The golf swing involves movement from our feet through our hands as we accelerate the club head through the ball. In our Boulder Physical Therapy practice we often see golfers with low back pain aggravated by their golf swing. Often these athletes have a loss of either hip rotation or hip strength which places unnecessary stresses across the low back. Treatment to restore motion and especially strength has been shown to improve driving distance through increases in club head speed. Club head speed is one of the key determinants of golf performance among amateurs do to its’ impact on driving distance.
Recently authors examined the correlation of driving distance and club speed with professional golfers’ strength. The authors studied 20 professional golfers and put them through strength and power testing then correlated these findings to the golfer’s on course performance measures including club speed. Younger golfers (<30 years old) utilized more leg strength on the course where as older golfers (>30 years old) used more upper body strength. Among the younger golfers a significant correlation was found between club speed and leg strength and power. Golfers looking to improve their performance on the course are advised to work with a Physical Therapist to improve their leg strength and power.