Ask any golfer which physical attribute is the most important when it comes to golf performance and 9 times out of 10 they will reply, “flexibility.” They are correct, but do they know why?

Most individuals believe flexibility is the most important attribute because it will allow your body to move through a full range of motion. However, flexibility does more than just improve your range of motion; it improves muscle function.

Muscles of the body work opposite of each other. In other words, when you flex your elbow there are muscles on the other side of the joint to extend the elbow back to the previous position. So what happens when you have a short, tight muscle on one side of the joint? The opposing muscle becomes lengthened and weak, or inhibited. What does this mean? When a muscle becomes inhibited, it loses its ability to function properly upon the joint.

For example, the gluteus maximus, the strong muscle of the buttocks, plays an important role in hip stabilization during the golf swing. So what happens if the opposing muscle group, the hip flexors, are short and tight? The gluteus maximus becomes inhibited, which compromises its ability to stabilize the hip. The result? Swing faults such as swaying and lateral slide will likely develop.

Therefore, to help prevent swing faults due to physical limitations, it is important to achieve optimal range of motion on all sides of your working joints. As a result, the improved muscle function is sure to go a long way towards improving your golf game.