initial ball speed. Research has shown that within a few feet off the tee, the ball is usually traveling at about 180 miles per hour. The average tour pro usually manages only 160 miles per hour.

If you have carefully watched woods and his golf swing technique, you will note that he usually allows the club head’s momentum to extend his follow-through far around his back, thus completing a long and smooth club-head rotation.

Tiger’s golf swing technique cannot possibly be achieved by somebody who is not physically fit or somebody who does not work out regularly. In fact achieving an effective golf swing technique these days requires conditioned muscles that will enable you to perform consistently and at your best.

Gone are the days when golf was viewed as a leisure sport where players would move around the course in electric golf cars to avoid breaking into a sweat of any kind.

This is not to say that a good golf swing technique calls for rigorous golf strength exercising and golf stretching. Actually, most of the critical golf-specific exercises involve stretches. There is also the lifting of light weights to build specifically on strength rather than muscle.

Clearly golf-specific exercises are the only way to develop a good golf swing technique.

Workshop manager, Andy Kikidas, shows us how he creates a custom club, on board the Mizuno European Tour Workshop.

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Is Common Golf Knowledge Ruining Your Golf Swing?

Common Knowledge just might be hindering you from improving your swing, causing you major frustration and higher scores.

There is a lot of well meaning golf instruction in the market place today that simply will not help your game; in fact a lot of what’s out there will hinder you as you try to improve your golf.

The focus of my new site, (http://www.GolfMyths.com), is simply to identify this mis-information and to let players know, not only what the myths are, but why these myths are not true and how they do damage to your golf game.

Controversial? Probably, but I think the positives of the information I am putting out at GolfMyths.com will far outweigh any industry fall-out that I might receive from those instructors with stepped-on toes.

When David Ledbetter or any other of a host of well-meaning golf instruction gurus tells his touring professional student to “delay the rotation of the left hip”, or to “increase the width of your swing at the top”, “or to “delay the release as long as possible”, or any other “flavor of the day” type golf tips, he or she is talking with someone who is a professional, who practices hours on end, and who has an unbelievably acute feel for his or her own golf swing. This person also plays golf for a living. This is a completely different scenario than trying to teach a low, mid, or high handicap player or a beginner. These types of tips can absolutely wreak havoc on your golf swing and you can visit www.GolfMyths.com, and I’ll tell you exactly why.

Golf is a difficult game to play at the highest levels, but, having said that, it is not a complicated game to play. Most modern day instruction is hard for me to understand and I’ve been teaching the game for 20 years. Having said that, in order to excel, you have to free your mind of complicated mechanical thoughts and learn to simply swing the golf club.

Until you change the way you think about playing the game, change the fundamental way you look at golf instruction, and realize that you have to forget mechanics, you’ll never play up to your full potential as a golfer.

“Forget mechanics”, you ask, “why that’s all I think about.” I can hear your mind racing now; “Start the club back online, turn don’t sway, pull down with the left hand to start the down swing, transfer my weight to my left foot, roll my wrists at impact, head behind the ball.” YIKES! How can you even take the club back with all these mechanical thoughts you’ve picked up over the years racing through your head?”

The answer to my question is ….you can’t! You simply cannot swing the club effectively with all that garbage running through your mind, distracting you from what’s most important.

It’s sad, but absolutely true that thousands of people quit the game we all love every year, most out of sheer frustration.

If you have fallen into this trap of believing that mechanical tips, swing analysis, and pounding golf ball after golf ball on the driving range are the answers to your problems, you are destined to be frustrated forever.

Golf should be fun not frustrating and when you learn to forget mechanics and start playing the game via feel and sight, it will be fun and you’ll shoot better scores. I guarantee it!

“How do I do that”, you ask?

First you have to be able to differentiate fact from fiction and that’s what I’m going to help you do at www.GolfMyths.com.

Next, you have to forget all the theories, mechanical thoughts, and myths and focus on what is important to your game.

That’s right, I said your game, not Tiger’s, not Phil’s, not Big John’s but yours. Focus on the things that are important for you to play better. Focus on your swing path and the moment of truth..Impact. Tie swing path and impact into your target and you’re well on your way to longer, straighter shots, and lower scores.

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Gripping Your Club for a Great Golf Swing

What is the proper golf grip?  Simply, having the right golf grip is probably one of the most important aspects of the golf technique because if you get this part wrong, the rest of your swing is already shot.  

