By Pam Owens, Special to Lone Star Golf
Despite practicing and playing frequently, you still might fall victim to the dreaded “power leak” and thus suffer from a loss of distance. Many golfers wonder where and how this power leak happens. The reasons can be varied, but a very common power leak comes from a lack of separation in the lower and upper body.
When the lower and upper body move toward the target together – like a block of wood – the whipping power or sequencing needed to build speed to the club head is lost. The ideal sequence requires independent control or separation in the lower and upper spine.
The downswing sequence begins when your pelvis turns toward the target, then tilts under for the bracing of the hips, followed quickly by the torso rotating to the impact position. This precise spinal sequence is crucial in order to build speed from the lower body to the upper body to then carry speed through to the club head.
If you lose the ability to control your upper and lower body separation, then you lose the ability to transfer energy and speed through to the club head. You might not even realize you have lost separation until you try these motions. Let’s see how your spine is able to move while not striking a ball.
In this session, I have three exercises for creating greater separation and sequencing. Each one addresses a specific aspect of the downswing sequence. Exercise 1, “Torso Rotations,” helps you rotate your spine with a stable lower body. Exercise 2, “Pelvic Rotations,” works to help you get your hips through first in the downswing sequence. Exercise 3, “Pelvic Tilts,” improves your ability to stop the pelvic rotation to then transfer speed up to the upper torso and arms through impact.
Grab a club and use the video above to practice these movements with me until they become second nature.
Place a club across your upper back along your shoulders and get into golf posture. Keep the club secure on both sides of the upper back. Brace your lower body so it does not move then rotate your upper torso as far as you can in both directions. Notice any differences or limited ranges in the rotation and notice if you are able to keep your lower body absolutely still.
Pro Tips: You should ask a friend to watch you from the back or film yourself to ensure you are remaining stable. Try to initiate the motion from your spine. Limitations in this motion can indicate a spinal mobility or core control issue.
While in golf posture, place your club in front of you and create a triangle between your shoulders and the club. Without moving the upper body or club, rotate your spine to create pelvic rotation in both directions.
Pro Tips: Make sure your pelvis is moving axially using spinal rotation and not moving laterally. Lateral hip motion here can indicate a spine or hip mobility limitation.
Get into golf posture and rest the club lightly at an angle from the floor on the center of the rib cage. Now flex or flatten your lower back (lumbar spine) then extend or arch your lower back while not moving your rib cage or upper spine. The club is used as a reminder or to check the ability to maintain a stable upper spine while moving only the lumbar spine.
Pro Tips: Visualize your pelvis as a bucket of water. When you flatten the lower back, you are pouring water out of the back. When you arch your lower back, you are pouring water out of your belly. Limitations or shaking here indicates you need to strengthen your core and spinal control.
Use these exercises to build your ability to create a good sequence for the whipping motion to impact. If you have any limitations in one or more of these movements then practice until they are second nature. Our spines are meant to move freely and transfer energy efficiently through all segments. It’s when we have stiff and immovable sections of our spine that the movable areas carry too much load and might become injured. When all segments move freely, the powerful force of the downswing is distributed evenly throughout the whole back and is much safer for the golfer.
Also, some golfers from high to low handicaps may do better by working on separation from positions other than golf posture. Reach out if you need assistance with these three motions or would like other ways to create more power through your body. I’d love to hear how these exercises work for you!
Pam Owens is the Director of Fitness for Royal Oaks Country Club in Houston and the owner of Pam Owens Fitness. A two-time Golf Digest Top 50 Fitness Professional, Pam helps golfers all over the world get lean, bendy and powerful with online or in-person coaching. For more golf-specific resources, click here.