A ‘sway’ in a golf swing is any excessive lower body sideways movement away from the target during the back-swing. This sideways movement forces the golfer’s weight to the outside of their back foot and as a result makes it very difficult to develop a proper weight shift during transition and the downswing. Without proper weight shift, golfers will lose the ability to generate optimal power in their swing.
Physical Causes of Sway in the golf swing:
Several characteristics must be developed in order to not ‘sway’ during the back-swing:
– For a right handed golfer, right hip internal rotation is vital for full rotation into the right hip without any lateral (sideways) sway. If the body is unable to rotate around the right hip due to joint or muscular restrictions, lateral movements will most likely occur.
– The ability to separate the upper body from the lower body allows the lower body to laterally stabilise while rotating during a large shoulder turn. Limited thorax-to-pelvis separation is usually caused by reduced spinal mobility and shortened Latissimus Dorsi flexibility.
– The ability to laterally stabilise the front leg during the back-swing is directly proportional to the strength and stability of the gluteal muscles. These muscles are paramount in ensuring a stable pelvis during such an aggressive load into the right hip for a right handed golfer.
If you think you may Sway in your golf swing then this is best evaluated by our TPI Physical Screening. So come and see Bonnie (TPI certified) at Bend + Mend in Sydney’s CBD for a Golf Physiotherapy Assessment and TPI Physical Screen.
