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Hip Mobility
One of the key movements you need to create speed in your golf swing is hip internal rotation.
This action happens at the hip socket when you move your legs outward from your knees. During a right-handed golfer’s swing, internal rotation occurs first on the right hip and then on the left hip.
The average PGA tour player has over 45 degrees of internal rotation on both hips.
Hips Don’t Lie
Improper movement in your hips can cause a chain reaction throughout your body.
Decreased hip internal rotation (as well as external rotation) can potentially cause injury to your low back, pain in the hip joint, tight hamstrings, knee injury, and ankle injury. Your low back is exceptionally reliant on hip mobility to stay healthy.
Golf is very demanding of your hip, with weight-bearing stress and high rotational demands.
How to Open Your Hips with a Foam Roller by Dr. Annie Armstrong
Use this Figure-Four Stretch to Loosen Stiff Hips by Dr. Annie Armstrong
Hip Strength & Power
Your hip also needs strength to create velocity for a fast and powerful swing. Your butt muscles need to be strong, and the muscles around your thighs and hips need to support you.
A research study conducted on 56 golfers showed that high skilled golfers had substantially stronger gluts than lesser-skilled golfers.
Your gluteals (butt muscles) are made up of three different muscles: Gluteus Maximus (the biggest), Gluteus Medius (middle size) and Gluteus Minimus (the little one).
The Gluteus Maximus is responsible for hip extension and it has been shown that it contributes to hip stabilization during the swing.
The Gluteus Medius provides hip internal rotation which we know to be vital for the golf swing. It also provides hip abduction (moving your leg out) and stabilization of the hip and pelvis. A weak Gluteus Medius is one of the most common things we see in our clinic, often presenting as a spasmed and painful TFL (the muscular part of the ITB). This can lead to low back pain, knee pain and hip pain.
The Gluteus Minimus is the primary internal rotator of the hip, and it also helps the other bigger gluts with hip extension, abduction, and stabilization.
Three Must Know Golf Exercises
Here are three great exercises to bullet proof your gluts!
Exercise #1: Side to Side Glute Activation – perfect for the big swing.
Exercise #2: Transverse Glute Activation – connect your glutes and core for strong swings.
Exercise #3: Glute Burner to build up your glute strength.
Swing On In
Are your hips holding up your golf game? Our pros at Head 2 Toe Spine and Sports Therapy are at your service.
We are certified in the TPI golf swing and the SFMA full body functional movement screen. The best part is we know how to fix those mobility limitations!
We specialize in getting your body moving properly again and guarantee we can give you your maximum mobility.
Call us at (425) 776-2936 or visit our New Patients page to learn more and start improving your swing today.