The shoulder is a complex joint which significantly impacts the golf swing. Pain in the shoulder effects the golf swing causing a massive decrease in swing speed, and effect areas of your life off the course too. We will look at what the shoulder does through various points of the golf swing for all you golf nerds out there. We will also discuss some strategies to keep your swing smooth and pain-free.
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The first thing to look at is what the shoulder need to do to set up. Some golfers like to hold their upper back and shoulders in a “good posture” in their set-up. Others opt for a more natural positioning of their upper back and shoulder blades in order to simulate where they will end up at address. The biggest concern here is that you are comfortable, and it fits into what your swing coach is trying to accomplish. Obviously this will change with driver as you typically lean a little to your trail side to ensure you are hitting up on the ball.
Initial Backswing
This is where we need to start talking about “trail” and “lead”. For right-handed golfers, Trail is your right side, and Lead is your left side. This is switched for lefties. In your initial backswing, there is slight external rotation of your trail shoulder as you open the face of the club. For most amateurs, a straight lead elbow is important for consistency. This is where the lead shoulder starts to move into internal rotation. Most importantly, it’s where the lead shoulder blade also starts to work its way in front of the ribcage to allow your hands to go backward while keeping a straight elbow. This is where a lot of amateurs get mixed up. They will bend their lead elbow instead of sliding their lead shoulder blade forward. This leads to a lot of variability in club position when swinging at high speeds. If you have difficulty with this, stretching into shoulder internal rotation, and working on shoulder blade strengthening should help.
Top of the Backswing
This is where we get fully “wound up”. Keep in mind that if you are watching PGA pros on YouTube, you are seeing incredibly mobile professionals. They either are born with this joint laxity, or work hours/day to achieve it. Most amateur golfers would need surgery to perfectly mimic Rory McIlroy’s backswing.
The trail shoulder for most golfers is in full, or close to full external rotation at the end of the backswing. This is typically not an issue for most people. What most people don;t have, however, is good enough shoulder blade control to retract their shoulder blade enough to get full motion from this joint. The big issue I see with amateurs lacking power is they just don’t realize they can use the extra 10-15 degrees of backswing. Most activities of daily living don;t require this motion, so it’s natural for most golfers not to use it.
For the lead shoulder, this is where flexibility is king. If you can’t achieve end-range shoulder internal rotation and scapular horizon adduction, your body has two choices. Less backswing, or find that motion somewhere else. Most golfers want to hit bombs, so they either come out of posture to get the club back further, or sway to “get behind” the club a little better. Both strategies lead to inconsistency and/or pain. If you have a lead shoulder with a medial history, see a physical therapist about it to improve your distance.
Through the Swing
The biggest issues here are typically fixed by consistent practice and coaching. Issues happen when you are not leading the downswing from your hips. This will typically lead to your hands getting to the ball early. To fix this, the amateur golfer either needs to adjust their arms to get contact (inconsistent), or they start digging out huge divots (shoulder pain). Talk to your golf pro, they see this ALL THE TIME.
Follow-Through/Finish
This is an underrated part of the swing for amateurs. Most good golfers know how important it is for shaping shots and for consistent ball striking. Effectively the backswing happens in reverse. The shoulder affects the golf swing because your lead shoulder is now going into external rotation and your trail shoulder is coming across your body. This needs to be smooth and strong in order to dial in the consistency.
The biggest takeaway from this from a musculoskeletal perspective is balance. I can’t tell you how many times I have spoken with a golfing patient and they tell me they on work on one rotation. The swing is a full body motion that goes from full rotation one direction, to full rotation the other direction. You also need to be able to speed up and slow down the swing well. We think of muscles contraction to move two bones closer to each other. They also control the contractions that absorb force (eccentric). Training one direction misses this eccentric component, and typically leads to either inconsistent swings, or painful swings.
Conclusion
The shoulder is a complex and powerful joint. Issues with it can cause swing faults in every part of the swing. If you have pain, see a physical therapist. If you are in the Phoenix, Scottsdale, or Paradise Valley area, contact us for a free discovery call
