Those of you who are Members of The Golf Performance Center have experienced the extensive 5 Elements of Success evaluation process used to develop your personal road map for improving as a golf athlete. The physical evaluation is one of the five elements and is comprised of over 35 different screens and tests used to identify your strengths and weaknesses and how they may be affecting the mechanics of your golf swing. One screen in particular tests the range of motion in your cervical spine, or neck.
The neck is so often overlooked by areas like the hips and thoracic spine, yet plays a crucial role in your ability to maintain dynamic posture throughout the golf swing. If your neck is unable to turn right and left, or flex and extend adequately up and down, you won’t be able to rotate while maintaining sight of the ball as you take the club away. This often leads to the tendency to “lift” in the back swing, flattening the shoulders, and thus losing your dynamic posture.
Losing dynamic posture not only causes inconsistent ball striking, but could lead to injury if these poor mechanics are repeated over and over again. It is very easy to overlook an area like your cervical spine because of the laundry list of potential issues that could be taking place closer to the ground (in your ankles, knees, hips, low back , etc.). If there is a limitation, however, addressing it will often resolve issues you may be having elsewhere. If you are curious as to whether or not your cervical spine is lacking either mobility or stability, grab me at GPC or shoot me an email so we can set some time aside to help you improve.
See you in the Zone!
