N I C H O L A S W A LT E R S

THE HANDS OF A
GOLFER
 THE HANDS OF A
GOLFER
!
F O R T H I S A S S I G N M E N T, I H A V E D E C I D E D T O R E L AT E T H E H A N D S
O F A G O L F E R T O T H E H A N D S O F A M A S S A G E T H E R A P I S T. T O B E A
C O N S I S T E N T, P O W E R F U L A N D H E A LT H Y G O L F E R , Y O U M U S T
FOLLOW MANY OF THE SAME PRINCIPLES AND BIOMECHANICS
T H AT A S U C C E S S F U L M A S S A G E T H E R A P I S T F O L L O W S .
!
Y O U C R E AT E A P O W E R F U L A N D C O N S I S T E N T G O L F S W I N G B Y
USING THE BIG MUSCLES OF THE CORE AND USING YOUR HANDS
A N D A R M S A S A PA S S I V E L I N K T O T H E G O L F C L U B . T H I S I S V E R Y
S I M I L A R T O T H E W AY A M A S S A G E T H E R A P I S T U S E S M O V E M E N T S
F R O M T H E I R B O D Y T O T R A N S F E R P R E S S U R E I N T O T H E I R PAT I E N T S .
!
I N T H E F O L L O W I N G S L I D E S I W I L L G O T H R O U G H T H E VA R I O U S
S TA G E S O F T H E G O L F S W I N G A N D C O R R E L AT E T H E S E P R I N C I P L E S
FROM THE GOLF SWING TO A MASSAGE THERAPIST
S E T- U P

• HERE WE NEED TO SET UP TO THE GOLF

B A L L I N A S TA B L E A N D S A F E M A N N E R
!
• JUST LIKE IN MASSAGE, WE GET POWER
FROM THE GROUND, SO WE NEED TO
GRIP THE GROUND WITH OUR LEGS AND
A C T I V AT E O U R G L U T E S T O S U P P O R T
O U R P E LV I S T H R O U G H O U T T H E S W I N G
!
• OUR UPPER BACK NEEDS TO BE IN A
NEUTRAL AND RELAXED POSITION;
A V O I D E X C E S S I V E LY R O U N D I N G T H E T-
SPINE
!
• OUR SHOULDER BLADES NEED TO BE
T U C K E D D O W N A N D I N S O T H AT T H E Y
ARE CONNECTED TO OUR CORE SO WE
CAN TRANSFER AS MUCH ENERGY FROM
OUR CORE TO THE ARMS AND OUT TO
THE CLUB
!
• O U R A R M S N E E D T O H A N G N AT U R A L LY
AND RELAXED UNDER OUR SHOULDERS
TA K E A W AY

• AT T H I S P O I N T, A L L W E A R E
D O I N G I S R O TAT I N G O U R T- S P I N E
BY PULLING OUR SHOULDER
BLADE DOWN AND IN
!
• WE ARE ALSO SHIFTING OUR
WEIGHT TO THE TRAIL SIDE OF
THE BODY TO GAIN MOMENTUM
FOR THE DOWNSWING
!
• THIS IS VERY SIMILAR TO GETTING
LOW AND LOADING UP OUR
GLUTES, QUADS AND HAMSTRINGS
WHEN GIVING A MASSAGE. A
SMART MASSAGE THERAPIST
SHIFTS THEIR WEIGHT AROUND
USING THEIR LEGS IN A LUNGE
P O S I T I O N T O A P P LY A M P L E
P R E S S U R E T O A PAT I E N T
BACKSWING

• I N T H I S P O S I T I O N , W E H AV E
LOADED UP THE TRAIL SIDE OF
O U R B O D Y, M A I N LY T H E G L U T E
AND HAMSTRINGS, THE BACK
MUSCLES AND CORE
!
• THIS LOADING OF THE CORE
I S W H AT S W I N G S T H E A R M S T O
THE TOP OF THE BACKSWING
!
• AGAIN, A SMART THERAPIST
TRANSFERS ENERGY FROM
THEIR LEGS BY SHIFTING
THEIR WEIGHT AROUND TO
A P P LY P R E S S U R E A N D N O T
JUST PUSHING WITH THEIR
HANDS AND ARMS
DOWNSWING

