This article uses swing summaries of 75 amateur men and 14 amateur women to compare biomechanical data to that of professional golfers. PGA data was compared with men and LPGA data to women. The swing summaries were used to look at 5 important points in the swing to see where differences may arise between amateurs and professionals. Data showed that men varied in 2 of the 5 points, and women in 3. The five points that were assessed were pelvis turn at top, pelvis turn at impact, upper body turn at top, upper body turn at impact, and upper body side bend at top.
Our data showed both men and women share a common characteristic of lacking pelvis turn at impact, meaning the hips are in a closed position relative to where they ideally would be. This can be limited due to internal rotation in the lead hip being limited due to joint or muscular restrictions. If the pelvis is unable to rotate around the lead hip then forward movements and lateral movements may dominate. We may see the swing characteristics called “over the topâ€, “hanging backâ€, or “slideâ€.
Another reason the pelvis may be limited in rotation at impact is due to the inability to separate the lower body form the upper body. The ability to separate the upper body from the lower body is important because it allows the body to maintain a stable posture and allow for correct sequencing of movements during the swing, and hence power and ball striking ability (contact). Pelvic rotation can also be limited due to spinal mobility which can stem from a more pathological mechanisms or simply be reflected by the posture in which we stand. A “S†or “C†posture tend to lock down the spine and limit its mobility. Tightness in surrounding musculature can also limit the ability to disassociate the upper body from the lower. For those who have the ability to pelvic turn in stance but cannot translate it well to the golf swing tend to have more of a coordination issue.
Now we move to addressing the common swing characteristics we see with lack of pelvic rotation at impact, and their effects on the health of the body and/or golf performance. An over the top pattern can be generated when the lower body is not cleared through the swing and the upper body tries to produce excessive power by chopping down at the ball. This type of swing pattern typically generates a slice in ball flight. The hanging back swing characteristic can be produced when the lead hip is lacking mobility on the downswing, causing the player to avoid loading the front hip and therefore staying back on the trail leg. This characteristic may cause trail leg knee pain due to excessive lateral bending of the knee. This motion can also cause trail sided back pain due to excessive compression of the bony and soft tissue structures on that side or lead sided back pain due to excessive tension on structures. Ball flight distance will be diminished due to improper sequencing and lack of force transfer through the body. The slide swing characteristic can be produced when the lead hip is lacking rotational mobility or unable to separate the upper body from the lower body. The physical implications this characteristic may have on the body include lateral or medial lead knee, or low back pain. When the rotational forces are not being transmitted through the hip, or lead leg, they have no place to go except to the adjacent joints which include the back and knee. The back in this position is also taking on more of a side bend position versus rotational, this abrupt change in plane of motion takes an extra toil on our body’s joints and muscles. A slide swing characteristic also effects ball contact and can lead to fat or thin shots and elicit shoulder or elbow injury.
Another swing pattern we see in our data analysis for both men and women is lacking upper body side bend at the top of the swing, meaning the upper body is too upright and not bent toward the ball. For example, a right-handed swinger would be lacking a left bend of the spine at the top of the swing. This is typically difficult to see to the naked eye, but the affect it can have on ball flight is undesirable. Lacking this upper body side bend can be attributed to limited flexibility or strength in the hips, torso, and/or shoulders. If these joints are inflexible it is difficult to maintain proper club path because the spine is unable to keep appropriate angles due opposing forces from the limited surrounding joints. When spine angles are not maintained the swing characteristics “loss of posture†and “flat shoulder plane†can result. Loss of posture and flat shoulder plane are frequently seen in combination with one another and is better described as when the angle between the shoulder plane and ground decrease and move toward parallel. More specifically, these moves can happen when the core musculature is weak and unable to keep the torso forward flexed during the entire swing. Additionally, decreased flexibility in the spine, shoulders, or hips preventing the upper body from being able to separate from the lower body. This can stem from joint mobility disorders or decreased muscular length, such as the lats. Loss of posture and flat shoulder plane can affect the swing path and timing and cause improper ball contact.
Another swing pattern we see in our data that differs from the professional averages is excessive pelvis turn at the top in the women in our analysis. In other terms, the pelvis is over rotated. This can happen when the upper and lower body are not able to separate from each other and work independently, loss of neutral posture due to lack of core engagement, excessive mobility of the spine or pelvis, or hip weakness. Swing characteristics that are most commonly associated with excessive pelvis turn at the top include reverse spine angle, sway, and hanging back. Reverse spine angle happens when there is excessive upper body backward bend at the top of the swing. This characteristic is one of the leading causes of back pain due to the excess tension it puts on the back musculature. Lack of abdominal engagement can lead to hypermobile spinal or pelvic rotation during the backswing and hence cause over rotation of the pelvis and upper body. In this characteristic, the upper body tends to dominate the downswing leading to improper sequencing and loss of power. An over the top pattern can also be generated from this position. The sway swing characteristic is described as excessive lower body lateral movement away from the target during the backswing. During the back swing the trail hip is used to stabilize and decelerate the backward rotation. If the trail hip is not strong enough to do this job it may allow excess rotational and lateral movement of the lower body. The weight is now on the outside of the back foot making it very difficult to properly weight shift towards the target. Which leads us to the final characteristic, hanging back. Hanging back is when the player does not appropriately shift their weight back to the lead side during downswing. If the player with a sway is not strong enough to create rapid weight shift to the lead side hanging back may occur. Both sway and hanging back can result in loss of power, improper sequencing, and inconsistent ball striking. These two characteristics can cause trail leg knee, hip, or back pain due to compressive forces being placed on them.
-Madeline Albers-