Everything has to move in correct pattern. Controlled flexibility is the goal. There are 120 joints that are at play. All these joints will need to be rotated in the correct pattern to make that desired shot. Any incorrect rotation of a joint can lead to a flawed shot. When making that drive shot, not standing correctly or having a faulty swing can lead to a hook or a slice. Every joint of the body has to be in sync and properly rotated. That is where controlled flexibility comes into play. You want to develop it enough to where things become second nature.

Get to the point where the rotations become comfortable. You want it programmed into your brain as routine. It is important to develop the correct rotation pattern from the start. Undoing a specific pattern takes a lot longer to undo than learning a new pattern. You will spend a lot more time undoing than if you were to learn it correctly the first time. And you will want to warm up and tune your body regularly. It is much like taking care of a car and getting it prepped for a big race. You take good care of it and ensure the proper tune-ups to carry out a smooth race. It is the same with the body and golf.

Some people think golf looks easy because the players are not running around and chasing after each other for the ball. Golf is a game where the ball is stationary. It can be viewed as a game that is not that active. But contrary to what many think, golf is a game that requires extraordinary concentration and a great deal of physical strength. This cannot be stressed enough. And it requires and demands great controlled flexibility. It is necessary to be skilled.

With the 120 joints that take part in the game, you want every movement to be comfortable and second nature. That is why practicing those warm ups is so important. Tune your body to make it ready for that game. You want everything moving the proper way.

Golf is a game that requires a high level of dedication. The amount of practice and concentration that goes into a game is extraordinary. But preparing needs to be consistent. You cannot just warm up right before a game only and expect to shed scores. The tuning and warming up needs to be consistent and done regularly.

Be patient. With enough time invested into practicing, you will shed those scores in no time. But be sure to learn it correctly the first time. Doing these warm ups will help you developed controlled flexibility, physical strength, and higher level of concentration.

Golf is a game like no other. It may be a challenge to learn, but once you learn, you are likely to become hooked. It offers a challenge like no other game.

Mobility can be considered controlled and coordinated flexibility.  To develop optimal golf swing mobility, it is important that flexibility and  muscle balance be in place.  Without the flexibility and muscle balance, mobility will be executed with poor body mechanics which will lead to golf swing faults and/or injuries.

Let’s use the shoulder turn in the golf swing as a prime example. If you were to perform a drill to improve shoulder turn (i.e. a mobility drill) and the muscles in any segment of the spine are restricted, the body will be forced to compensate. You would improve your ability to turn but create another imbalance somewhere down the kinetic chain. (i.e a hip, shoulder, lower back, elbow or wrist injury).

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The flexibility and posture of the head and neck play a major role in ball striking ability. Adequate Neck mobility will allow for a smooth back swing and an uninterrupted expression of power through your golf swing.

An imbalance in neck musculature will make it difficult to keep your eye on the ball.

The head rotation stretch (picture #1) will help maintain adequate neck mobility.

The levator scapulae stretch in picture #2 is a drill that improves neck flexibility in all 3 planes of movement. It is true that all muscles are important for optimal golf performance but there are some that can really cause problems and the levator scapulae muscle is one of them. The levator scapulae connect to the shoulders AND neck so it can affect your golf performance from both areas. From the neck it could affect your ability to keep your eye on the ball by causing your head to tilt.

Think of your head like a gyroscope in that the eyes always want stay level with the horizon.  If your levator scapulae muscle is tight, the head tilt will cause your eyes to compensate which will lead to muscle imbalances in the neck and eye muscles if not corrected.

At the shoulder, the levator scapulae muscle will restrict your backswing and cause you to lose power, slice, push the ball, hit a shank or all of the above.

Perform these two drills before and after you practice or play. ##