The Definition A Lack of Rotation occurs when a golfer fails to turn their chest and shoulders fully away from the target during the backswing.

When your upper body stops turning, your arms are forced to lift the club independently to complete the swing. This destroys your power potential (loss of torque) and creates a very narrow swing arc. To generate speed from this powerless position, the brain usually forces the arms to chop steeply down on the ball, leading to slices, pulls, and weak contact.

The Amateur: The Short Turn

Watch the video below to see what Under-Rotation looks like in a position-by-position 3D breakdown.

The Data Check: Focus on the chest rotation number. At the top of the backswing (P4), this amateur has only turned their chest -64°.

They are missing nearly 30 degrees of turn compared to a Tour player. Crucially, look at their pelvis (hips)—they have rotated -28°, which is actually very close to the acceptable professional range. This proves their lower body is working fine, but their upper body has failed to coil against it, leaving them with zero power and no room to swing the club from the inside.

Stop Guessing. Start Measuring.

Do you Under-Rotate? You might feel like you are making a huge turn, but if your arms are just wrapping around your body while your chest stays still, you are powerless.

Upload your swing video for a Digital Analysis. We will use 3D motion tracking to measure your exact Shoulder-to-Hip separation (X-Factor) to tell you if you are coiling or just lifting your arms.[Button: Start My Swing Analysis]

The Professional: The Deep Coil

For comparison, watch how a Tour Professional maximizes their upper body coil at the top of the swing.

The Data Check: At the top of the swing, this professional’s chest is rotated to -107°. They have turned their back completely to the target.

Look at the Professional Acceptable Ranges:

• Chest Rotation (Top of Swing): -88° to -98°

• Pelvis Rotation (Top of Swing): -30° to -41°

The Pro rotates their pelvis -50° (allowing them to turn deep), but the magic is in the chest. By turning -107°, they have created massive separation between their upper and lower body. This "stretch" is the source of effortless power.

The Body-Swing Connection

Under-rotation is the #1 fault caused by physical limitations in the modern office worker. There are 13 physical limitations that can impact your golf swing.

If your spine is locked, your brain will stop your turn early to protect your back. The physical limitations that directly force a golfer to stop turning include:

• Limited Thoracic Spine (Upper Back) Rotation: If the T-Spine is stiff from sitting all day, you cannot turn 90 degrees.

• Limited Cervical (Neck) Rotation: If your chin can't separate from your shoulder, your head will force your turn to stop.

• Tight Lats: Tight lat muscles act like a straightjacket, restricting how far you can rotate.

A simple screening process can identify these limitations and provide a straightforward exercise routine to unlock your swing.

Find out more about mobility in the golf swing: [Insert Link]