The golf swing places compression, shear and rotational forces placed on the spine during the explosive phase of the golf swing so it is not shocking that 63% of golfers will experience back pain or injury. More than 30% of Tour players play with an injured back at some point in their careers. Now consider that more than 100 times a round you will put this type of forces in your body and we can see why there is so much injury in golf. Concentrating your golf fitness program on the health of your spine is critical for your ability to play well and for longevity in the game.

We have a saying in yoga that your overall health is a direct reflection of the health of your spine and depth of your breath.

Flexibility as well as strengthening exercises offer you the opportunity to build your own back program, possibly the greatest gift you can give yourself this season (in addition to a new driver)! Let’s get started!

Standing Side stretch:
Left arm presses down and right arm lifts. This pose works on the extension of the intercostals, oblique abdominals, lats and shoulders. Focus on grounding the feet, specifically the right leg when the right arm is lifted. Hold the stretch for three breaths, switch sides, and repeat five times.

Cat / Cow pose:
This is the “mother” of all yoga poses. In the twenty years I have been training athletes, this is one of most effective poses for developing and maintaining spinal health. Begin with the hands placed directly under the shoulders, knees directly under the hips. Inhale as you press your spine towards the floor, rolling the shoulders away from the ears.

Exhale as you pull your navel towards your spine and press you spine towards the ceiling. Tuck the chin into the chest. Repeat ten to twenty times.

TIP: Practice this pose everyday, specifically in the early morning and evening before bedtime. This pose helps you to awaken in the morning and sleep more soundly.

Cobra to Downward Facing Dog pose:


Transitions from the cat/cow poses to the cobra pose. Place the hands next to the chest, squeeze the legs together, engage the gluts and on your exhale roll the shoulder blades down the back.

 

Maintain a neutral cervical spine position. Move directly into the Downward facing dog pose.

TIP: Initiate the movement from cobra to down dog from the lower abdominals and not from the lumbar spine.

 

Continue to roll the shoulders away from the ears and feel as if you are pressing your yoga mat away from you. Try to straighten the legs feeling the stretch in your hamstrings and Achilles. Hold for five breaths and repeat this cobra to down dog transition three to five times.

Katherine Roberts is founder and president of Katherine Roberts Yoga for Golfers, a 10-year-old publishing and fitness consulting company based in Scottsdale, Arizona. As a fitness expert and a regular contributor for The Golf Channel, she has appeared on The Big Break, Makeover Challenge, Your Game Night, the PGA Merchandising Show Recap and How Low Can you Go? Katherine is the producer of nine DVDs and author of the ground-breaking book Yoga for Golfers (McGraw-Hill). Roberts’ unique approach to golf conditioning is a hybrid of western biomechanical research and eastern mind/body conditioning for performance. Yoga for Golfers is dedicated to helping people achieve balanced performance both on and off the course. www.yogaforgolfers.com