Originally published in on 2006-05-01

THE SPINE

Spinal Motion

"Your spine is made up of 24 vertebrae and the connection between each forms a joint, or "motion segment", with the vertebra above and the vertebra below. These individual motion segments do not provide the same range of motion as elbows and knees, but they work together to allow for forward and backward bending, side-to-side bending and rotation.

Movement at a single motion segment is limited to only a few degrees (focal motion), but since motion segments are stacked on top of each other, considerable movement is possible (global motion). And, certain parts of the spine allow for more movement than others. For instance, you may have noticed that the bones in your neck provide more motion than those in your lower back." [Back.com]

 The Spine and Golf

Address

 
On all your normal golf shots at address, from the driver through the wedges, there should be a slight bias of the spine away from the target.  And when you allow this bias of the spine to occur, let your head move with your spine, so that it is centered between your shoulders, rather than tilted towards your target shoulder.

The Spine During the Swing

The more body parts your move around while you swing the more your timing has to be perfect to hit the ball consistency. This is why most instruction tells you to keep the spine fixed so your upper body can just pivot around it, like the wheel turning around its hub---nice and simple. Except that isn't what happens because you're a human being not a wheel and as such, when your body is exposed to the forces of the golf swing, it bends and tilts. And if you try to prevent this from happening, you'll either hurt yourself or hit bad golf shots -- or both.

Research shows that all good players have some bending and tilting of the spine as they swing .....

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