Check Your Set Up to Swing Freely and Play Your Best!
A Great Set Up Goes a Long Way!
By now you have seen or heard me talk about creating the best swing for YOUR body and not attempting to put yourself in a position that your body has to compensate aka stress a different body part to get into said position ( think torquing your back because your hip is stiff).
The best chance for you to make an efficient, repeatable, powerful and safe swing is to start from the best position possible for your body! For 90% plus of golfers your best set up position will be as close to a neutral position as possible. For simplicity sake this “neutral position” is in regards to your trunk forward lean( how bent over you are) as well as how arched or rounded your lower and upper back is. This position again will be slightly different for each golfer in regards to how it looks but is similar in principal for everyone.
What does a neutral set up position allow for?
1) A neutral set up allows your joints to be as free moving as possible.
We are all have muscles and bony joints that allow us to move a particular way. If we start in a poor position i.e. too arched at our lower back or too bent over at our hips we close down our body’s ability to freely move to its maximum ability. Meaning we have blocked our joints from moving as freely. This creates unnecessary resistance or block in our golf swing, shortens our ability to make a full turn and often creates compensations. Such compensations include:
Sliding and swaying( too much lateral movement)
Loss of posture
Excessively bending your lead elbow
Manipulating the club at the top of the swing
Just about anything else you see in the downswing: chicken winging, cupping etc.
2) A neutral set up will allow you to develop as much power and speed as possible.
By being able to turn more freely and maintain proper positions while doing so you will be more capable of creating speed and able to do so more efficiently. A longer swing gives you a great ability to generate speed on the way down, that is of course if you sequence well. For some this may throw your timing and sequencing off and it may take a little time to work into your new backswing,
3) Improved Consistency
If you can optimize and repeat your set up position through the bag, you will be swinging more efficiently, be more accurately lined up to your target and as a result should be hitting crisper shots more consistently. There will be less variation in your low point which equals less fat and thin shots! Amen to that!
4) Less Pain
If you are swinging more efficiently you are also doing your body a favor! You will be moving more easily and less likely to be early-extending, loading your back, coming out of your posture or making more compensatory moves which can lead to extra stress at certain parts of the body. This equals more rounds of golf per week with less pain! Who doesn’t love that. More time on the course will equal more time to practice and hone your skills to beat your rivals, friends, co-workers etc!
So What should Neutral look and feel like?
This will vary from person to person based on height, leg length vs. torso length, mobility limitations, joint limitations etc. However here are some tips to find a neutral position and here is what to avoid. See video below!
Quick tip to self assess your set up and find the best position for your body and your golf swing.
As always, thank you for reading! Reach out with questions via e-mail: james@ashcroftphysio.com or leave a question or comment below!
To better health and golf!
James Ashcroft, DPT, OCS, CSCS