Golf Fitness Tip -- Increase Your Flexibility For A Better Golf Swing

Golf Fitness Tip

A good golf swing requires both strength and golf swing flexibility, The great young golfers now winning on the PGA Tour seem to have both in abundance. Watch them perform on TV, They appear to have very little body fat, When a long drive is needed. they can rotate their core smoothly in controlled backswing and then, leading with their hips they bring their shoulders and arms down through a powerful downswing, This golf swing flexibility results in tremendous clubhead speed and a long-distance drive. They have, simply put, better golf swing flexibility.

Golf swing flexibility

If you are serious about improving your golf swing flexibility and avoiding golf-related injuries, you should increase your flexibility -- especially in the lower body -- through stretching exercises. While golf warmup exercises for 15 or 20 minutes before you step up to the first tee are important, much more is needed,

Try to include gentle stretches as you go about your daily activities, Two or three times a week set aside 20 to 30 minutes to work exclusively on stretching exercises for your lower body. Your game will feel more comfortable. Your muscles can stretch more without injury. (Tight muscles are more prone to tear and inflammation.) Not only will you gain flexibility from your hips down through your legs, your risk of knee-related golf injuries will be reduced,

Here are the muscle groups you should work on:

• quadriceps -- the powerful front muscles in your thighs
• hamstring -- the muscle in your thigh behind the quadriceps that includes the two cord-like tendons behind your knee
• calf muscles -- the strong muscles in the calf behind your lower leg,

All these muscles run across the knee joint, Not only do they move the knee, they also help protect the knee and absorb shock,

More details are provided elsewhere on the following suggested golf swing flexibility stretching exercises:

• quad muscles stretch -- while standing, pull your heel up to your buttocks
• hamstring stretch -- while laying flay, hold one leg straight and pull it up using your hands to provide a gentle pull
• hip rotators stretch -- while standing, turn your foot using your heel as a pivot
• calf muscle stretch -- while standing with one foot flat on the floor, step forward until you feel a gentle stretch in the calf of your back leg

Be sure to do these exercises so that you feel a gentle stretch only, Do not overextend the stretches, Hold a gentle stretch for 20 seconds, then relax and repeat with the other leg,

The piriformis muscle is another lower body muscle important in rotating hips, It is located deep within the hip in the area of the buttocks, The piriformis stretch not only increases hip rotational flexibility, it also helps reduce the risk of piriformis syndrome -- when a tight or inflamed piriformis muscle presses against the nearby sciatica nerve causing pain,

Your golf game should be easier and more fun with these stretching exercises as part of your weekly routine.

Another golf fitness tip:

Don't forget to arrive at the golf course 20 to 30 minutes ahead of tee-off time so you can do your pre-game golf warmup exercises.