An Exercise to Improve Your Shoulder Turn
A full shoulder turn is an important part of a good golf swing. Failure to make a full shoulder turn will affect consistency, power and your ability to attack the ball on an inside out swing plane. Simply, if you don’t have a complete shoulder you will be forced to swing over the top to get the club back to the ball. This over the top swing results in the dreaded “slice” ball flight, inconsistency and a lack of power.
Doing exercises with an exercise ball is a great way to improve your shoulder turn. The exercise ball acts as a non stable base for the exercise. This non stable base will force you to create a stable base as your upper body turns against your lower body. Basically the ball keeps you from moving your lower and upper body as one piece.
First this separation between the upper and lower body that the exercise ball helps create is the key to power in your golf swing. Without this separation you can’t develop torque and power. Your body acts as a spring where the base is stable and the top turns against the base and creates torque through resistance. Imagine twisting the top of a spring without holding the bottom of the spring. The entire spring will twist and develop no torque. Now if you simply hold the bottom of the spring and twist the top you create energy through resistance. Then if you release the top of the spring it instantly twists itself against the stability of the solid base and releases the energy you created.
The second major benefit of developing a full shoulder turn is that you are able to put your body in a position that allows you to create an in to out swing path. This is the key to a consistent right to left “draw” ball flight. Eliminating the over the top swing that creates the “slice”.
The exercise is called “shoulder turn on an exercise ball”. You will need a large (preferably 85 cm) exercise ball that is comfortable to sit on, a golf club and a towel.
- Sit up tall on the exercise ball with your feet and knees together.
- Roll up the towel into a tube and hold it between your knees (This will help lock your hips into a solid position and not allow you to move your lower body during the exercise).
- Place the golf club behind your head resting on your shoulders. Hold it in place with both hands.
- Once in this position simply rotate your upper torso 45-90 degrees right and left. Don’t put pressure on the club. Just let the club guide your shoulders as you rotate.
Perform the exercise in 30 seconds – 2 minutes sets. Do 3 repetitions each time you do the exercise and for best results perform exercise at least 3 times per week. If you feel pain during exercise stop and contact a doctor.
