Sign up for our daily newsletter

Want latest news, reviews, analysis, deals, and events, and offers from our commercial partners? We’ve got you.

Collaboration

In this article golf chiropractor Shane Lawlor discusses the ‘X-factor’ golf swing that is favoured by most modern day tour pros, its supposed links to back pain and the importance of strength and conditioning.

It is no secret that professional
golfers are hitting the ball further and swinging the club harder than
ever before.

Advancements
in club and ball technology, along with improved strength and conditioning
training, have helped today’s players smash driving distance records, forcing
designers to lengthen their courses.

Whether this
arms race is good for the game of golf is up for debate. Another important discussion,
however, is whether it is good for the players’ long-term health and fitness.

Rory Mc Ilroy Witb 1

A study published in the Journal of Neurosurgery: Spine in February 2019 claimed the modern ‘X-factor’ swing can cause back injuries.

The X-factor is favoured by most tour professionals these days, including 15-time major winner Tiger Woods and Rory McIlroy.

Extra distance is generated from rotating the shoulders further in relation to the hips, creating more wound-up potential energy, which translates to a more explosive downswing and increased distance.

According to the study, however, the extra twist puts strain on the lumbar spine, while the powerful downswing causes a ‘crunch’ that damages the disc and facet joints.

Throughout his career Woods has been renowned for his picture-perfect ‘X-factor’ swing and distance off the tee, but has become the poster boy for back injuries in golf, having gone through a remarkable four back surgeries.

Cameron Champ Swing

McIlroy has also suffered from some back issues in recent years, while back spasms forced Cameron Champ – the longest hitter on the PGA Tour who has set clubhead speed records this season – to pull out of the PLAYERS Championship in
March.

Is the X-factor swing the cause of these player’s back problems?

Shane
Lawlor, a chiropractor who since 2009 has worked with PGA and European Tour
players such as Padraig Harrington, Henrik Stenson and Shane Lowry, doesn’t
believe so.

X Factor Swing 2

“I’m not
against the X-factor, but it needs to be worked between the strength and
conditioning coach and a medical practitioner. If the
player physically can’t get there then you have a problem,” said Lawlor.

Long-haul flights, lazy rest days playing video games or even the hotel pillow can cause stiffness in the back that could lead to injuries.

Lawlor believes that it is young players who are most at risk.

He explains, “the trend
now is that if you’re 18 or 19 years of age and you can’t hit it over 300 yards
you’re at a severe disadvantage.”

“I would be
interested in seeing what will happen in the next five to 10 years. If they’re
not physically ready, if they’re swinging much harder with such high club head
speed, I don’t know if their careers will be as long. The analogy
I would use for a young kid is if you put a Ferrari engine in a Micra, it’s not
going to work very well.”

Tiger Woods Witb Masters 2

Strength and
conditioning training often comes under fire in golfing circles, with pundits like
Brandel Chamblee and Johnny Miller having criticised both McIlroy and Woods for
putting in hours at the gym, suggesting the pursuit of physical perfection has
hurt both players’ ability to win majors.

Lawlor
argues that there is no way that a professional player’s body can accommodate
the kind of swing needed to be competitive in the modern game without spending
time building strength in the gym.

“The discs
are going to get overloaded, it’s hard to stabilise the spine through rotation,
and if you do it to one side it will cause disc bulges and pain,” explained Lawlor.

He added: “The right
strength and conditioning training is an absolute necessity. You need to make
sure you are mobile and stable, and your body is able to withstand those
forces. You don’t
need golfers to be massive powerlifters, but they need the ability to move
their joints at speed.”

Nike Training Inner Strength Rory Mc Ilroy Dead Lift 39363

Most players
now recognise this. Whereas trips to the chiropractor in the past would primarily
be for dealing with niggles or rehabbing serious injuries, Lawlor is now
visited in a performance capacity by pros looking to gain an edge over their
competitors.

Seeing them
more regularly allows him to ensure that their bodies are capable of taking on
any swing changes, and to build regimes – along with their fitness coaches –
around their own specific needs.

Some pros
like to rest on the day before a tournament, while others prefer to still be
sore from a gym session when they step on to the tee.

Neither is a
problem, Lawlor says, providing they take care of themselves away from the
course and don’t overload with training (the mistake Woods made early
on in his career).

Padraig Harrington

It’s plenty
to monitor and there is no quick fix when it comes to getting
players into the right shape to play the game at a high level for a long time.

“The good
players see that it’s a process. It’s not going to take six months. It’s the
small incremental stuff that won’t help if you do it for one season. It’s about
doing it over a career,” said Lawlor.

Harrington,
47, is a good example of a player who has taken his conditioning seriously and
will now benefit.

“Padraig is
fitter now than when he was at 20. He’s a totally different
animal. I think he’s
going to do really well on the Champions Tour. That’s the change we’ll see.
With these guys that are now fitter at 49 or 50, it’s going to be really
competitive,” said Lawlor.

Golf will
always be hard on the back. The repetitive, one-sided nature of the swing inevitably
puts more pressure on the spine than in most other sports, while the hours of
practice required to be a professional means there is always the danger of
overload.

While the
speed of the modern swing could, as Lawlor suggests, lead to back problems
further along in younger players’ careers, effective strength and conditioning work reduces the chances of those issues arising.

Despite the fact time in the gym remains much-maligned by members of golf’s old guard, it
could be the reason why McIlroy and other top players will still be competing for
majors into their 40s and beyond.

This article was provided by Betway.

More Reads

Image Turnberry green

The bunkered Golf Course Guide - Scotland

Now, with bunkered, you can discover the golf courses Scotland has to offer. Trust us, you will not be disappointed.

Find Courses

Latest podcast

The PLAYERS Championship