Neal Granville PGA golf coach
I am always curious about how we can make this game easier for ourselves. Golfing fitness is now more understood, coached and written about. Some people think that it doesn’t really affect them because they just play for fun and biomechanics is only for the most serious of golfers.
If you were offered the chance to put in a small amount of time to do some very simple stretches, exercises or movements (that you don’t have to get down the gym to do) would you be interested? If it improved your golf swing and consistency of shots then I think you may be interested.
I was, and I got introduced to Andrew Rouse. More about him in a minute.
We met up and he went through a screening process and he then told me that my left leg was longer than my right. In my own golf swing my forward swing onto my left side always feels more conflicted than my backswing.
So, a challenge! Can Andrew help me change it and improve my golf swing? This is the first in a series of articles that will chart my progress.
Andrew Rouse is a leading authority on intrinsic biomechanics in the UK. He is managing director of ARBodyworks, an education provider for biomechanics education and the creator of the Bodywork Blueprint. He is currently working on a project to provide an injury prevention program for golfers.
Learn more about him at http://www.arbodyworks.com.
The Long and Short of It – You probably have one leg longer than the other and this can and will affect your shot distance and accuracy.
This short article is the first in a series to help illustrate alternative reasons why you just can’t seem to put the ball where you want it on the course.
Having one leg longer than the other is very common in our society and isn’t usually something that you will feel or even be aware of. 90% of the people I have coached over the past 5 years have had a discrepancy in their leg length at the beginning of their program and have been completely unaware that it is hurting their movement/performance. As golfers this common issue isn’t on your radar and won’t necessarily be the issue you initially address when looking at your shot distance or accuracy. It is something however which can severely hamper your golf and your overall health.
When identifying a Leg Length Discrepancy (LLD) it is important to know whether the LLD is structural or functional. A structural discrepancy can occur as a result of trauma (e.g. broken leg) or as a result of problems during the development of the bones. A structural LLD can occur when the muscles of the leg, hip and lower back lose the ability to balance a joint.
A structural LLD is not easily changed and people who do have these structural differences manage them through compensations in their movement. However a functional LLD is something that can be changed/removed. Using corrective movements to remove these imbalances could mean shots which are more accurate, more consistent and shots which go further down the fairway.
It is possible to identify from your backswing if you have an LLD. As a right handed golfer with a longer right leg, your backswing will appear very steep and upright. This shape backswing is often accompanied by poor lower back rotation and tightness or “lack of room” in your chest and shoulders. The upright backswing also increases the tendency to struggle in the transition between backswing and downswing and the inability to efficiently transfer weight from foot to foot will cause the shape of the swing to become “out to in”.
The “out to in” shaped shot will create side spin and if you do slice the ball then you will know that side spin is the killer of shot distance and accuracy.
In addition to the effect it has on your golf, having one leg longer than the other will affect the way you walk, the way you sit and the way you move. It causes changes in your spine, which could manifest as sciatic like symptoms. It also can lead to back/knee injuries (Look at Tiger).
Do not fear however, fixing a functional LLD is a simple body hack and something that you can do yourself in the privacy of the locker room or at home. The preventative movements/exercises can help reduce discomfort in your lower back after a round, they could help prepare you for an upcoming round and they will certainly help you physically in your day to day life.
If you would like to know more about Leg Length Discrepancy and the implications it has for your game please send me an email
The next article will give you an insight to the screening process that we went through and the simple process to change my leg length discrepancy.
neal granville golf 