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You heard it here first! I truly believe most golf swing faults are the result of a physical limitations in the body. If the body doesn’t have the proper golf-specific strength and flexibility it will make many compensations, and those compensations lead to swing faults. Unless these limitations are addressed, golfers will continue to swing poorly and shoot high scores!
See the golfer in the picture to the right? I can name off 2 or 3 limitations just from looking at the picture, but do you think he’ll try anything different than what he is doing right now? So don’t you think his chances of playing good golf are limited?
I have said this many times in person, in articles and on many of my golf sites. “Your body dictates Your Golfing Ability”. If you ever hear that, it was stolen from me 
A broken body cannot play good golf! No way! In fact, a physically limited body will only hurt your game not help it.
Many golfers are looking for bandaide fixes. A quick lesson with the pro. A tip out of a magazine. Something off the Golf Channel. Anything to fix that ugly swing! Well…it isn’t going to happen! The swing of a golfer who has limitations will always and consistently be inconsistent and low performing.
I can’t say this strong enough! “Fix your limitations and your swing will literally transform!”
Let me give you a couple of examples to make you a believer.
Okay…a golfer is sliding his hips on the downswing. A terrible swing fault, but this one afflicts many, many golfers. The end result is a slice, shank, or thin shot since you are getting ahead of it at impact.
What’s the fix? Hit more balls, take more lessons, buy new equipment right? Wrong!
One possible cause could be extremely tight hip sockets, inner groin muscles and rotary muscles. If your brain knows you can’t rotate your hips because of a restriction, it will figure out another way to get back down to the ball. That is…? The SLIDE in your downswing! Your restricted hips aren’t…won’t ever allow you to rotate and come into impact behind the ball with all parts rotating instead of sliding into impact.
Some simple golf stretches could solve this problem in less than one week! I’m not kidding. Release that tension and for once you’ll be rotating those hips like never before! It will even feel funny for a while until you get used to this newfound freedom in your downwing.
Take a look at this horrific swing of Charles Barkley! He knows his swing is bad, but do you think he relates it to physical limitations? I’ll bet not. He’s had lessons from the top instructors in the world, and still has a horrible swing. What’s left? His body!!!
One more example to convince you.
You are having a hard time getting to the top of your backswing (finishing your backswing). You try and try but you just can’t to the top of your swing like you so desire. Again, hit more balls, take more lessons, buy more equipment? Not! You most likely have a restriction in your right (if you’re a right-handed golfer) external rotators of your shoulder. If you cannot freely open your armpit as if you’re carrying a food tray in a restaurant, you will NEVER be able to get to the top with no tension, unless…you stretch and strengthen that specific area (rotator cuff muscles).
You see…the game of golf would be so much easier if you had a body that could physically do what it needs to make a good swing for 18 holes, but the majority of amateur golfers don’t have this. With their busy schedules and commitments they have let themselves physically go. They are tight and much weaker than they were years earlier. Does this sound familar?
The above two examples are just the tip of the iceberg. Evaluate your swing faults and I’ll bet there is a part of your body physically causing it. Don’t ignore it and expect to improve your swing. Get it diagnosed and attack it with stretching and strengthening exercises. You will transform your golf swing…I promise you!
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What do you think?
September 19th, 2007 at 3:08 pm
This is so true. And it’s so true about me too. I’ve been struggling to regain my flexibility this year after a couple of years of back injury and relative inactivity. Hip rotation is the big one for me. Getting into *and staying in* a good finish position is difficult for me. This one plagued me before I ever had back trouble (that could be what led to it!), but it’s worse now.
September 19th, 2007 at 3:13 pm
Do a side lunge stretch and it will do wonders for your swing. Picture stepping to the side and bending down on that leg a bit to feel a stretch in the non-stepping leg. Hold it for 10 seconds switch legs and repeat one more time. Give it a try!
September 19th, 2007 at 3:27 pm
I just tried the side lunge at my desk here at work. Awesome! I felt a nice stretch in the groin and hip areas. It also told me that I need to work my quads some. I’m definitely adding this one to my normal routine.
September 20th, 2007 at 5:44 am
While I agree stretching is a penultimate requirement for good golf, and I do use many of the suggested exercises that have helped my game, my head is still what needs to be stretched the most! Many of the faults I have are not due to poor physical abilities, but rather more due to the fact that i can’t seem to keep focus on the ‘movements’ I need to make…at times. When I’m thinking well out there, AND well stretched, I am usually playing well. It’s more of a combination rather than an emphasis for me.
September 20th, 2007 at 7:49 am
Hi Mike,
Congratulations on a terrific site! People will now get to know the “human side” of Mike Pedersen, as I do
)
Your info, as demonstrated in this article, is not the usual filler.