Very simply, if you do get the golf grip right, even if you do a lot of things wrong during the golf swing, you still have a chance at hitting a decent shot.  Here are some golf tips for beginners and more advanced players to help you get the proper golf grip for your swing, and help you play a lifetime of good golf.

First of all, remember that there are three different ways to grip a golf club when swinging. No one is necessarily the most effective, so here they are: the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip, and the baseball grip.  

Again, no one of these grips is the exact right way, and you will have to experiment to find out which one works for you.  Keep in mind, the overlapping grip is the one that most of the PGA Tour pros use, and you very well might find that works the best for you.

For the overlapping golf grip, you simply put your little finger of one hand over your index finger.  For the interlocking grip, it is very similar to overlapping, but the two fingers simply interlocked instead of overlap.  It is notable that Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus both used the interlocking golf grip, although most PGA pros don’t. You certainly can’t do much better than these two.

With the baseball grip, the set of fingers are not overlapped or interlock, but basically meet together like with a baseball grip.  Very few PGA pros use this golf grip, but if you find works good for you, you might want to give it a shot.

No matter which grip you decide to use, however, make absolutely sure that your hands are relaxed because this is the most important part of the golf swing.  If your hands are tight and tense, this will add tension to the rest of your body, and therefore will slow your swing down and hurt your golf swing.  The only way you can make a proper golf swing is when you are completely relaxed; if you tense up over the ball, this will cause you to mis-hit it.

Hopefully these proper golf grip tips will help you get the right golf grip for your swing, and to start playing golf as effectively as you can possibly play.  Again, as I said earlier, no matter how good your golf swing, if you don’t have the right grip, you can never play as effectively as you otherwise might.

Simply experiment with these three different grips, find out which one works the best for you, and then start practicing with it every single day. The only way to really master anything is to practice it quite a bit, so find the proper golf grip that works for you, and practice until you master it.

Also, there are many great golf tips and lessons on the web that might help you out as well. Hopefully these tips will help you improve your game quickly and effortlessly.

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Proper Golf Grip-how To Grip The Club To Make An Effective Swing

What is the proper golf grip? Simply, having the right golf grip is probably one of the most important aspects of the golf technique because if you get this part wrong, the rest of your swing is already shot.

Very simply, if you do get the golf grip right, even if you do a lot of things wrong during the golf swing, you still have a chance at hitting a decent shot. Here are some golf tips for beginners and more advanced players to help you get the proper golf grip for your swing, and help you play a lifetime of good golf.

First of all, remember that there are three different ways to grip a golf club when swinging. No one is necessarily the most effective, so here they are: the overlapping grip, the interlocking grip, and the baseball grip.

Again, no one of these grips is the exact right way, and you will have to experiment to find out which one works for you. Keep in mind, the overlapping grip is the one that most of the PGA Tour pros use, and you very well might find that works the best for you.

For the overlapping golf grip, you simply put your little finger of one hand over your index finger. For the interlocking grip, it is very similar to overlapping, but the two fingers simply interlocked instead of overlap. It is notable that Tiger Woods and Jack Nicklaus both used the interlocking golf grip, although most PGA pros don’t. You certainly can’t do much better than these two.

With the baseball grip, the set of fingers are not overlapped or interlock, but basically meet together like with a baseball grip. Very few PGA pros use this golf grip, but if you find works good for you, you might want to give it a shot.

No matter which grip you decide to use, however, make absolutely sure that your hands are relaxed because this is the most important part of the golf swing. If your hands are tight and tense, this will add tension to the rest of your body, and therefore will slow your swing down and hurt your golf swing. The only way you can make a proper golf swing is when you are completely relaxed; if you tense up over the ball, this will cause you to mis-hit it.

Hopefully these proper golf grip tips will help you get the right golf grip for your swing, and to start playing golf as effectively as you can possibly play. Again, as I said earlier, no matter how good your golf swing, if you don’t have the right grip, you can never play as effectively as you otherwise might.

Simply experiment with these three different grips, find out which one works the best for you, and then start practicing with it every single day. The only way to really master anything is to practice it quite a bit, so find the proper golf grip that works for you, and practice until you master it.

Also, there are many great golf tips and lessons on the web that might help you out as well. Hopefully these tips will help you improve your game quickly and effortlessly.

The 2010 US Open champion, Graeme McDowell, talks us through one of the most imaginative shots he’s ever seen someone play — Rory Mcilroy at the Hong Kong Open in 2008.

