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Stiffness and the slice go together

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Yes, this is another article about correcting the golf slice.

If you have unsuccessfully tried to overcome the golf slice, the cause may be less about technique and more about the body, especially if you are over 50 or have a lot of body stiffness.

In this article, I hope to help you improve your body to be able to move correctly. Then, I’ll explain how you can teach your body to use its new ability in order to engrain a great golf move.

The No. 1 cause of hitting a slice in golfers over 50 is disassociation, the ability to move the upper body separately from the lower body. Not only do you need to have the flexibility to separate your upper body and lower body turn, but your body needs to be able to fire those parts of the body the correct sequence.

The moment of truth in a golf swing is the first move a golfer makes at the top of the backswing. Being able to initiate the downswing with lower body rotation without allowing the upper body to rotate open yet (and that is the key) will determine the golfers swing path into the ball.

The worst case scenario is if the upper body begins the downswing, which can cause an over-the-top move. Golfers often refer to this move as being “too quick from the top,” a flaw that occurs in golfers of all ages and skill levels. However, many golfers over 50 with poor golf flexibility tend to get “quick from the top” more often, or rotate their lower body and upper body at the same time. Not only will these moves often result in a slice, but they also decrease power. It is what my 3-year-old refers to as a “weeny swing.”

Fix the Body

Before we can begin to engrain a great transition move, we need to change the body so it has the ability to transition correctly. We want to include a passive (non-moving) stretch and an active stretch. Active stretches are important because they include muscle action in the process of muscle lengthening. This can help “cement” range of motion gains.

1. Passive Stretch to Improve Disassociation

Screen Shot 2013-09-28 at 10.17.18 PM

Begin by lying on your right side. Bend your left knee up as shown. From here, rotate your upper body in the opposite direction with your left arm extended back. You should be able to touch the floor with both your left elbow and left knee at the same time. If you cannot, perform this stretch anywhere from 3-to-10 times daily for 20-to-30 seconds at a time.

2. Active Stretch

Golf X Factor

This is a great active stretch to improve disassociation because it can fixate the lower body by having one knee up. This allows golfers to rotate only their upper body.

Use an exercise band with this exercise. Perform 15 reps and switch (having the opposite knee up).

The other key to eliminating the slice caused by a body fault is to retrain your muscle patterning, or “muscle memory.” We want your lower-body muscles to remember to fire before your upper-body muscles.

If golfers start their downswing this way, it is nearly impossible to come over the top. A golfer may still slice, but it probably won’t be because of their swing plane.

There are a couple exercise you can do.

1. With a Partner

A great way to work on training the body to move correctly is to work on rotating the lower body with a partner/spouse holding the shoulders stable.

Here is how to do it:

Get into your golf stance without a golf club and fold your arms. Have your partner place hands on both shoulders and hold the upper body in place. From here, work on rotating your lower body back and forth without allowing your shoulders to move. Move back and forth for 30 seconds.

The key to remember with this exercise is that you are NOT trying to rotate very far, just back and forth to train the upper body to disassociate from the lower body.

This is the “go to” exercise I use with clients everyday, and is simply called “Transition Move Training.”

Screen Shot 2013-09-28 at 10.47.10 PM

To work on the transitional move, begin in your normal golf stance. Take your backswing and hold the position.

You can make the transition move in 2 ways:

1. Slightly rotate your hips to the target making sure the shoulders do not open.

Most golfers over 50 will not have the flexibility to do this. The tendency is to allow the shoulders to open along with the hips. it can be tough to feel, so it is best to watch the shoulders in the mirror until a feel for it is developed.

If you find you are unable to keep your shoulders still, I suggest using the alternative transition move.

2. At the top of the backswing, slide the left knee to the target. Again, do not let the shoulders open.

From here, a golfer can finish the swing.

“Other” Causes

If a golfer is moving the lower body correctly and continues to slice, the cause of the slice narrows down to only a few options. Golfers are either holding onto their release instead of allowing the hands to rotate through the ball, or the arms are lagging behind the rest of the body and the clubface is late to the party. These issues have other causes.

I hope you enjoy these exercises and see the improvement in your game!

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Doctor of Physical Therapy and Certified Golf Performance Specialist, Dr. Ryan York has been working exclusively with golfers between the ages of 50-75 since 2008. York co-directs Age Defying Golf at http://agedefyinggolf.com/ which is dedicated to improving Golf Performance, reducing the effects of “age”, and resolving golf related pain in golfers between the ages of 50-75.

7 Comments

7 Comments

  1. charles brown

    Mar 24, 2014 at 6:24 pm

    I shortened my golf swing to keep up with them young whippersnappers… can’t wait to pro-am with Gulbis and/or Wie…

  2. Mike

    Oct 8, 2013 at 10:13 am

    I notice these stretches are only given for one side. Does these apply to us lefty’s, or should we do the opposite?

    • Hyoga

      Oct 9, 2013 at 8:54 am

      Why don’t you just do both sides ?

    • Ryan York

      Oct 11, 2013 at 12:03 am

      Mike, if you are a lefty you want to do the opposite side. However, in the long run you want to be consistent with both sides to make sure you are symmetrical, as asymmetry can lead to injuries. Thanks for the comment.

