A couple of days ago, I decided to go golfing with my brother-in-law. I love the the game of golf, and there was a time in my life when I could actually play the game pretty well. I'm not talking about "Hey, I'm thinking about retiring and going on the Senior Tour" good...but I was a consistent 80's golfer.
No...I'm not talking mullets and parachute pants 80's (although I do miss my mullet!) I'm talking about scoring in the 80's. No, not that kind of scoring...never mind.
Let's just say I was slightly above average. How's that?
Ok...moving on.
My brother-in-law said it just right the other day. He said "You and I have some of the best looking swings for two guys who don't really play that well anymore." Truth be told...he's a heck of a lot better than I am, and he was merely being nice. Here's what's funny about that...when I was around fourteen or fifteen years of age, I picked up a golf club and swung it with near perfect form. I'm not bragging...it's just the way it was.
You see, my dad was a tremendous golfer. He shot his first score of 59 at age fourteen! I often heard from family friends and relatives, that he was easily good enough to play at the pro level. He played one year of golf at Stanford before deciding to pursue his passion of aerospace engineering, and abandon his pursuit of the PGA.
Anyway...suffice it to say that he knew a good, natural swing when he saw one. His was beautiful.
So, back to my swing...my Dad saw me swing a club one day...just playing around in the back yard...and knew right then and there, that I had some potential for the game. Unfortunately however, golf wasn't one of the cool sports back then, so I had little interest, if any, in learning to play. I did enjoy going to the driving range and watching my Dad hit balls. It really was a thing of beauty. Occasionally, I'd pick up a club and attempt to hit some balls...without much success, I might add.
My Dad used to tell me "Son, you have such a pure swing. Anyone out here watching you swing that club would automatically think you were an 80's golfer" (sans mullet). "Right up until I actually try to hit the ball" was usually my reply. My Dad would just smile, and start hitting again. He never pushed me into playing the game. I wish he would have.
I've been told I have my Dad's swing.
I play golf three or four times a year. That's not much. I am considered a 'bogey golfer' which means that on average, I shoot 1-over par per 18 holes. Which, I might add, is actually not bad for someone who plays as infrequently as I do.
The other day however, proved to be one of the most humbling days I have ever spent on the links. As I always do, I arrived early to hit some balls on the range, and get my body warmed up.
It never happened.
I felt like I was 80-years old. Every joint in my body was stiff, and my muscles were tight...for all eighteen holes. It was a long day.
You see, I had ridden 51-miles on my road bike the day before, a combination of 15 road miles and 10 mountain bike miles the day before that, and 35-miles on the road bike the day prior to that...I was tired, sore...and I just couldn't move.
Not only was I physically sore, I was facing the harsh reality of truly being an aging athlete. It hurt...literally and figuratively.
My inability to move correctly created in an inability to consistently create a smooth, powerful, and well-timed swing. I was not a high-performer that day.
Has this ever happened to you? Have you ever felt so tight you just couldn't get in the groove? If you've been golfing for any amount of time (young or old), and you did not answer yes to that question...well, let's face it...you're being dishonest. It happens to all golfers.
So let's take a look at some common issues that golfers face. Issues that can decrease performance.
First and foremost is mobility. The ability to move, and move freely is paramount in the sport of golf. No...golfers are rarely seen sprinting down fairways, or performing other feats of phenomenal or heroic athleticism, but believe me...they must be able to move freely to perform well.
Let's start at the ground...where our body makes contact with the earth. As a golfer 'addresses' the ball, flexion occurs at the ankle, knee, and hip joints. The degree of flexion varies with each golfer, but without it...the golf swing just wont happen. In order to flex the body at these joints, the muscles controlling the joints must be supple enough to allow for freedom of movement at the joint. If your calf muscles, or your hamstring muscles are tight, your ability to flex properly, is severely reduced. Additionally, tightness in your hamstring musculature will place undue stress on your lumbar spine (lower back) and create acute and/or chronic low back pain.
Another important factor in the ability to swing a golf club is that of rotation. Specifically rotation of the thoracic spine. This can be a huge problem for many of us...especially those of us who are reaching our mid-lives. You see, our lifestyle choices such as lack of exercise, prolonged sitting, computer posture (the list goes on an on) takes its toll on our ability to move the way we were designed...thoracic rotation being one of the most affected.
Our spine is made up of individual vertebrae. Each of those vertebrae belong to a group, or region of the spine. There are three primary regions, and one secondary region. The primary regions are the cervical spine, the thoracic spine, and the lumbar spine. These three primary spinal regions sit atop the sacrum and coccyx...which are fused vertebrae, and make up the 'secondary' spinal region.
The vertebrae in each of the primary regions are built slightly different than one another. Some are shorter, some taller, some thinner, and some thicker. Some are built to move freely, while others are built more for stability than mobility. That's the way God created us, yet we have done our best to mess up His perfection.
When teaching my athletes and firefighters about the spine, I prefer to divide it into alternating regions of stability and mobility. Here's what I mean...
Starting with the neck (cervical spine) - the seven vertebrae that make up the cervical spine are shaped in a manner that allows for tremendous freedom of movement. This freedom of movement is what allows us to look up, down, side to side, tip our head sideways, diagonally, etc. The cervical spine is meant to be highly mobile.
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| The thoracic spine is the light colored area |
The thoracic spine is comprised of twelve vertebrae which are shaped slightly different than their cervical 'relatives'. Looking at the picture above, you will notice that the thoracic vertebral bodies are much 'beefier' than their cervical counterparts (light colored area). These vertebrae are built to withstand greater forces, and as a result, they are less mobile. The upper region of the thoracic spine is aligned with our scapulae (shoulder blades). The point where the scapulae 'rest' against the thoracic spine is referred to as the Scapulothoracic (SC) Joint, and is designed to provide stability to the highly mobile c-spine.
Moving downward...the remaining vertebrae in the thoracic spine are designed to be mobile, albeit less mobile than the C-spine. Mobility within this region of the spine can be described as forward bending (flexion), backward bending or arching (extension), twisting to the left and right (rotation), and side-bending (lateral flexion). Thoracic spine mobility is what allows golfers to achieve rotational power in their swing.
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| An example of great thoracic mobility |
The lumbar spine is comprised of five vertebrae, and is designed to provide stability for the thoracic spine. Interestingly, the majority of back pain occurs in the lumbar spine.
Why do you think that is?
Check back tomorrow to find out the answer!
Don't worry...we'll be making our way back to the knee pain series soon enough!
Yours in Health and Performance,
John
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