As Nextgengolf gears up for the CVS Charity classic on Monday, June 24th, where we will be following Rickie Fowler and Bubba Watson, I thought I'd share some impressive videos of one of the truly unique and impressive swings in all of golf: none other than Rickie Fowler himself.
Take a look at Fowler aggressively cut the corner on this par four: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JEQwhJdflZY
Brandel Chamblee breaks Fowler's swing down at the McGladrey Classic at the Sea Island Ocean Course (site of the 2012 NCCGA fall national championship):
- Look at how he "moves off the golf ball" of and is able to shift his upper body back to his right foot while still maintaining strong posture and not swaying
- You’ve probably been told to make a “full” or 90 degree shoulder turn, well Ricky is significantly past that and probably makes as big if not the biggest shoulder turn on tour which is why a the 5 foot eight inch phenom can bomb it 300+.
- Separation between upper and lower body creates lag (the sharp angle at which the shaft is positioned as the club descends from the top of the swing down to making contact with the ball--Sergio Garcia is another golfer knows for creating incredible lag in his swing)
So how does Fowler do it? He works hard on his flexibility and strength to be able to contort his body in such unique ways. Take a look at this warm up video and pay particular attention to how he activates different "golf muscle groups" against each other. This is golf fitness.
A couple key points made by Fowler's trainer:
- Using the stretch bands to mimick positions that his arms and legs will get into during an actual golf swing
- Engaging his torso along with his pelvis and hips
- Muscles are connected and the arms are moving with the body
- Focus on warming up all of the rotational muscle groups in his swing
- Shoulder stretches with the rubber bands create separation and extension between his arms and body as they turn against one another while his glutes are loading
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KEY TAKEAWAY
I see so many golfers stretch improperly before their round. The typical stretches you used to do in gym class are not golf-centric. Give Fowler's golf fitness warmup moves a shot before your next round and see if it helps you feel more loose and flexible particularly during your early shots.
