man and woman golfing

golfing, golf skills, chiropractic


Can We Talk Golf?

By Dr. Tim Fargo, Chiropractor

Mark Twain described the game as “A good walk spoiled”. On the other side of the coin an unknown author said about the game, “I’ve spent most of my life golfing- the rest I’ve just wasted.” If you, like me, have a love/hate relationship with the game, but are still fatally attracted to it, then I would like to share a couple thoughts about how you and I can both play better. Of course, you can take lessons. I strongly recommend that you do so because even the best golfers receive coaching and the benefit of another set of eyes (and now advanced technology to quantify every aspect of the swing and your contact with the ball). For your interest and education I have attached a video of my golf instructor, Trevor Christianson, Director of Golf Instruction at Woodhill Country Club (no, I am not a member, just an interloper). For your amusement I have also attached a video of my own swing, a constant work in progress. What you will see when you look at both of these swings is that there is a distinct difference between this older body (mine) and that of this young fella who has played competitive golf his whole life. What you will also see in both swings is that there is a lot going on physically.

Golf is not just a game about equipment, nor is it even just about instruction and practice. In the most fundamental sense, it is a game that requires you to be able to coordinate every part of your body movement to take a club back, both above and behind you, and then bring that implement down to arrive at contact with the ball on the right path, at the right angle of attack, and with the club head more or less squaring to the path of club, and to be able to do all that in split seconds with both speed, power and balance. It’s pretty improbable when you really look at it. What I will tell you is that each of us has limitations, both physical and mental, and coaching, good equipment and practice can make a world of difference. What can also help immeasurably is having a body that can make the turn, maintain balance, create separation between the upper and lower body, and fire all the muscles in the right sequence. Many of us, including me, have shoulder, elbow, neck, hip, knee, low back and neck issues. These are all a byproduct of injuries, use/abuse and genetics compounded by time. The thing to do though is to get the most out of what you have.

As a chiropractor, I can tell you that for you to get the most out of your golf swing you must make sure that all the parts are moving as well as possible, and that your nervous system is capable of communicating with the lightning speed required to fire every muscle in sequence. Quite simply, what chiropractic does is restore mobility to joints and improve the way the nervous system communicates. The net result is that you can take the skills you learn and actually apply them. At Chiropractic Health and Wellness we specialize in helping athletes of all sorts get the absolute best out of their bodies. It was true of the Minnesota Vikings that I worked with for 15 years, and it is true of the weekend duffer who just wants to be able to play a bit better, and do so without pain. What we do is check and restore the functioning of every extremity joint, the whole spine, and every major muscle group. The parts of the body work together in a “kinetic chain”, which means that each part builds on the function of the ones above and below to create the total movement. Baseball, volleyball, hockey, and every other sport share the same requirements- great performance depends on all of the parts working together. If you have not had a chiropractic assessment recently, or ever, now is the time. We can help you swing faster, more accurately and consistently, and can help you play better without pain. Your best investment is in creating a better you!

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