How To Use Your Core in the Golf Swing
The core gets a lot of attention when it comes to generating power in the golf swing — and for good reason. But power alone isn’t the full story. To build a golf swing that’s efficient, repeatable, and sustainable over the long term, your core needs to do more than just "fire." It must provide three key elements:
Stability – to protect the low back and position the pelvis and rib cage for optimal movement
Elasticity – to generate rotational speed through stored energy
Endurance – to maintain performance and posture under fatigue
Failing to develop or maintain any one of these can lead to inconsistent swings, performance limitations, and joint pain — especially in the low back.
1. How do (should) we create core stability for the golf swing
Everybody does this wrong. Golfers, exercisers, and you picking up something heavy from the floor, need to create core stability to generate forces to complete the task. Think of it this way. If you were to shoot a cannon, would you find it more effective to shoot it from the ground or from a canoe? Of course, the ground would result in a cannonball traveling further with greater velocity. If we need to create club head speed, we need a stable platform to swing our arms from.
So, core stability is important, but how are people doing it wrong? Most people lack the ability to create intrabdominal pressure, but instead create a brace. These are not the same thing. Bracing is the sucking in or maximal contraction of the muscles around the abdomen and rib cage. Intrabdominal pressure is the expansion of the muscles under an eccentric contraction (contracting while lengthening) as the diaphragm is used to create pressure. As we breath in, the diaphragm descends (if we are using it for inhalation, not a given) and pushes the abdominal contents out and away. The muscles around the core, including the sides and back, fight back against the pressure to create a pressurized cylinder. This environment create stability for the spine in the low back, neutral positioning of the rib cage, and neutral positioning of the pelvis.
Creating intrabdominal pressure is essential for the rehab process as much as it is important in re-programming stability strategies for performance purposes.
2. Elasticity of the core
Elasticity describes the elastic or stretch components of the muscles and tendons that make up the core. We can specifically point to the oblique muscles of the anterior/ side of the core for their role in creating rotation. When we initiate the downswing, the kinematic sequence tells us we want to initiate with the pelvis. This creates a quick stretch of the oblique muscles that will then initiate the pull for the rib cage and spine rotation.
The elastic components and separation of the core (rib cage and pelvis) needs to be trained to be maximized. Check out the videos below to learn more about the kinematic sequence and how we create separation for power and consistency in the golf swing.
3. Core muscle endurance
To protect the low back and maintain top performance in the golf swing, we need to do the two things above throughout a round of golf, practice session, and in the gym. So beyond training proper intrinsic stabilizing strategies and the elastic capability of the core, we need to train endurance for these actions.
Improving your ability to create intrinsic intrabdominal pressure, elasticity, and overall strength and power through your core only lasts until fatigue sets in and the compensations return. Training to improve the endurance of the core and ability to maintain the characteristics through fatigue and stress will limit your exposure to conditions that lead to low back pain and improper and inefficient golf swings. Check out the exercise below that you can add to your exercise routine to improve core stability endurance without compromising position. You can also work in the dead bug progressions from above for this.
Conclusion
The core is far more than just a set of muscles to be braced during your swing — it’s your foundation for long-term, efficient, and pain-free golf. By building true core stability through intra-abdominal pressure, training elasticity for power and sequencing, and developing endurance to maintain these qualities under fatigue, you give yourself the best chance to swing consistently, generate speed, and protect your low back. Don’t just chase strength or aesthetics — train the core with purpose. Prioritize these three pillars in your programming, and you’ll see results not just in your swing, but in how your body feels round after round.
-Dr. Nick Curtis DC, MS, TPI, CSCS
If you would like to learn more about your body, pain, and performance, send Dr. Nick an email at contact@integratedrpc.com or call at (585)478-4379, or schedule a FREE discovery visit at Contact.
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