Beyond Swing Mechanics: How Hip Mobility Determines Your Golf Performance

If you've ever finished a round of golf feeling like your lower back got the workout instead of your scorecard the improvement, you're not alone. At SHARC, we see golfers every week who assume their swing mechanics are the problem—when really, it's their body's mobility that's limiting their performance and causing pain. The truth? Your golf swing is only as good as the mobility you bring to it.

Your Body's Limitations, Not Your Swing

Here's something that surprises many golfers: lower back pain isn’t due to poor swing mechanics—it's because your body doesn't have the mobility to execute a proper swing. Your lumbar spine (lower back) simply isn't designed for the amount of rotation a golf swing demands. The facet joints in your lower back face each other in a way that limits rotational movement—think of it as trying to rotate two bones that are essentially running into each other.

So where should that rotation come from? Your thoracic spine (mid-back) and your hips. These areas are built for rotation. When they're restricted—whether from arthritis, previous injuries, or simply sitting too much—your lower back tries to compensate for what your hips and mid-back can't do. That's when problems start.

The golf swing doesn't hurt your back. Limited mobility in the right places forces your back to do a job it wasn't designed for.

The Hip-Spine Connection: Where Golf Performance Lives

Consider this: during a right-handed golf swing, your right hip moves into internal rotation on the backswing, and all that internal rotation transfers to your left hip on the follow-through. If you don't have adequate hip mobility, you physically cannot execute a full, powerful swing without compensating elsewhere.

One of our physical therapists experienced this firsthand. After a hip replacement on one side and arthritis on the other, he noticed his hip limitations were directly affecting his swing mechanics. He couldn't get the internal rotation his swing needed, so his spine had to pick up the slack. The result? A sore back and an abbreviated backswing that limited his power and consistency.

The revelation wasn't that he needed to fix his swing technique—it was that he needed to address his mobility limitations first. Once he understood what his body could and couldn't do, he could work with those limitations (through positioning adjustments and targeted mobility exercises) rather than fight against them.

The Open Book Exercise: Unlocking Better Movement

When back soreness starts creeping in from compensating for limited hip mobility, a single mobility exercise can make a significant difference: the open book. This thoracic rotation exercise involves lying on your side with knees bent at 90 degrees, then rotating your upper body to "open" like a book while keeping your hips stacked.

The result? Better thoracic mobility, which means the spine can do its actual job during the swing—and the lower back doesn’t have to overcompensate. When back pain improves, so does your golf swing—not because swing technique changed, but because the body had the mobility it needed to execute proper mechanics.

This exercise helps with back pain not because it fixes the lower back directly, but because it addressed the actual problem: limited thoracic mobility. By maintaining that 90-90 hip and knee position, you lock out the pelvis and allow true spinal rotation to occur where it should—in your mid-back, not your lower back.

But Mobility Isn't Enough

Here's where many golfers stop short: they work on mobility exercises and feel better temporarily, but the improvements don't stick. Why? Because mobility without stability is like having a sports car with worn-out brakes. You can get to the position, but you can't control it or generate power from it.

After doing mobility work like the open book or thread-the-needle exercises, the next step is teaching your muscles to own those new ranges of motion. Exercises like bird dogs, bear crawl holds, and quadruped variations help stabilize your spine in these improved positions. This is where recreational movement becomes athletic performance.

The Follow-Through Problem: Mobility or Habit?

Many golfers, especially those over 60, abbreviate their finish position. They swing, make contact, and immediately start decelerating. Sometimes this happens because they lack the hip mobility or balance to hold that follow-through position comfortably. Other times, it's become a habit born from fear of falling or losing control.

Here's the fascinating part: if you're trying to slow your swing down at the end, you're actually slowing it down before you even make contact with the ball. Your neuromuscular system needs to start preparing for that stop well in advance.

For golfers with adequate mobility, training yourself to hold your follow-through position for even five seconds can dramatically improve your swing. It allows you to maintain club speed through impact and builds the balance and hip stability that many golfers lack. But if you physically can't get into or hold that position because of mobility restrictions, no amount of "trying harder" will help—you need to address the underlying limitation first.

Common Injuries: What Compensation Looks Like

Golfer's Elbow: Ironically, this doesn't always come from golf alone. The repetitive stress from gripping and the sudden deceleration when your club contacts the ground can contribute, but we've seen it develop from other activities—like kettlebell snatches—especially when combined with golf. Because your body has a total load capacity, when you add volume from multiple sources without adequate preparation, something gives.

Lower Back Pain: Almost always a compensation pattern for limited hip or thoracic mobility. If your hips can't rotate properly, and your mid-back is stiff, your lower back will try to do their jobs. It's not designed for that role, and pain is the result.

Knee Pain: Often related to rotational forces during the swing, especially in the lead leg during follow-through. This can be particularly problematic if you already have limited hip mobility—your knee ends up taking rotational stress it shouldn't have to handle.

What You Can Do Starting Today

1. Get assessed first: Before working on swing technique, understand your mobility baseline. Can you rotate your mid-back freely? Do you have adequate hip internal and external rotation? These limitations will dictate what your swing can realistically do.

2. Address thoracic mobility: Start with open book exercises—three sets of 10 repetitions per side, focusing on smooth, controlled movement. This is foundational for allowing proper rotation during your swing.

3. Work on hip mobility: Depending on your specific limitations, this might include hip internal rotation work, 90-90 stretches, or even adjusting your stance slightly to work with your available range rather than against it.

4. Add stability work: Follow your mobility exercises with bird dogs or bear crawl holds to reinforce the new ranges. Mobility without stability won't transfer to your swing.

5. Practice your finish (if you can): If you have the mobility to get there, hold your follow-through position for five seconds after each swing during practice. If you can't hold it comfortably, that's valuable feedback that you need more mobility work.

Don't wait for pain to become chronic: If you're feeling strange sensations at end-range positions or having discomfort during your backswing or follow-through, these are signs your body is compensating. Get it checked out early.

Your Next Step

At SHARC, we understand that every golfer's body is different. Your mobility limitations are unique to you, and that's why individualized assessment is so valuable. We need to understand what your hips, spine, and shoulders can actually do before we can help you optimize your performance and eliminate compensatory pain.

We offer complimentary initial consultations because we believe you shouldn't have to commit to treatment before understanding what's limiting your body. Whether you're dealing with current pain or simply want to understand why you can't generate the power you used to, addressing mobility limitations is the foundation.

The goal isn't just to play—it's to play well, pain-free, with a body that can actually execute the swing mechanics you're working so hard to perfect. Because the truth is, you can't out-technique poor mobility.

Ready to understand what's limiting your game? Contact us to schedule your complimentary assessment. Let's find out what your body needs to perform at its best.