• HERE WE ARE SHIFTING OUR WEIGHT

TO THE LEAD SIDE OF THE BODY
!
• THIS SHIFT PULLS THE HANDS AND
ARMS INTO THE HITTING AREA
W I T H O U T H A V I N G T O A C T I V E LY D O
ANYTHING WITH THE UPPER BODY
!
• THIS IS WHERE PROPER
B I O M E C H A N I C S C A N H E L P S AV E A
G O L F E R F R O M H AV I N G I S S U E S W I T H
THEIR LOW BAKCS, HIPS, KNEES,
ANKLES, ELBOWS ETC. MOST
INJURIES ARE TO THE LEAD SIDE OF
THE BODY BECAUSE OF THE VIOLENT
N AT U R E O F T H E G O L F S W I N G
!
• I T I S I M P O R TA N T W H E N S H I F T I N G
T H E W E I G H T, T O O N LY S H I F T U N T I L
THE LEAD KNEE AND HIP ARE
S TA C K E D O V E R T H E L E A D A N K L E
I M PA C T

• O N C E W E H AV E T H E W E I G H T O V E R T H E
LEAD ANKLE WE CAN PUSH OUR WEIGHT
INTO THE GROUND WITH OUR LEAD LEG
A N D P O S T U P A N D R O TAT E F R E E LY B E C A U S E
WE ARE IN NEUTRAL JOINT ALIGNMENT
!
• NEUTRAL JOINT ALIGNMENT MEANS OUR
S H O U L D E R , H I P A N D K N E E A R E S TA C K E D O N
TOP OF THE LEAD ANKLE
!
• T H I S P U L L S T H E A R M S D O W N I N T O I M PA C T
A N D O N LY M I N I M A L R O TAT I O N O F T H E
WRIST IS REQUIRED TO SQUARE THE CLUB
FA C E
!
• T H I S I S N O T O N LY S A F E , B U T P R O M O T E S A
V E R Y S O L I D A N D C O N S I S T E N T I M PA C T
POSITION
!
• A S A M A S S A G E T H E R A P I S T, W E M A K E S U R E
WE IN A NEUTRAL ALIGNMENT WHEN WE
A R E A P P LY I N G F O R C E . A N E X A M P L E W O U L D
BE THE THE WRISTS, ELBOW AND SHOULDER
RELEASE

• AT T H I S P O I N T T H E G O L F E R
IS JUST LETTING THE CLUB
F A C E R E L E A S E F R E E LY B Y
PA S S I V E LY R O TAT I N G T H E
W R I S T T H R O U G H I M PA C T
!
• THIS HAPPENS WHEN THE
HANDS AND ARMS REMAIN
SOFT THROUGH THE SWING
!
• THE POST UP OF THE LEAD
L E G T H R O U G H I M PA C T
RELEASES THE HANDS AND
ARMS IN A CONSISTENT
AND POWERFUL MANNER
FOLLOW
THROUGH

• AT T H I S P O I N T, I F D O N E
C O R R E C T LY, T H E G O L F E R
IS JUST LETTING THE
CLUB PULL THEM INTO A
FOLLOW THROUGH
POSITION
!
• YOU SHOULD BE
BALANCED AND
R E L A X E D AT T H I S P O I N T
 THERE ARE A LOT OF SIMILARITIES BETWEEN BEING A
P O W E R F U L , S A F E G O L F E R A N D M A S S A G E T H E R A P I S T. I F Y O U
CAN FOLLOW THESE PRINCIPLES, YOU SHOULD BE WELL ON
Y O U R W AY T O H A V I N G A G R E AT G O L F S W I N G A N D P L AY I N G
INJURY FREE FOR A LONG TIME, AS WELL AS GIVING
E X C E L L E N T T R E AT M E N T F O R A L O N G T I M E .
!
I HOPE YOU ENJOYED READING THIS AS MUCH AS I
E N J O Y E D M A K I N G I T.