Find out about the latest tips, techniques and easy-to-use methods for increasing your fitness level on the golf course!
This month: STORK TURNS DELIVER RESULTS!
By: Damon Goddard CPT, PES, CGFI 3
Ten more yards off the tee? Start at the “bottom”
The question I am most asked when I meet a golfer for the first time is, “How can I get more yards off the tee?” After taking this client through appropriate test we often unveil that there is a significant power leak coming from the hips, or what I like to call the first gear. The simple inability to separate the hips (first gear) from the shoulders to initiate the downswing is a yardage-killer. Think of any rotation sport that involves throwing a ball, hitting a forehand, kicking a soccer ball. The hips are the first gear that generates the momentum in order to create enough torque for the movement to be completed. Without this we have slower swing speeds, loss of yardage and ultimately…..our golfing buddies snicker as they bomb it 20 yards past us every time. Why this happens can be as simple as a lack of coordination (this is why I recommend multi-sport participation in juniors), weakness in overall hip complex, or significant instability in the core.
The Fix: Stork Turns
The ‘Stork Turn’ is a great coordination exercise that accomplishes so much in one movement. We are working on overall balance, activating the glutes, activating the core, and re-teaching hip engagement and mobility. This is a movement that all of my tour players do prior to hitting balls and in the gym in order to help increase the ability for the hip to begin the proper sequence of events that happen in the downswing. By perfecting this movement you will inevitably get the first gear to create the momentum needed to silence your golfing buddies at the same time gain more yardage off of the tee without picking up a single weight.
Start by standing on one leg in a stable golf posture (address position). Lift your left leg and lock foot behind your right knee. Do not allow rotation in your shoulders. Rotate your hips back and forth from the 12 o’clock position to the 3 o’clock position while maintaining your balance, and repeat on the other side going to 9 o’clock position. A cue that I provide my clients is imagine that you are trying to put your left hip into your right ribs and vice versa. Do this movement for 2 sets of 15 repetitions on each side every day.
