A big shoulder turn in golf that leads to power
Do you struggle to get a full shoulder turn in golf and lack any sort of power off the tee? Maybe, you feel as though you don’t have the flexibility to turn your shoulders far enough as you used to 20 years ago? If either of these sounds like you, most likely missing out on a lot of distance and consistency in your golf swing. Lack of a good shoulder turn could also be the reason why you can’t fix your golf slice or another golf swing problem. I made a bigger shoulder turn practicing with the lag shot golf training aid.
The good news is this can easily be fixed by just understanding and implementing some simple drills that I’ll go through below.
I learned these valuable drills from the team at Rotary Swing who have helped thousands of golfers improve their golf swings and lower their scores. Get your FREE membership on the green link.
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Why is a full shoulder turn important?
Not getting a good, full shoulder turn in golf can adversely affect many parts of your game. First, it reduces your ability to generate any sort of decent clubhead speed meaning you’ll miss out on much-needed power. By not turning your shoulders far enough usually means your arms become more active in the golf swing instead of the bigger muscles in the shoulders and back.
Power is again reduced, but more importantly, the smaller muscles are less likely to be able to time the golf swing which leads to inconsistencies in ball striking.
Lastly, all this lack of consistent ball striking and power leads to shorter tee shots and longer approach shots increasing your chances of a higher score!
How far do most golfers turn and what’s ideal?
Most golfers I see only turn their shoulders around 70 - 75 degrees in the backswing. They only get this far because most cheat by using their arms more to complete the backswing instead of letting the shoulders do their job. They will make a proper golf swing takeaway, but as soon as they raise their hands above waist level they’ll continue moving the club upwards with their arms only and forget to turn the shoulders.
If this is you don't worry, you can easily get a full shoulder turn regardless of your current flexibility.
Ideally, you want to be striving for 90 degrees, a little over or under is no big deal but if you can get there you’re in a great position to generate some serious power.
The flexibility myth in the golf swing shoulder turn
There’s a common myth that to make a full shoulder turn in golf you need to be flexible. Whilst it’s true a little bit of flexibility helps, you only need to look at Dustin Johnson and Rory McIlroy to see this.
But, you don’t need to super flexible to make a good 90-degree turn and make a great backswing as you'll see below.
All the drills and moves below are for a right-handed golfer, so for lefties just do the opposite.
Limit dominant right side for a better shoulder turn
Most right-handed golfers are naturally very right-sided dominant. Because of this most golfers really drive from the top of their swing with the right arm and right shoulder. The problem with this approach is it severely limits your shoulder turn and also contributes to many common swing faults.
Swing faults such as an over the top golf swing, casting (scooping), and slicing can often be traced back to a poor shoulder turn in the golf swing.
As you’ll read below, it’s essential to minimise the impact of your dominant side to get your shoulders working the way they are designed to.
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A simple drill to increase shoulder turn
Grab a golf club with your left hand and make a backswing whilst looking into a mirror. Notice how easy it was to make a 90 degree turn when your right side isn’t doing anything … easy wasn’t it? Practice making multiple golf swings using this same drill to get a good feel for your shoulders turning the full 90 degrees.
After doing about 25 repetitions place your right hand back on the grip and start making golf swings.
Feel like the right hand and whole right side of your body plays more of a support role in the golf swing with the left side doing most of the work.
Most importantly, it will be easier for you to turn your shoulders and get that full golf shoulder turn that generates that extra power.
Pull from the right side at your set up
A great way to make a full 90-degree shoulder turn in golf is to pull from your right side. What I mean is instead of pushing and moving all of your weight to the right do this: At your golf set up, focus on pulling your right shoulder behind you as you commence your takeaway.
Do this first without a golf club, then add a club and perform the drill.
Again, you’ll find it very easy to make a full turn without really even thinking about it, and doesn’t require much flexibility to achieve.
WATCH THE VIDEO BELOW TO SEE ME DEMONSTRATE HOW TO MAKE A FULL SHOULDER TURN IN GOLF:
What you need to do now
Now that you know how to make a complete shoulder turn in golf it’s time to start practicing.
Practice both of the drills first without holding a golf club and learn to feel how the shoulders work in the golf swing.
Slowly, build your way up to adding the golf club and do at least 25 repetitions of each until it feels ingrained and comfortable.
Making a 90-degree shoulder turn in golf doesn’t require any special flexibility or golf skill, it just requires a basic understanding of how to move your shoulders the right way.
Don’t forget to get your FREE membership at Rotary Swing by clicking on the green link and learn more about getting a full shoulder turn and lots more.
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