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How To Create Lag In Your Golf Swing

Everyone wants to hit the golf ball farther and straighter. So what is the answer? Create Lag! This is what the good players and pros of the PGA, LPGA and Champions Tours do to hit the golf ball so far and straight.

OK, create lag. What in the world is lag in the golf swing? The easiest way that I can explain it to you here is that it is pulling the golf club with your body as opposed to pushing the golf club with your hands and arms.

Imagine that you are holding a bucket of water. As you try to swing the bucket of water, how will you go about making this happen? You will start turning your bigger muscles to make it happen. This will allow you to keep the water in the bucket. If you try to use your hands and arms to make this happen the water will start to come out of the bucket and get you wet!

Is there a drill that can help you create lag in the golf swing? Yes there is. Pick a target and address the golf ball as you normally would. Now for a right handed golfer, take your thumb and index finger of your right hand off of the golf club. Making your thumb and index finger to look like a gun will return the best results. Do not get lazy and let these two fingers start to curl back around the grip of the golf club. This will defeat the purpose.

So now you are asking, how does making my grip into a gun going to help me create lag in my golf swing? Think about it for just a second. Your thumb and index finger help you do most everything that you do during the day. You employ these two fingers to help you hold a fork, writing with a pencil or pen and many other things. Simply put, they are used to taking over whatever task you are trying to do. Taking your thumb and index fingers off of the golf club they cannot join the action. This makes the club heavier to you and allows the golf club to drop from the top of your backswing. This will force you to turn towards your target or use a larger range of motion, unless you enjoy hitting behind the golf ball!

When this is done correctly you will feel the golf club placing more pressure on the straight index finger since you are now pulling the golf club. That is the feeling of lag in your golf swing that you have created. Once you have done this drill and are comfortable that you now understand the correct feeling of lag in a golf swing, you can curl your fingers back around the grip. However, this time I want you to make your thumb and index finger touch. This allows you to get the same feeling without answering the questions on the golf course from your golfing buddies about what you are doing.

Understand the “gun grip” as I have come to call it, is legal and you can use it on the golf course. I have had students play very good eighteen-hole rounds utilizing the gun grip to create lag in their golf swing.

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With Regards to your golf swing and proper technique - Being able to master those Approach Shots

Like many other amateur golfers, I’m sure that you have long had that target score in mind during your weekend rounds.  Have you broken 90, 80, or shot an even par 72 yet?  Do you also seek to lower your handicap, getting that figure into single digits?  With regards to your golf swing, proper technique being followed; there is one area within the game that you must master.  Unless you become adept at sticking those approach shots into the green, you will never be able to reach your goals.

It does not matter if you’re a professional on the PGA tour, an amateur collegian, or the weekend golfer seeking to break 85.  If you are unable to consistently get those approach shots on the green, you will never reach fulfill your potential in the game.  The PGA professional will tell you of the often heard quote, “putting for dough, (after you have “driven for show”).  Well unless the touring pro can hit the greens in regulation at a high percentage rate, he won’t be putting for a lot of birdies, (making a ton of “dough”).  Quality approach shots hit by a Phil Mickelson or Padraig Harrington are a requirement for these elite players to stroke those putts for birdies.  That is how they collect the trophies and add dollar bills to their bank accounts.

Many amateur golfers share a mistaken belief when it comes to hitting quality approach shots.  The weekend golfers think that controlling the distance on their shots into the green is the essential requirement.  Unfortunately, that is why they are just weekend golfers and not the guys out earning the millions on tour annually.  Concerning your golf swing, with proper technique involving the approach shots, it is your ability to hit the ball in the direction that you aim which is essential for achieving success.  

Think of it this way.  If you miss-hit the ball flying it 50 feet past the pin, versus your slicing the ball buried into a bunker, (or into that lake right of the green) which of these two scenarios would present you with the best opportunity of making a par-saving putt?  Why do many amateur golfers often slice or hook their ball, unable to hit the green safely on their approach shots with a high percentage rate?  It is because their alignment during the address portion, pre-swing, is wrong.