      Ryan

  3. Andrew Coop

    Oct 4, 2013 at 6:06 am

    Very good article Ryan and thanks for sharing this info. I’m in my mid 30s, so a little younger than your clients, but after 20 odds year of playing golf at a decent level, +1 hcp, my back started getting sore a couple of seasons back.
    A couple of questions I’d be grateful if you could give your expert opinion on…Can you overdo the disassociation? I’ve always been able to hit hard (ss 110+mph), and as a young player always created lots of lag and seperation between upper and lower body. I look after myself, but I’ve found that my ability to do this has lessened in my mid30s. Can chasing this (when the body isn’t really up to it) hurt the back?
    I’ve worked this year on moving everything more together from the top (less seperation), giving up some lag and my back feels much better-though I’ve lost some yardage.
    Would be very interested to hear your thoughts. Thanks again for sharing your knowledge.

    • Ryan York

      Oct 11, 2013 at 12:22 am

      Andrew,
      Thanks for your comment and question.
      Joints that are too mobile can cause pain (also defined as an instability). this can lead to back pain and other issues down the road if not addressed.
      What I would recommend is to continue to limit the disassociation for a while. Then improve the stability of your back.
      Here are a couple of PDF websites with good back stabilization programs:
      Princeton Back Stabilization
      and/or
      InTech-Back Stabilization

      Try these for 8 weeks.
      If your back feels better, you can begin to slowly reintroduce more disassociation in your swing.

      If you don’t feel better, I would consult a local physical therapist.

      If you are having back pain as a result of too much motion, it is likely that once vertebra is doing most of the movement, instead of all of them sharing the load. Good back stabilization will help.

      Hope that points you in the right direction

      Ryan

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Instruction

Clement: Stop ripping off your swing with this drill!

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Not the dreaded headcover under the armpit drill! As if your body is defective and can’t function by itself! Have you seen how incredible the human machine is with all the incredible feats of agility all kinds of athletes are accomplishing? You think your body is so defective (the good Lord is laughing his head off at you) that it needs a headcover tucked under the armpit so you can swing like T-Rex?

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How a towel can fix your golf swing

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This is a classic drill that has been used for decades. However, the world of marketed training aids has grown so much during that time that this simple practice has been virtually forgotten. Because why teach people how to play golf using everyday items when you can create and sell a product that reinforces the same thing? Nevertheless, I am here to give you helpful advice without running to the nearest Edwin Watts or adding something to your Amazon cart.

For the “scoring clubs,” having a solid connection between the arms and body during the swing, especially through impact, is paramount to creating long-lasting consistency. And keeping that connection throughout the swing helps rotate the shoulders more to generate more power to help you hit it farther. So, how does this drill work, and what will your game benefit from it? Well, let’s get into it.

Setup

You can use this for basic chip shots up to complete swings. I use this with every club in my bag, up to a 9 or 8-iron. It’s natural to create incrementally more separation between the arms and body as you progress up the set. So doing this with a high iron or a wood is not recommended.

While you set up to hit a ball, simply tuck the towel underneath both armpits. The length of the towel will determine how tight it will be across your chest but don’t make it so loose that it gets in the way of your vision. After both sides are tucked, make some focused swings, keeping both arms firmly connected to the body during the backswing and follow through. (Note: It’s normal to lose connection on your lead arm during your finishing pose.) When you’re ready, put a ball in the way of those swings and get to work.

Get a Better Shoulder Turn

Many of us struggle to have proper shoulder rotation in our golf swing, especially during long layoffs. Making a swing that is all arms and no shoulders is a surefire way to have less control with wedges and less distance with full swings. Notice how I can get in a similar-looking position in both 60° wedge photos. However, one is weak and uncontrollable, while the other is strong and connected. One allows me to use my larger muscles to create my swing, and one doesn’t. The follow-through is another critical point where having a good connection, as well as solid shoulder rotation, is a must. This drill is great for those who tend to have a “chicken wing” form in their lead arm, which happens when it becomes separated from the body through impact.

In full swings, getting your shoulders to rotate in your golf swing is a great way to reinforce proper weight distribution. If your swing is all arms, it’s much harder to get your weight to naturally shift to the inside part of your trail foot in the backswing. Sure, you could make the mistake of “sliding” to get weight on your back foot, but that doesn’t fix the issue. You must turn into your trial leg to generate power. Additionally, look at the difference in separation between my hands and my head in the 8-iron examples. The green picture has more separation and has my hands lower. This will help me lessen my angle of attack and make it easier to hit the inside part of the golf ball, rather than the over-the-top move that the other picture produces.

Stay Better Connected in the Backswing

When you don’t keep everything in your upper body working as one, getting to a good spot at the top of your swing is very hard to do. It would take impeccable timing along with great hand-eye coordination to hit quality shots with any sort of regularity if the arms are working separately from the body.

Notice in the red pictures of both my 60-degree wedge and 8-iron how high my hands are and the fact you can clearly see my shoulder through the gap in my arms. That has happened because the right arm, just above my elbow, has become totally disconnected from my body. That separation causes me to lift my hands as well as lose some of the extension in my left arm. This has been corrected in the green pictures by using this drill to reinforce that connection. It will also make you focus on keeping the lead arm close to your body as well. Because the moment either one loses that relationship, the towel falls.

Conclusion

I have been diligent this year in finding a few drills that target some of the issues that plague my golf game; either by simply forgetting fundamental things or by coming to terms with the faults that have bitten me my whole career. I have found that having a few drills to fall back on to reinforce certain feelings helps me find my game a little easier, and the “towel drill” is most definitely one of them.

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Instruction

Clement: Why your practice swing never sucks

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You hear that one all the time; I wish I could put my practice swing on the ball! We explain the huge importance of what to focus on to allow the ball to be perfectly in the way of your practice swing. Enjoy!

 

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