Having a longer backswing can hugely benefit your golf as this can produce greater swing speeds, power and distance.
Very similar to the throwing of a ball. If you were to throw a ball 10 yards, you would need little shoulder turn and could get the ball to carry that distance with just a flick of the wrist and elbow.
However, if you were to throw a ball that carried 100 yards, you would need to rotate the thoracic spine more, load the shoulder and create a bigger turn to ensure you created enough momentum and energy to transfer into the ball so that it was able to travel that distance.
Golf is no different and a longer backswing can increase the distance that you hit each club. However, this length must be created in the right way and using the correct body parts to avoid any reverse pivot, collapsing and loss of control of the clubface. Without adequate rotation of the upper back and shoulders, it will be difficult to create this length efficiently and repeatedly.
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How to increase flexibility with stretching exercises before golf
If you do find it physically difficult to increase the width of your backswing and feel that you struggle with a short backswing, then potentially it could be down to your lack of mobility and flexibility in your upper body. This means you won’t have the range of movement available in those joints to create more turn and width. Consequently, you will try to find movement elsewhere which can cause stress to other parts of your body and also be detrimental to the sequencing of your golf swing.
If you are looking for more shoulder turn and width in your backswing, whilst maintaining good technique and ensuring that the movement is coming from the right movement; then this is a great exercise that you can perform to increase the flexibility and range of movement in both your thoracic spine and shoulders. It is easy to perform at home, needing only a cleared wall space to allow you to lengthen your arms.
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The objective is to stay close to the wall as you rotate your shoulder overhead, allowing rotation through your shoulder to improve over time and with practice. The second part is then rotating away from the wall, slowly trying to get the opposite shoulder to the wall whilst you maintain hip stability and upper/lower body separation. This exercise is therefore a great way to increase the flexibility and ability to rotate more in your backswing if you are looking to increase distance with every shot.
I would recommend that you perform 6-8 reps on each side and practice these as a daily stretch routine or as part of your pre-round warm-up before you head to the course. Reps should be performed slowly trying to improve movement and with practice, you should increase the amount you can move and ultimately turn into your backswing.
For more tips and info, visit Rachael’s website Dynamic Golf or follow on Instagram at Dynamic Golf Leeds
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