With today’s modern clubs, the technology that went into building them often enables you to hit the ball well with regards to distance, based on your ability.  With those Big Bertha Drivers, it is not required that you “swing from the heels” to hit it 250-275 yards if you’re an amateur golfer.  The club face on these drivers is very forgiving, allowing you to hit the ball to even 85% of your potential, despite a slight miss-hit.  However, if during address you are not aligned properly with regards to body and hand position before the swing, you’re asking for trouble.  The most expensive driver in the world is not going to save you if your alignment is completely off during the address position.  Instead, you would probably find yourself searching for your wayward balls shot into the deep rough, or the woods; nowhere near the fairway.

If you are the dedicated amateur looking to improve your overall game, spend time at the driving range.  Practice your alignment.  Repeatedly choose a target.  Work all of your clubs, choosing targets based on whether it is your 3 wood, 5 iron, or sand wedge.  Always seek to land the ball close to this designated target.  Optimally, you should strive towards landing the ball in the targeted area at least 80% of the time.

Grooving your golf swing, proper technique being followed is the only way in which you will reach your goals in the game of golf.  Proper alignment with regards to your overall golf swing is essential.  Being consistent in the ability to land your approach shots near the target area on the green is what separates the “haves”, from the “have-nots”.  In this article, I’ve only hinted at what you can do to improve your game, especially regarding approach shots.  If I have piqued your interest, please visit the following site:  http://abettergolfswing57.net.  This site has proven educational methods and tips which will make your friends envious out on the course.

Jeffrey is an individual who has a keen interest in the issues surrounding the game of golf.  He enjoys sharing resources that have helped others achieve success in the game.  In doing so, he has created relationships with certain experts.  In recommending their products he may receive compensation for doing so.

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Golf Exercises to Prevent Lower Back Injuries in the Golf Swing

Golf exercises for the lower back can be very beneficial in preventing injuries from the golf swing. First and foremost the goal of any golf fitness program or golf fitness training exercise is to develop the body in order to execute the golf swing efficiently and effectively. This can result in increased driving distance, more accurate shots, and consistent play. On top of this a golf fitness program has a secondary benefit. Such a training program can help in the prevention of injuries

I always like to say it is much easier to prevent an injury from occurring than rehabilitating from one. The next few articles will discuss common injuries from the golf swing and how a golf fitness program can assist in the prevention of such injuries. Probably one of the most common injuries, and one as amateurs we are well aware of is to the lower back. Research indicates that one out two recreational golfers will incur a lower back injury at some point during their playing career.

Why is the lower back so often injured during the game of golf? Research studies have provided us some keys as to why this is the case. The golf swing is typically broken down into phases (address, backswing, downswing, follow through), and the sum of these phases is the full swing.

Each phase of the swing can be performed either efficiently or inefficiently. A professional is more likely to perform each phase of the golf swing more efficiently than that of the amateur. As a result the professional’s swing has more efficient mechanics from start to finish, requiring lesser amounts of activity from the muscles to execute.

An amateur or less skilled golfer is more likely to have less efficient mechanics. To compensate for these improper mechanics the golfer will attempt to generate extra force from specific muscles than the amateur. Causing these muscles to work much harder to execute the golf swing.

Research from Hosea indicated in certain situations amateurs may develop up to 80% more peak torque in their lumbar spine (i.e. lower back) than a professional, muscles required to generate greater amounts of force are at a much higher risk of overuse injury.

Additionally, Hosea found professional golfers generate 34% more clubhead speed than the amateur, yet amateurs were producing spinal forces 50 to 80% higher, and 50% more trunk muscle activity than the professional.

All of this research points to the first reason as to why the lower back is commonly injured in the amateur golfer. Inefficient golf swing mechanics cause the muscles of the lower back to work harder to generate torque in the swing. Over time these muscles will become fatigued from the trauma caused by inefficient mechanics. Increasing dramatically the possibility of an overuse injury to the lower back.

How can the amateur take the first step in the prevention of a lower back injury? First and foremost is the development of more efficient swing mechanics. This can only be done through proper instruction and practice. If you are finding yourself in the category of a candidate for a lower back injury, my first suggestions is begin developing a more efficient golf swing.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with professional golfers, most notable PGA and Masters Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean Cochran and his golf fitness exercises and training programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

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Golf Fitness Core Training to Improve Your Golf Swing

Golf fitness exercises focused on the core can improve your golf swing. Learn how core exercises and golf exercises are a key to increasing club head speed. Some of us may have an idea about what core training entails. Swing coaches and golf fitness trainers talk about it in relation to the swing, but what actually is the core?

