Experience Better Golf

“Lat Mobility”

The Backswing Extender

The Biomechanics: The Latissimus Dorsi Your "Lats" are the massive, fan-shaped muscles that run down the sides of your back. They are unique because they connect your upper arms directly to your pelvis.

Because they bridge the upper and lower body, tight lats are disastrous for your golf swing. If your lats are tight, you physically cannot lift your arms high into the air without the muscle violently yanking on your pelvis and lower back.

The Golf Connection: The Domino Effect Tight lats limit the width and height of your golf swing, robbing you of power and destroying your posture:

  • [Link: Loss of Posture]: If tight lats prevent your arms from reaching the top of the swing, your brain will force you to stand up and arch your back to get the club the rest of the way back.

  • [Link: Reverse Spine Angle]: Trying to force a "big turn" with tight lats pulls your spine backward toward the target.

  • [Link: Under-Rotation]: The restriction in your back literally acts like a bungee cord, snapping your turn short.

The Self-Screen: The Wall Lat Test

Test the flexibility of your lats and their connection to your spine.

  1. The Setup: Stand with your back flat against a wall. Walk your feet out about 6 inches from the baseboard and slightly bend your knees.

  2. The Posture: Crush your lower back completely flat against the wall. There should be zero space between your spine and the drywall.

  3. The Test: Keeping your arms completely straight, slowly raise them up in front of you and try to touch your thumbs to the wall above your head.

  • ✅ PASS: You can touch your thumbs to the wall overhead while keeping your elbows straight AND keeping your lower back completely glued to the wall.

  • ❌ FAIL: You cannot reach the wall without bending your elbows, or your lower back uncontrollably arches and pulls away from the wall to allow your arms to go up.

The Protocol: Lengthening the Back

If you failed, your lats are acting like tight straightjackets. You must use breathing to stretch this massive muscle group.

1. Lat-Biased Child’s Pose This isolates the lat muscle from its attachment point at the pelvis all the way to the shoulder.

  • Setup: Get on your hands and knees on the floor. Sit your hips all the way back onto your heels.

  • The Action: Walk both of your hands as far forward as you can. Then, walk both hands over to the far right side of your body. You should feel a massive stretch down the left side of your ribs and back.

  • The Breathing Protocol: This is critical. Inhale deeply into your left ribcage. You should literally feel your ribs expand and stretch the muscle from the inside out. Exhale completely, letting your chest sink closer to the floor.

  • Reps: 5 massive, deep breath cycles on the right side, then walk your hands to the left side and repeat.

2. Foam Roller Lat Extensions

  • Setup: Lie on your back with a foam roller placed horizontally across your mid-back (just below your shoulder blades). Keep your knees bent and feet flat.

  • The Action: Support your head with your hands. Keeping your hips on the floor, slowly let your upper back and head extend over the foam roller toward the floor.

  • The Breathing Protocol: Inhale as you extend backward over the roller. Exhale slowly as you use your core to sit back up to the starting position.

  • Reps: 10 slow extensions.