I want to discuss a situation that I encountered with a client recently. During one of his exercise sessions he asked if I could go with him to the driving range to observe his swing. Of course he knows that I am not a teaching professional, and that I am adamant about not working with the golf swing. He explained that he just wanted me to make sure that he was not doing anything in his swing that would cause his back pain to return. After speaking with him about taking another lesson with a teaching professional I reluctantly agreed to meet him at the driving range to hit a few balls.

I planned to show up early and do some practicing myself. When he arrived his first activity was to do a little warm up before hitting any balls. After his warm up he began hitting. Because I am very focused on posture, the first thing I noticed was flaws in his set up position. Because I had attended one of his golf lessons I knew this was an ongoing problem. I remember thinking he needs to program his body to hinge/bend at the hips much better. So I thought he would benefit from the exercise we used with back pain patients in physical therapy. That’s right “The Hip Hinge”

The hip hinge exercise is used to help develop a coordinated bending movement of the pelvis & upper body through the hip joints. It helps limit bending in other areas, such as the low back and knees. Because it is sometimes difficult to isolate the bending in the hips, I have people practice it in a sitting position first, and then progress to standing in the golf address position. By performing high numbers of repetitions in sitting (several sets of 30 reps daily) the body develops a motor program for the movement. It is then easier to perform the correct movement when standing to address the golf ball. I knew that this client needed to develop the fundamental movement first because he was clearly bending too much through the spine and at the knees.
To perform the hip hinge as shown in the picture all you need is a chair and a golf club. Sit in tall posture and place the golf club across your upper back as shown. Then while keeping your back straight, chest and head up, hinge forward through your hips. Perform 2-3 sets of 30 reps daily until it becomes easy. Then practice the same movement standing in your set-up position.

This will help program a much better position at address and improve your swing.
Good Luck!