Nina Caldwell
Golfing is a low-impact exercise, but the repetitive motion can cause pain and injury. Stretching is essential to improving your flexibility, your swing, and your game. It helps prevent injuries and boost performance. One of the most important joints relative to the golf swing is the hips, but sitting behind a desk all week limits the hips' ability to rotate effectively. Limited hip mobility hinders the ability to turn in the backswing and downswing and makes it difficult to generate speed and power. Therefore, it is important to stretch your hips before golfing.
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What You'll Learn
Step Overs: Stand tall, take a big step, repeat in reverse
Step Overs is a great exercise to work on hip mobility and warm up before golfing.
To perform this stretch, stand tall with your feet together. Pick one leg up behind you and take a big step, as if you were trying to step over a hurdle. Bring your foot to the ground and then repeat the same motion in reverse. You can use a golf club for balance support if needed. As you do this mobility exercise, keep your knee flexed and limit movement in your upper body. Focus on moving slowly and smoothly through a large range of motion. Repeat this on both sides.
This exercise helps to improve hip mobility, which is essential for a powerful golf swing. The average golfer spends a lot of time sitting down, which causes a loss of hip mobility. Therefore, it is important to mobilise your hips daily to combat the negative effects of a sedentary lifestyle.
Step Overs is a great warm-up exercise before golfing, as it helps to improve hip mobility and prepare the body for the repetitive motions of the sport. It also helps to improve balance and stability, which are crucial for maintaining a consistent golf swing.
Additionally, this exercise can help to improve your overall flexibility and range of motion, which can benefit your golf game and everyday physical activities.
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90/90s: Legs at 90-degree angles, stretch hips over front leg
The 90/90 stretch is a great way to open up your hips and improve hip mobility, which is essential for a fluid golf swing.
To perform the 90/90 stretch, sit on the floor with your legs at 90-degree angles, one in front of you and one to the side. Your front leg should be bent with your shin and knee resting on the ground, forming a 90-degree angle. Your back leg should be positioned to the side with your shin and ankle on the ground, also forming a 90-degree angle. Keep your back straight and try to sit up tall, using your hands for support if needed. Focus on sitting into both hips equally. Hold this stretch for up to 60 seconds, breathing deeply. You should feel the stretch in your hips, glutes, and inner thighs.
If you are new to stretching or lack hip mobility, you can modify this stretch. Start by positioning just your front leg at a 90-degree angle and allow your back leg to assume a comfortable position. Once you feel stable, add your back leg to form the full 90/90 position. You can also use a yoga block, small mat, or rolled towel under the hip of your front leg to elevate your upper body and ensure your pelvis and hips are in the correct position.
Repeat this stretch 10-12 times on each side. This will help improve your hip mobility, allowing for a more fluid golf swing and reducing the risk of injury.
Sitting for long periods can cause a loss of hip mobility, which can hinder your golf swing. The 90/90 stretch helps to loosen the hip capsule and create space in the joint, improving your hip's range of motion.
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Lunge with a twist: Lunge, twist body, stretch lower back
The lunge with a twist is a bodyweight exercise that strengthens your core and builds lower-body muscle. It is a great way to stretch your hips, lower back, and improve your golf swing.
How to do it:
- Stand with your feet hip-width apart and a slight bend in your knees. Your shoulders should be directly over your hips, with your chin tucked in.
- Step forward with your right foot, lowering your body into a basic lunge position. Keep your knees in alignment and don't let them get ahead of your toes.
- Twist your upper body to the right from your midsection, keeping your core engaged. Be careful not to rotate your knee.
- Bring your arms forward as you rotate, allowing them to travel over your forward leg. Your arms can be bent or straight.
- Rotate back to the center, following with your arms. Keep your chest high.
- Push through your entire foot, especially your midfoot and heel, while keeping your toes engaged, to return to an upright position.
- Step back with your right foot to return to the starting position.
- Repeat on the opposite side.
Tips:
- You can perform this exercise without weights until you build strength. Adding weights or a medicine ball increases the intensity.
- Avoid injury by twisting from your torso and not your knees.
- You can turn this into a walking lunge by twisting your torso forward and then pulling the other leg forward to step.
Benefits:
- Engages multiple muscle groups, including hamstrings, glutes, and hip flexors.
- Strengthens your core and improves balance.
- Prepares you for more advanced yoga poses.
- Helps improve your golf swing by increasing hip mobility.
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Sitting stretch: Sit, left ankle on right thigh, lean forward
Sitting for long periods can cause tight hips, which can hinder your golf swing. To combat this, try the following sitting stretch:
Sit up straight on a bench, a chair, or the floor. Extend your left leg and place your left ankle on top of your right thigh. Plant your right foot on the ground, bending your right knee. Place your hands on your right thigh. Move your torso forward, bending at your waist. Continue until you feel the stretch in your left hip. Focus on moving slowly and under control through as big a range of motion as you can.
Hold this pose for 30 seconds. Repeat 2 to 5 times on each side.
This stretch relieves tightness in your hips, thighs, and back. It is important to stretch your hips for golf as your hips play a pivotal role in the golf swing. The hips are where the most energy is converted into the upper body. The rotational aspect of the golf swing plays a key role in lower-back strain, so it is important to stretch your hips to reduce the risk of injury.
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Standing stretch: Stand, bend knee, reach for ankle
The repetitive motion of golfing can cause pain and injury, so it is important to stretch your hips to improve your game and reduce injuries. One stretch that can help with this is the "Standing stretch".
To do the "Standing stretch", stand tall with your feet together. Bend one knee and bring your heel towards your buttocks. Reach for your ankle with your hand. Stand up straight and feel a slight pull along the front of your thigh and hip. Be careful not to strain your knee—the goal is not to touch your heel to your buttocks but rather to stretch the thigh. Hold the stretch for 20 to 30 seconds, release, and repeat on the other leg.
This stretch targets the hip flexors, a group of muscles that bring the legs up toward the trunk. It also stretches the quads, which help stabilize the knee and mobilize the hip. If the quads get tight, you may put more stress on your knee than you’d like, so this stretch helps keep them loose.
You can also try a lunge with a twist stretch, which is great for golfers to open the hips for a better swing and prevent potential back strain. Start in a lunge position with your right leg forward and your left knee dropped to the ground. Press your right elbow gently into the inside of your right knee and twist your body to the left. Reach your left arm behind you to feel a stretch in your lower back groin. Hold for 20 to 30 seconds, then release and repeat on the other side.
Additionally, you can try the 90/90 stretch. Sit on the floor with one leg in front of you at a 90-degree angle and the other leg out to the side at a 90-degree angle. Use your hips to sit up tall over your front leg, using your hand for support as needed. Sit back down and rotate to the other side, so that the leg that was out to the side is now in front. Repeat this 10-12 times. This stretch is excellent for improving hip mobility.
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Frequently asked questions
Here are some hip stretches that can help with golfing:
- Sitting on the floor, place one leg in front of you at a 90-degree angle and the other leg out to the side at a 90-degree angle.
- Stand tall with your feet together, pick one leg up behind you and take a large step, as if stepping over a hurdle.
- Start in a lunge position with your right leg forward and your left knee dropped to the ground. Gently twist your body to the left.
- Lie on your back with both knees bent. Cross your right leg over your left leg and open your arms out to a T, letting your legs fall to the left.
Each stretch should be held for 20 to 60 seconds and repeated a few times on each side.
Your hips should be moving primarily around the central axis of your body during a golf swing, with no exaggerated lateral movement. If your hips sway or slide, it indicates a lack of mobility.
Hip stretches can help improve your golf swing, reduce injuries, and boost performance.
