The Anatomy of a Perfect Golf Swing

“Golf is a good walk spoiled,” Mark Twain famously wrote. But a few simple stretches may help improve that walk for amateur ball strikers hoping to avoid injury and crush the ball like the pros, according to a new study from Stanford University.

Researchers at Tiger Woods’ alma mater analyzed the golf swings of both professional and amateur players using super-slow-motion video cameras. Their findings: A few very specific swing characteristics were present among all the pros, but were missing from the amateurs’ swings.

The most important of those characteristics for swing speed—and therefore power and distance—is a player’s “X-factor,” the study explains. X-factor is the difference between a player’s hip rotation and shoulder rotation at the start of the downswing.

Put simply: When they take the club back, professional golfers turn their shoulders well away from the target while keeping their hips relatively stationary. That creates torque, which leads to increased power. Then, throughout the downswing and follow-through, the pros’ hips lead the way. Amateurs, on the other hand, rotate their shoulders and hips almost in unison.

“A golfer like Tiger Woods has very little hip rotation and a lot of upper torso rotation,” says Conrad Ray, Stanford’s head golf coach. “That’s how he’s able to create speed and distance.”

Your solution: Stretching. “A lot of amateur golfers can’t create more power because of the limitations in their flexibility. Those limitations also lead to injuries,” Ray explains.

The Stanford men’s team uses these two stretches to improve torso rotation and flexibility:

Stretch 1

Stand with your back and heels against a wall. Without moving your butt or hips, reach across your body with your right hand until it lies flat against the wall above your shoulder (or as close as you can get). It’s OK to move your back and shoulders away from the wall. Hold for 20 seconds, and repeat with the other hand.

“That stretch helps you recognize the difference between shoulder rotation and hip rotation, and stretches your upper body and back muscles,” Ray explains.

Stretch 2

Step into a lunge position with your left foot forward. Then bring your right elbow forward until it’s hovering just over your left shoe. Hold for 15 seconds and reverse, stretching your left elbow over your right shoe.

Ray says this exercise stretches your upper and lower back muscles while strengthening your core.

This article written by Markham Heid from menshealth.com