CLICK HERE for some exercises which will help you to improve your flexibility over a period of time. But let me stress up front, these are not ‘warm-up’ exercises that will magically transform your game the next time you go out to play. These are the type of exercises that you need to be rehearsing three or four times a week at home – morning and/or evening. That’s what I do. Regular stretching keeps your body supple, and that way you at least give yourself a chance to make a good swing.

How often have you taken lessons with a pro only to find yourself let down by ‘tight’, inflexible muscles? For the amateur, I see this as perhaps the single biggest obstacle to sustaining any kind of meaningful improvement. And it’s so frustrating. You may be on the receiving end of some excellent technical advice but unless you are at least some way flexible in the area of the torso and the shoulders, you are simply not going to be able to turn properly and get into certain positions that form the basis of a good swing.

Use legs for balance as you turn to the top

Once you have negotiated the first move, completing your shoulder turn is all it takes to arrive at a compact backswing position. And this is as far as you need to swing back with the irons – you don’t need to worry about getting the shaft all the way to parallel.
This is compact and easy to repeat. The legs work like shock-absorbers to balance the turning motion and you have established good width – all the ingredients you need for solid ball-striking.

The key to realising long-term benefit is to train a little and often.