Golf swing muscles? Is there such a thing? You didnt think they were important or existed did you? But Im sure when youve gone home after a round of golf with a sore back you were reminded very quickly, you do in fact have golf swing muscles.
Having been a certified conditioning professional for over 20 years and the last 10 with golfers exclusively I can tell you with one hundred percent confidence there is definitely a muscular component to the golf swing. And if the muscles have not been trained to work in a specific sequence, with minimal tension and maximum power, the expected results will not be achieved.
What are the important muscles involved in the golf swing? There isnt one or two of them. The body moves sequentially throughout the golf swing. But through research and years of training, I can say without a doubt that the muscles of your core are the most important. Followed by the hamstrings and glutes.
The rest of the muscle groups are supportive to the golf swing, which doesnt mean they are any less important, just not as critical to improving power and consistency.
Lets briefly break down your main golf swing muscles and their role in the golf swing.
Shoulders: Support the golf at the top of the swing and also add clubhead speed as an extension of the core.
Upper Back: Maintenance of spine angle for ease of turning on backswing and follow through.
Lower Back: Critical in maintaining of golf posture during the swing and even putting.
Glutes: Helps maintain flex in hips and also athletic, golf squat position for a powerful swing base.
Quadriceps: Allows for ease of maintaining consistent knee flex and golf posture for a repeatable swing.
Hamstrings: The KEY muscle group in producing an effective, optimal and repeatable golf posture for eighteen holes.
Core: The engine to the golf swing. Produces maximum power from the pivot. Stored energy from the torque created on the backswing, to unleash into impact.
This is a very brief overview of your golf swing muscles. As you can see, if these muscles dont have a higher level of both strength and flexibility, they will not allow you to achieve your true golf potential.
Hopefully you will be motivated to look into a golf conditioning program to strengthen these golf swing muscles.
About The Author: Mike Pedersen is one of the top golf performance swing trainers in the country. Golf Magazine’s expert at GolfOnline.com, author and founder of several cutting-edge online golf performance sites. Take a look at his just released golf performance dvds and manual at his golf swing trainer site – Perform Better Golf.
This article is free for republishing