Maximizing Chest Turn in the Golf Swing

A good chest turn is vital for a powerful and effective golf swing💪🏼 Perform for Golf and Sportsbox can help you increase it.

What is Chest Turn?

Chest turn is the rotation of the rib cage around the spine during the swing. It can and does rotate independently of the pelvis. 

The Importance of Chest Turn

A good chest turn is vital for a powerful and effective golf swing, as it creates a coiling effect of the stomach and back muscles. This coiling stretches these core muscles and allows them to store potential energy during the backswing, that is released explosively during the downswing. A well executed chest turn helps increase club head speed and potentially ball speed, enhancing overall performance.

Chest Turn vs. Shoulder Turn

While often used interchangeably, chest turn and shoulder turn are distinct. Chest turn focuses on the rotation of the rib cage, a more rigid structure, making it easier to measure and optimize. Shoulder turn, however, involves the entire shoulder girdle, including the clavicle and scapula, which move independently. The shoulders, since they move independently of the chest, can add slightly more turn to the backswing. 

Range of Motion in Golf

In golf, the range of motion is crucial for maximizing chest turn and achieving an effective swing, typically averaging around 250 degrees from the top of the backswing to the finish. This large range of motion is important in giving the golfer a large space and time to generate high rotation speeds, which in turn helps increase club speed. 

What’re the Pros doing? 

A case study on Rory McIlroy and Jon Rahm

The side-by-side graphics of Jon Rahm's and Rory McIlroy's golf swings illustrate two contrasting approaches to generating power. Rory McIlroy's swing demonstrates a significant chest turn, showcasing his extensive range of motion that allows him more time to generate speed in the downswing. In contrast, Jon Rahm's swing features minimal chest turn, relying instead on his exceptional strength and power to generate high club speeds. These two examples highlight how different physical attributes can both lead to effective and powerful swings.

Injury Prevention Tips and Exercises

Excessive range of motion can lead to injuries, particularly at the extremes of the swing (top of the backswing and finish). Therefore, maintaining strength at both ends of this range is vital to prevent injury and ensure a powerful, controlled swing. 

Regular stretching, mobility exercises, and strength training are key to enhancing range of motion while maintaining stability and injury prevention. Think of your muscles as your engine, the stronger the engine, the faster and more efficiently they can fire!

Exercises to Strengthen Chest Mobility: 

Exercises provided by Perform for Golf (P4G). Click on the exercise names to watch a TPI certified P4G trainer demonstrate the movements.

1. Half-Kneeling Torso Rotation 
   1. The strap goes around one shoulder with the same knee up. Turn your torso towards that knee letting the KEISER machine pull you in. Make sure your lower body is stable.
2. T-spine Opener
   1. In a quadruped position put the strap around one shoulder. Place the same hand behind your head. Then reach in with the elbow then open up your t-spine bringing your elbow to the sky. Make sure to keep the rest of your body stable and not to open up your hips.
3. Single Leg T-spine rotations
   1. Using a wall or box for support, put your weight on your front leg with your knee slightly bent. Hinge and rotate your torso towards the leg that’s down. Focus on keeping your lower body stable during the movement.

These three exercises are great examples of what would help strengthen your chest mobility to have a safe Chest turn at the top of your swing. To find more information about golf-centric performance exercises, check out Perform for Golf’s (P4G) website.