Keep up the great work!
Norman Hallett, CEO
Subconscious Training Corp.
Makers of GolfMind Software, mental training for golfers
September 20th, 2007 at 8:08 am
Good Morning Mike,
I have been receiving your e-mails and find them very helpful and informative. I am a big believer in “working on the body” to develop a better golf game. Flexibility and Strength go hand in hand if done correctly and if you are able to identify the limitations of the body. There is no reason to strengthen one part of the body if it does not need strengthening and stretch a part of the body if it is too flexible. It’s defeating the purpose. I Know that you agree!
I have come across a company here in Phoenix called JZZ Technologies and am now working for that company that has developed software for a 3-D non-video motion capture biomechanical analysis system to identify the limitations of the body during a golf swing. It also produces a recommended exercise program to work on the limitations identified by the program specific to that individual.
It’s all about reducing injuries and boosting performance. RIGHT? I know you all will agree!!!
Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions as I would be happy to explain the system in more detail if you wish.
We are both trying to make a better golfer and I know that with your knowledge of golf and our technology, we can provide a valuble service to the golf community. Thank you for your time and have a great day!
September 20th, 2007 at 10:18 am
Hi Mike
I have been a fan of your products for some time now and stretching is not something I used to do. Of course as I have aged, I have become much more aware of the need.
That and the fact my backswing is probably 50% of my high school swing
So I am attempting to integrate your exercise and stretches into my daily routine - some days better than other - in order to return to my old form
Thanks for the great input
Tex Gshwandtner
September 20th, 2007 at 10:23 am
Tex,
I’m so glad you are working on your fitness. For all the older golfers out there, this IS what’s keeping you from a better game! I applaud you Tex! You are a fraction of a percent of the golfing population doing it! Keep it up1
Mike
September 20th, 2007 at 1:04 pm
Mike,
Great blog and great comments. As an instructor, I am continually learning that the golfer’s swing is simply a reflection of the state of their body at that time and day. If you want a better swing , work on being the best swinger you can be. In other words, get your body tuned up and in shape to be able to do what you ask of it.
Keep up the great work!
September 20th, 2007 at 6:34 pm
I played a charity tournament last week with my nephew. He just turned 26 and he’s a total gym rat. He’s been playing golf for a couple of years and I’ve noticed his game has shown steady improvement.
That said, he really likes the big tee ball and was consistently blowing past me with what seemed to be very little effort. His mid-section flexibilty and strength really gave him a tremendous advantage.
Is there any help for 52 year old?
September 20th, 2007 at 6:41 pm
You are my demographic with my golf fitness products. With the right program and a concerted effort, you’ll see amazing results. The older golfers are primed to get in better shape and see their swing literally transform. It’s never too late.
September 20th, 2007 at 7:33 pm
Hi Mike,
I agree that being fit can really help us play much better golf, especially at the higher levels. Case in point… Tiger Woods and his “cut” look.
However, I would argue that most NBA players and track and field champions probably don’t have very good swings and are high handicappers. And they are generally considered to be some of the top athletes in the world and are definitely in shape.
So, you do need some idea of what you are doing with a golf club and a good mental game as well.
But, to go along further with your thoughts, being fit not only benefits the golf swing, but is a big help with endurance… coming down those last 4-5 holes. Being tired can cause a lot of bad things to happen as we have all found out at one time or another.
Dave
September 21st, 2007 at 6:19 pm
I generally have a tremendous improvement in my game the more golf I play on the course, not on the range. I also see my weight go down and my muscle tone improve… Playing golf for me forces me to stretch and to strengthen muscles I don’t use sitting here writing on all my books and blogs.
September 21st, 2007 at 6:41 pm
Movement is good for the human body, sitting is brutal. Use it or lose it as they say!
September 24th, 2007 at 11:44 am
Mike,
Kudos to you for yet another solid point to playing better golf. I can’t tell you how many times I have worked with golfers who are looking to get a better swing from a new technique, piece of equipment or even positive mental talk. The most common golf swing faults are based upon muscle weakness, tightness or imbalance. With the body swinging the club, everything else including the golf club is just an extension of the body’s own mechanics and can’t make up for what is missing. Most golfers I work with are a little shocked after an intial fitness assessment to see where the faults really lie as they don’t see the importance of this at first in how it relates to their golf swing. Thanks again Mike.
September 25th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
Hi Mike,
Still another who surprisingly has a horrible swing is OJ. Seeing archive videos of him playing over the years during his most recent fiasco amazed me at how poor his swing is/was. It’s surprising that somebody who is supposedly as fit as the pro athletes are still have the golf swings that they do. In spite of the probable lessons they have received over the years, perhaps their swing problems are a case of the old ego getting in the way.
Larry