When the question is asked, “What is the core?” The most common answer is, “Your abdominals.” The core can be defined as the region of the body that incorporates the hips, abdominals, obliques, and lower back.

The definition of the core indicates that it is an anatomical region of the body. The top of your chest to your hips is the easiest way to think about the core region. This part of the body includes numerous muscles in each of these defined regions. Think about all those little back muscles that your doctor speaks about when you are injured. Those muscles are part of the core. When you see those infomercials for the “latest and greatest” abdominal machine, those machines are supposedly going to give you that “six pack.” The muscles of the “six pack” are part of your core. These two regions of the body are the easy parts of the core to understand, but what about the other parts?

The general definition of the core indicates that it encompasses ALL the muscles between your chest and lower body. Keeping this definition in mind, what other muscles would be incorporated in the core region? Probably the easiest way to do this is to create a mental image of the body and then look at what muscles are in this region of the body.

The hips are part of the core, and all the muscles in this region of the body are part of the core. The muscles within the hips contain the hip flexors, hip extensors, adductor complex, abductor complex, gluteus maximus, gluteus minimus, gluteus medius, origin of the hamstrings, and origin of the quads. Quite a few muscles, wouldn’t you say?

Currently, we have the muscles of the hips, low back, and the “six pack,” but there are more. We can essentially factor two more muscle groups into the core region. Probably the most under recognized muscles in the core region are termed the “deep stabilizing muscles” of the spine.

The easiest way to think of these muscles is the following: Think about “peeling away the top layer of your abdominals (the “six pack”) and the top layer of your lower back muscles. Underneath these muscles would be another group of muscles that function to stabilize the spine. The number of muscles in this region of the body is numerous. The names of a few are: transverse abdominus, erector spinae, and spinaleus. Again, these are just a few of the muscles in this region. If we were to name all of them, it could easily fill this whole page.

We have one final group of muscles that comprise the core region, and they are on the sides of the body (the place where we quite often develop those “love handles”). You now know where these muscles are, and we anatomically describe these muscles as your obliques. The two major muscles in this region are the external and internal obliques. In addition, you will find other muscles within this region such as the serratus.

At this point you should have a good understanding of the core region, the muscles groups of the core, and the specific muscles contained within this region. Now we move on to the functioning of the core in regards to golf.

First question, why are these muscles so important to golf? Before we answer that question, let’s look at this region of the body in a little more detail.

A vast number of muscles comprise this region of the body as we know at this point in time. Some of you probably have some first hand experience with the muscles of the core. If you have ever had a lower back injury, you know what I am talking about.

What we need to understand at this point, before entertaining the question of the core’s involvement in the golf swing, is the following:

Realize that all of the core muscles function as a unit, meaning they work together to essentially stabilize and move the body. The movements that this region of the body is involved in are vast. Any movement other than probably lying on your back utilizes the core the cores in some way, shape, or form. Let me explain this thought. We know that the core region is involved in stabilizing the spine, right? Well with that thought in mind, your spine needs to be stabilized in any upright posture you place your body. For example, as I am writing this article, I am sitting at my computer. For my body to maintain this “seated, upright position” my spine must be stabilized. The muscles of the core region perform this activity.

When we begin to talk about the body moving is where we can really see the core becoming active. Just think of some simple activities like walking, bending over to pick up a newspaper, etc. All of these activities are utilizing the core to stabilize the spine, bend, turn, rotate the body, and transfer energy from your feet to the upper body. The core is integrated as a unit and involved in almost every movement that you perform in your daily lives. I hope by this time you can see the importance of the core when it comes to human movement. Now let us move on to a topic of more interest to all of us, and that is the golf swing.

Looking at the golf swing, the core region of the body is considered “the engine of the body.” It is responsible for the balance, stability, and rotation required to swing a golf club. From address to follow through, this section of the body plays a large part in the execution of the swing.

If you have an understanding of what muscles comprise the core region and their importance when it comes to human movement, then you will undoubtedly see the importance of the core as it pertains to the golf swing. This little discussion has probably provided you with the understanding that there is more than “meets the eye” when discussing the core region. The next step in this process is the implementation of core exercises within a golf fitness program. These types of golf exercises will benefit your golf swing in many ways.

Sean Cochran is one of the most recognized golf fitness instructors in the world today. He travels the PGA Tour regularly working with professional golfers, most notably Masters and PGA Champion Phil Mickelson. To learn more about Sean and his golf fitness programs go to http://www.seancochran.com

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