The Cuff Link

Article from the March 2014 issue of Compleat Golfer Magazine.

The rotator cuff muscles that run across your shoulder joint are crucial to the golf swing, yet many golfers are unaware of their function and therefore neglect their conditioning, says fitness expert Garth Milne.

The shoulder is the most flexible joint in the body; unfortunately, it is also the most unstable. Great range of motion comes at a price.

Unlike the hip joint, also equipped with a ball-and-socket design, the shoulder socket is a shallow saucer. While this allows for flexibility, the saucer doesn’t hold the ball of the joint as firmly as the more cupped hip socket. The shoulder joint’s ligaments are also relatively weak. Therefore stability in the shoulder joint must come from muscles and tendons that run across it. There are four muscles that do this job, collectively known as the ‘rotator cuff’.

The rotator cuff has an important role to play in the golf swing as it allows the movement of the club to match the rotation of the body. If the shoulder joint lacks mobility, the elbow and wrist joint will have to make compensatory movements to keep the club on plane. By stabilising the shoulder girdle as well as turning the shoulders and arms, the rotator cuff provides power and control in the golf swing.

The rotator cuff… allows the movement of the club to match the rotation of the body”

Driving the golf ball is a high-effort power movement that puts a lot of stress on the rotator cuff.

Add this to the fact that the area is generally weak and tight from negligence, and it’s no wonder that many golfers are sidelined with rotator cuff-related injuries.

The most common is tendinitis, where one or more of the rotator cuff tendons become inflamed and painful. Another common affliction is bursitis. The bursa is a fluid-filled sac that overlies the rotator cuff tendons. If the bursa becomes irritated through poor shoulder biome-chanics, it can become inflamed and cause pain experienced at the front of the shoulder joint. Since the tendons and bursa are close together, many times both problems coexist. Impingement can occur when the arm is repeatedly raised above the head in the golf swing, causing the rotator cuff tendons to rub, inflame and even tear.

It is of interest to note that a lot of the right-handed golfers who visit me with shoulder problems, tend to have had left-shoulder rotator cuff issues. This may well be because of the left side leading the club into impact, causing jarring up into the left shoulder. Highveld golfers suffer more from striking the hard ground during winter, or from having to hit off mats. Thus, micro-trauma and instability are unfortunate by-products. The significance of this is that a right-handed golfer must strengthen the rotator cuff muscles on the left to even out the strength with the right side, as a preventative measure.

Since unconditioned muscles are weak and inflexible, causing them to be more susceptible to injury, performing simple exercises and stretches for the rotator cuff muscles will reduce the likelihood of injury by maintaining the strength and flexibility of these muscles. A bonus is increased power in the swing!

Here are three exercises you can do to improve the functioning of the rotator cuff. You will need a piece of resistance tubing to complete them – preferably use a SuperFlex Band, as I have here. If you’d like to get your hands on one, please send me an email.

Shoulder Sweep

Hold a #1 or #2 SuperFlex Band under one foot and loop it around your thumbs. Tuck your tail and engage your core – this will keep your lower back in a neutral position. You must not arch your back as you reach up over your head with your arms locked. Focus on pulling your scapulae down your back on the way up and then keeping them set as you return your arms to horizontal.

Complete as many reps as you can with good form.

External shoulder rotation

Set up on one knee with the #1 or #2 SuperFlex Band, as shown. Start with the shoulder and elbow at 90 degrees and maintain these angles throughout the exercise. You must feel the rotation of the ball inside the socket within the shoulder. Do not fire your neck muscles – keep your trapezius relaxed. Control is the key here!

Complete as many reps as you can with good form.

Scaption

Keep the set-up the same, only this time you are going to lift your arm up to 45 degrees. Keep your elbow in the same angle throughout, but not locked out. Focus on maintaining a solid feeling in your rotator cuff.

Complete as many reps as you can with good form.

Meet the instructor

Garth Milne is a golf fitness specialist who trains a number of professionals on the world’s pro tours, as well as amateur players coming through the local ranks.

He dedicates a lot of time to junior academies across SA, but is primarily based at the Serengeti Golf Academy where he and PGA pro Doug Wood run their Wanna Be A Champion programme. Garth also lectures and assesses the sport science module for the PGA of SA’s accreditation programme.

For more information, email him at garth@wannabea-champion.com, visit www. wannabeachampion.com or follow him on Twitter @SmileyMilne.