Effects of Upper-Body Flexibility Exercise on Golf Performance of Amateur Female Golfer: A Case Report

Abstract

Patient: Female, 43-year-old Final Diagnosis: Amateur golfer Symptoms: Golf swing Medication:— Clinical Procedure: — Specialty: Public Health • Rehabilitation Objective: Unusual or unexpected effect of treatment Background: We investigated the effects of the upper-body flexibility exercises on the golf performance of a female amateur golfer. Case Report: The participant was a 43-year-old woman who performed a general golf swing exercise (30 min) and an upper-body flexibility exercise (20 min) 3 times a week, for a total of 6 times in 2 weeks. The maximum rotation angle of the upper body was measured using a goniometer. To measure the X-factor, the numerical value was measured after subtracting the rotation angle of the lower-body from the rotation angle of the upper body when the participant stopped making a back-swing top motion. A camera measuring instrument was used to measure the clubhead speed and carry distance of the golf ball when she hit the ball with a no. 7 iron club. After the exercises, the maximum rotation angle of the participant’s upper body increased from 40° to 69°, and the X-factor increased from 10° to 24°. The clubhead speed increased from 29.4 m/s to 34.4 m/s, and the carry distance increased from 84 m to 106 m. Conclusions: The participant responded positively to the upper-body flexibility exercises, and there was improved upper-body mobility, X-factor, clubhead speed, and carry distance. Our results showed that upper-body flexibility exercises with a general golf swing exercise for female amateur golfers may improve golf performance.

Effects of Physical Training and Associations Between Physical Performance Characteristics and Golf Performance in Female Players: A Systematic Review With Meta-Analysis

“…Information on each study and intervention can be found in Tables 3 and 4. Sample populations for the studies included female golf teams (40), youth female players (12), Korean LPGA tour members (35,36), amateur female golfers (25), NCAA Division 1 golfers (13), and a single, high handicap golfer (32). The duration of each study varied from a single time point, cross-sectional study (8,12,40) to a 12-week training intervention performed twice per week (36).…”

“…Jung et al (32) investigated the effects of upper-body flexibility in a single female amateur golfer on maximum rotation angle of the upper body, X-Factor stretch, CHS, and carry distance. The main critique of this research is that the player involved had a high handicap of 20; therefore, the findings are again, not attributable to lower handicap or elite players.…”

“…When examining the association between physical performance and measures of golf performance, only 3 studies met the inclusion criteria (8,12,40). When assessing the effects of physical training interventions on golf performance, 6 studies met the inclusion criteria, with one of these being acute in nature (i.e., effects on CHS reported on the same day in a potentiation-type study design) (38), and 5 being more traditional interventions (13,25,32,35,36).…”

“…The duration of each study varied from a single time point, crosssectional study (8,12,40) to a 12-week training intervention performed twice per week (36). Finally, outcome measures to assess golf performance included average and maximum distance, average and maximum CHS (12,13,32,36,39,40), 2-m and 5-m putting stroke timing (35), driver and 7-iron CHS, driver and 7iron total distance (25), putting distance control (13), and X-Factor and maximum rotation of the upper body, both measured in degrees (32).…”

Validation of Inertial Measurement Units for Analyzing Golf Swing Rotational Biomechanics

“…The rotation of the upper torso and pelvis plays a crucial role in generating clubhead speed, which is a key factor in achieving greater distance and accuracy in golf shots. Biomechanical research has revealed that the X-Factor, or rotation between the upper torso and pelvic angles, during the swing, is closely linked to clubhead speed and power [4,5]. Additionally, the angles of the upper torso and pelvic rotation, along with their rotational velocities, influence swing efficiency and accuracy [6,7].…”