The Fitness Caddie Blog: “The Lip”

I have been wanting to blog about Tiger since last year, but had decided not to participate because although I have respect for what the guy has accomplished (on the course!), I have never been a huge fan of his foul mouth and bad attitude. However, in preparation for my trip to the US Open this week, I have been watching video random people have posted on YouTube of different players as they do their practice rounds.  Jack pot!  Although it’s hard to see from this angle, the gathering of fabric in Tiger’s lower back here gives an indication that he is not in neutral spine!

If you have read some of my previous blogs, I tend to talk about pelvic tilts quite a bit. In fact, I probably spend close to 10 hours a days discussing pelvic tilts and watching my golfers go through them. Why are they so important? I think of the pelvis as the power house of the golf swing, having proper mobility in both the anterior and posterior directions is vital to proper posture, power transfer and eliminating back pain. If a golfer addresses the ball with an excessive anterior tilt (also called S-posture) the result is activation of the lower back and hip flexors, which in turn shuts off the most important muscles in the golf swing, the glutes and abdominals. When the pelvis in too much of a posterior tilt (also called C-posture) the end result is rounding of the upper back which limits thoracic rotation and lack of hinge in the hips making it difficult to again transfer power in the swing. Neutral spine is the position in between those two postures where the body is best able to accomplish mobility, stability and power.
What’s my conclusion on Tiger?………the man is in poor posture at address, and if you take a look at the recent back and neck pain issues, coupled with his poor consistency in shots, he needs a healthy dose of pelvic tilts! (ok, this is where I could have inserted a joke…..but I’ll spare all of you!)

I am back to work this week on the golf swing after a brutal lesson this past Friday!  Typically I check back in with my swing coach every month to make sure my positions are correct and that I am progressing properly, but this time I had let a good 3 months pass.  I am definitely paying for it as all the changes occurring in my body due to the TPI workouts and the treatments I am receiving from my golf doc have resulted in a different swing.  Now the challenge is to get my newly found movement under control and more stable.  Plus, I have to get back to the basics of set up, hand position, and making sure I take the club away square.  Of course, I have to do all this while maintaining neutral pelvis which is no easy task!

Here’s a few snap shots of what it looks like!

When was the last time you were at the golf course and overheard a conversation involving how important the functional ability of the pelvis is in the golf swing? Chances are, you probably have not heard your golf pros bring up this concept, let alone show golfers how to improve the strength, mobility, stability and coordination in this part of the body. When it comes to the golf swing though, the pelvis is key! Without it in a proper position (we call this neutral spine), chances are you may have limited rotation which leads to swing faults such as a reverse spine angle and loss of posture and this ultimately leads to back pain. Basically, every golfer needs the strength to control their pelvis and hold neutral spine, while still having the mobility in the surrounding joints to swing freely and without restriction. Thus, I have decided that it is time to embrace the pelvis and acknowledge it in all it’s glory, no matter how embarrassing it may be!