Are Your Hips Strong Enough For Golf?

Low-handicap golfers found to have 50% more hip strength than high-handicap golfers.

Tiburon, CA (PRWEB) July 24, 2012

Hip Strength Test

Somax Performance Institute (web: swing-speed.com), the world leader in analyzing, measuring and improving golf swing mechanics, reports that a June 2012 study in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy found that low handicap golfers have 50% more hip strength than high handicap golfers. This is the third scientific study that has found that the best golfers have stronger hips than less skillful golfers.

These studies also confirm a Somax survey of 120 serious amateur golfers: only two passed its hip strength test. Both were +2 players. One was 25 years old; the other was 60 years old.

“All golfers should immediately test their hip strength. Golfers with weak hip rotation muscles suffer a hidden handicap that is driving up their golf handicap,” says Bob Prichard, Director of Somax Performance Institute. "When the hips are weak, golfers have to compensate by overusing their right oblique stomach muscles. This changes their alignment during their downswing, opening the club face at impact. Golfers then have to square up the club face with their hands in the last 1/100th of a second prior to impact, making it difficult to keep their drives in the fairway and control their irons. Weak hips also severely limit the distance they can hit their clubs."

The Somax Hip Strength Test

Prichard describes the test as follows: "Lie on your stomach and bend both knees 90º. Keeping your knees together, move your feet away from each other. Now have someone hold your feet apart as you try to bring them together. If your hips are strong enough for golf, you can snap your feet together fast enough to throw them back across the room. If you have to struggle to bring your feet together, your hips are not strong enough for golf."

The hip rotation muscles are nearly always weak in golfers because hip rotation is the only movement in the golf swing that has no natural resistance. No matter how much golf they play, their hips will not get stronger from swinging the club.

To increase their hip strength and lower their handicap, golfers require a training aid that specifically provides resistance to hip rotation.

The Somax Power Hip Trainer

The Somax Power Hip Trainer is the only home aerobic exercise machine designed to increase the strength and speed of hip rotation for golf by providing resistance to hip rotation.

The Somax Power Hip Trainer is easy to set up and easy to store. It consists of a rugged non-slip steel base with a large high-tensile strength steel spring that easily bends to accommodate lateral movement, but provides resistance to hip rotation. A steel connecting tube adjusts for different heights and a padded steel hip cinch with 2” wide nylon belt adapts to a range of hip sizes.

All parts are finished with baked-on black enamel paint for years of maintenance-free use. A DVD is included which contains 26 drills for both right and left-handed golfers. Golfers also receive weekly emails containing helpful hints to get the maximum increase in hip strength and speed with their new Power Hip Trainer.

The Somax Power Hip Trainer is guaranteed to add 25 mph to swing speed or money-back. Golfers report a reduction in their handicap and an increase in distance equal to one or two clubs. One golfer increased his average drive from 290 to 350.

Photos and videos of the Somax Power Hip Trainer can be viewed at http://www.swing-speed.com