• You complain of being too “armsy”.
• Players will often complain of being stuck or trapped with their arms on the downswing.
• You come over-the-top or cast.
• Your clubface stays open too long.
• You hit a block to the right, a hook, or a block-slice.
• You’ve lost power and distance off the tee. 

 

If you can’t do this (or get close)

You will likely do this.. 

 

  

95% of those reading this have this problem! 

Early Extension is one of the biggest issues amateur golfers struggle with and it happens when the hips move forward (go into extension) or (straighten up) too early in the downswing transition.

 

This is best seen using a down-the-line view as the pelvis moves closer to the ball on the downswing. 

Early Extension causes the upper body to lift up allowing the golfer to maintain their balance. The lower body does not easily rotate through impact, instead, it pushes forward and the person stands up.

• If you stand up too early in the golf swing than what happens is it kills your rotation, your lower body gets in the way of where your arms are trying to go. This is because the lower body has moved into the space where the arms need to go and as a result you usually have to release the angles in your wrists early which will reduce clubhead speed and result in a loss of distance off the tee. 

How to do it: 

 

STEP 1: 

Stand approximately 1 foot from a wall. For most of you, it will be helpful to elevate your heels about 1″ by folding up a yoga mat or bath towel. This allows your ankles to move more easily and get into a deeper squat position. 

 

STEP 2:

Place your arms on the wall pointing to the 10 and 2 o’clock positions. *Be sure to keep your elbows straight during the movement. This will stretch out the pecs and lats as you descend deeper into the squat.

STEP 3: 

Think of pulling your hips back and away from the wall as you press your knees slightly outwards. 

 

STEP 4: 

Over the course of the reps, you are trying to get lower and lower, until your hips are just below the level of your knees. 

*You do not want to sink so low that your back rounds. 

 

 *The more mobile you become over time the closer to the wall you will be able to get to start the movement.  

Try starting with 5 reps per set. 2 sets per day.  

 

Brett’s Bottom Line: 

 

Being able to perform the Overhead Deep Squat is paramount to develop a proper kinematic sequence of motion during transition and the downswing. Without the ability to initiate the downswing with the lower body, a player can easily dominate the downswing with an upper body, forcing the over-the-top swing plane.

 

 

If you want to have speed, accuracy, and consistency in the golf swing you need to create space.

 

Space between the hips and the hands.

 

SPACE and acronym for Speed, Power, Accuracy, Consistency, Efficiency.

 

Longer Drives, Lower Scores, Fewer Injuries

1. Having a good hip turn. This stretch works on the hip internal and hip external rotators at the same time. The external of the forward side, and internal on the trailside.  Getting those hip external and internal hip rotators working is what allows us to turn properly into the backswing and  downswing positions. So when we can get the hips working in conjunction with the trunk our golf swing will improve.

2. Preventing Low Back Pain! So these are startling statistics. 80% of Americans will experience some form of LPB in their lifetime. The number one reason golfers leave the game of golf is LBP. How does this stretch help? In order to help prevent LBP, we need the mobile segments above (Thoracic spine) and below (hips) to be mobile. If they are not your brain will steal it from somewhere else. Yep, you guessed it your low back (which is designed for stability and has very little rotational capabilities).

 

So spare your spine and stretch your hips.

 

This stretch has many iterations to it. I first learned it while studying for my golf biomechanics certification in 2001 from the man who claims to have created it, Paul Chek. 

How to do it: 

 

STEP 1: 

Sit on the floor with both your front and back legs bent to 90 degrees. The angle in the groin created by both legs should be 90 degrees as well as the angle of the ankle as it relates to the shin. 

 

STEP 2: 

Take the hand on the same side as the forward leg and place it on the ground next to your hip, with the inside of your arm facing forward, fingers pointing back. *This position is essential to keeping the spine straight and chest open.                                                                                                                                           

STEP 3: 

Tip your pelvis forward as though it were a bucket of water and you are trying to spill the water out of the bucket. In other words, you are trying to increase the curve at your lower back, not round your back. 

 

STEP 4: 

I like to use my opposite hand to gently press the lead knee into the ground. You want to gently press that lead knee down as you INHALE (hold the position for 3 seconds).. then relax, EXHALE and move further into the stretch. The movement is a hip hinge (bending from the hip). 

 

Move to a point where you feel a slightly uncomfortable stretch. Repeat the process 3 – 5 times. Always moving from your newest position.

 

DO NOT COME BACK UP TO THE VERTICAL POSITION UNTIL YOU FINISH ALL THE FORWARD MOVEMENTS.

 

*I say slight discomfort because you don’t want PAIN, but effective stretching can be uncomfortable. 

 

Brett’s Bottom Line: 

This year marks the 50th anniversary of Earth Day.

Earth Day, an event to increase public awareness of the world’s environmental problems was celebrated in the United States for the first time on April 22, 1970. Millions of Americans, including students from thousands of colleges and universities, participated in rallies, marches, and educational programs across the country. 

 The very first event for Earth Day was held in America following a devastating oil spill and is credited as the beginning of the modern environmental movement. Now, every year, more than one billion people across the world mark the event by showing support for environmental protection. 

Earth Benefits from COVID

With much of the planet on lockdown for more than a month, pollution has been reduced dramatically. Scientists are witnessing a big difference is in air quality. It seems that the pandemic is already leading to huge reductions in air pollution in those regions that have been significantly affected by COVID-19—such as China and Italy—as industry, aviation, and other forms of transport grind to a halt.  Giving mother earth a literal breather. 

For millennia man has been making comparisons between Mother Earth and the human body. And for good reason. Life on this planet is analogous to the cells in our body. All working together for the good of the whole organism. Our planet breaths like we do. She has rivers, we have blood. She has animals and plants to keep her healthy. We have our microbes. Earth is 70% water, we are also 70% water. Coincidence? The list goes on and on. You get the point. 

 Brett’s Bottom Line: 

The way you treat yourself is the way you treat the world around you. Respect your body by keeping it clean from environmental toxins. Eat food that was grown organically, drink half your body weight in ounces of water each day, get in quality movement each day. This is the only body you get. Treat it like it’s someplace you’d like to live. 

We don’t know when the tour will come back or when you guys will be able to go out and play golf again. But when you can play again what kind of person and what kind of player do you want to be?