Typically when I start working with a golfer I ask them what they want to improve the most and why they want to improve it. Without question the most common answer I get is “I want to improve my golf-specific flexibility.”

Flexibility is a very important piece of the golf power puzzle, but its important, relative to different power components such as speed or balance, can vary greatly from individual to individual.

Younger golfers typically have plenty of flexibility but lack strength. Older golfers usually need to spend a significant portion of their training focus on developing and maintaining ample flexibility.

This flexibility guide should arm you with the basic knowledge you need to get the most out of your flexibility training. If you have not done so already, be sure to download my free golf fitness e-book. It is packet with useful golf performance enhancement information. If you are looking for a custom golf fitness program join my Pure Power Program.

Flexibility is a measure of the maximum range of motion that a joint is capable of. On the surface, flexibility seems to be a fairly cut and dry concept that would appear to be clearly understood by most individuals.

It is commonly measured through some type of static measurement, such as the sit and reach or touch the toes test. These tests are of very little value because each joint is capable of moving in many different directions and planes.

Also since flexibility is joint specific, pattern specific and load specific, a high degree of flexibility in one joint does not automatically mean similar flexibility elsewhere. It is commonly believed that the “splits” is one of the indicators of supreme flexibility. However, it is not uncommon for splitters to have difficulty sitting in and maintaining a low squat position while keeping their heels flat on the floor.

The point is that flexibility is a complex component of fitness which is inadequately appreciated. Flexibility displays different properties under dynamic versus static conditions and involves not only the muscular system, but all components of the musculoskeletal system, including tendons and ligaments.

In order to develop optimal flexibility for your golf swing, you must make sure that you are doing the proper sport specific stretches at the correct time in the correct manner. Remember, the fundamental purpose of stretching is to enhance performance and reduce the chance of injury.

Flexibility is important when it comes to creating power in the golf swing. As such, flexibility should always be a component of your training regiment. In order to understand the practical applications of flexibility training we must look at those factors that influence flexibility.

Chronological Age
As we get older we tend to lose flexibility and become more susceptible to different kinds of soft tissue injury. Regular exercise and flexibility training can help to minimize the effects of these changes and can help you enjoy the game of golf for years.

With proper training, you will be able to bend over and pick up the ball from the cup, without any pain in your back, for years to come!

Training Age
This is just another way of describing your training history with a particular sport. Regular exercise over a full range of motion will usually enhance flexibility. Long term flexibility may be reduced through decreased activity levels, performing activities that are not performed over a full range of motion, training for excessive muscle size or soft tissues soreness, injuries.

If you have performed specific movements for an extended period of time then you are more inclined to have better flexibility in those respective muscle groups than an individual who has never performed a specific movement.

Temperature
Any athlete can tell you that muscles always feel tighter in the cold, and they say it for good reason. They are tighter! An increase in muscle temperature is essential to increasing flexibility.

If you were to take a cold rubber band and tried to stretch it, it would break. Heat that rubber band up, and it stretches easily. Imagine your muscles being the same way.

One of the best ways of increasing muscle temperature is through a general warm-up period followed by a dynamic warm-up. Some kind of gentle, rhythmic warm-up should always be performed before performing any stretching exercises.

Gender
Females tend to be more flexible than males of similar age when measuring similar stretches and joints.

Type of Joint
Flexibility is specific to each joint, with each person having varying ranges of mobility from joint to joint. While you could establish an indicator of overall flexibility by averaging the flexibility of multiple joints in the body, it is more important to establish the static and dynamic ranges of motion for the most important joints in the golf swing, which are the hips, shoulders and rotator cuff.

Hydration
With muscles being comprised mostly of water, the level of hydration in a particular muscle group can have a large effect on the overall flexibility of that muscle group. There are many factors that affect your general level of flexibility.

It is important to remember all of these points and realize that certain dynamics, like your age, can limit the amount of flexibility you may have at any given moment.

There are two main types of identifiable flexibility: active, also referred to as dynamic, and passive, or static, flexibility. Static stretching usually refers to the typical stretching maneuvers everyone did in gym class, such as the sit and reach. They usually involve loading the soft tissues with either the weight of the body or its limbs.

For the serious golfer, static stretching is insufficient to develop the full range of movement power, strength, stability and mobility required by golf. Part of the reason for this is because static stretching elongates the muscle over a gradual time frame, but the golf swing is completed in under a second.

If a muscle is trained to gradually stretch over 30 seconds (static stretching), but really needs to stretch in a half second (golf swing) then it is easy to see why static stretching does very little for golf specific flexibility.

Stretching must be combined with high intensity dynamic activities, full range resistance activities, and low intensity cardiovascular activity to develop complete and stable ranges of motion. It should also be noted that heavy resistance training used over a full range of motion constitutes a very efficient and effective means of active stretching.

It is unnecessary to perform a wide variety of specific flexibility movements in order to enhance the flexibility of the entire body, as this would be extremely inefficient and time-consuming. You can develop tremendous golf specific flexibility by doing a few simple functional movements that closely simulate the golf swing.

A few dynamic stretches in which you gradually increase the range and duration of the multi-joint motions found in the golf swing will serve you much better than a single extended session of many single-jointed stretches.

In my Pure Power Program workouts we provide you with all the dynamic stretches you need to quickly and easily enhance your functional golf specific flexibility.

It needs to be remembered that incorrect stretching or stretching for prolonged periods can be harmful to joint health and the ability for a joint to correctly perform its function. Anyone who has seriously rolled their ankle knows what I mean when I say this.

When you roll or sprain your ankle you drastically lengthen the ligaments around your ankle. Now, instead of the soft tissues being nice and tight while holding you ankle in place, there is some slack, and it becomes much easier for your ankle to give out because it is lacking the ligament support that usually makes it stable.

The end result is that your ankle can give out at any time, and you have no warning of the impending disaster. This can happen with many of the major joints. Point is, if you are good to your body it will be good to you, but as with anything else, too much of a good thing can be harmful. Stretch in moderation.

If you would like more detail on the different components of golf fitness download my free golf fitness e-book. If you would like your own custom golf fitness program join the Pure Power Program.

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