Remember Sam Snead?
Into his later years, he reportedly could still kick the top of a doorway with one foot still on the floor.
It is no wonder that he remained competitive on the PGA Tour even in his 50s.
He set the record for oldest winner on the PGA Tour at the age of 52.
In fact, here is a story I learned while playing the Virginia State Intercollegiate tournament at The Cascades in Hot Springs.
In 1973, Sam Snead's nephew, J.C. Snead, a long time PGA Tour player, set the course record on the Lower Cascades course with a round of 60.
In 1983, 10 years later, Sam Snead tied it!
He was 71 at the time!
I guarantee that Sam Snead did very little weight lifting, but knew the importance of flexibility!
I have played with many muscular golfers over time, but few could hit the ball as far as him.
This was due to their inferior golf swing with Taylor Made Rocket Blade irons.
They had focused most of their fitness training on building big muscles, rather than flexibility.
Therefore, it is most important for you to develop more flexibility first.
I can think of a few current and former NFL quarterbacks that play golf pretty well.
But I cannot think of a single linebacker that is any good!
With this in mind, it is my recommendation that if you have a golf swing that falls far short of having good extension with the arms, a good shoulder turn and a nice wide arcing swing with irons.
That way, you should focus your attention on stretching first!
A good stretching routine that covers the entire body will take about 30-40 minutes to complete and should be done 2 or 3 times per week.
Upon achieving a considerable increase in your flexibility, which you should see in a couple of months, you should begin to notice greater ability to get that fuller shoulder turn and longer arm extension in your golf swing.
Bear in mind, your flexibility will also be enhanced if you are carrying less baggage on your body as well.
Aside from John Daly, who is naturally gifted and has been very flexible since his junior days, you do not see too many very overweight golfers with a big full swing like Tiger Woods.
Therefore, consider a proper diet and aerobic conditioning program with your flexibility routine.
After a period of time, and you notice significantly greater flexibility in your swing, consider a strengthening program to add more distance.
By improving your flexibility, you are able to develop a more natural and fluid swing over time.
After which you can proceed to improve your strength and performance even further.
With that in mind, flexibility first, strength second!
Created by Jeff Richmond who also authored The Stress-Free Golf Swing and Easy Swing Plane, 15 Minutes To Perfect Golf Swing is especially designed for complete but enthusiastic golf beginners to grasp and master their swing in shortest time possible.
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