I see many players with physical limitations as far as flexibility is concerned.

Many tour pros will have some issues too, but fewer areas will be tight, the tight areas will be less tight than most amateurs, and they have immense co-ordination and skill to move around those issues too.

There’s some great information from Titleist Performance Institute (TPI) which you can access via the web and youtube etc. Adam Scott is a particularly good example of an athlete in peak condition.

There are many tests which can be done to assess your range of motion. Failing to ‘pass’ these tests may give insight to why your swing looks and performs the way it does.

One such test is the ‘lie and rotate test’ picture one shows the start position. The objective in this test is to keep one shoulder and elbow against the ground, while the opposite knee is stretched towards the ground (picture two).

Repeat for both sides. Ideally we’d like to see the knee against the ground. This test is also a stretch in itself, so you can use it to improve your range of motion and potentially increase distance.

This is one of the tests all players involved in the Scottish Golf Union (SGU) programme are put through and many don’t come close to the ground initially, but with hard work and a daily stretching routine, they see big improvements.

Luckily, there is a gym (First Tee Fitness) on site at Great Western Golf, so I can call on the trainers’ expertise when I need to, that helps my players get the most out of their game. They also work with many European Tour players and SGU Academy players, so know the standard to aspire to.

Given the club goes from static, to 120mph, then slows down to 0mph again in the blink of an eye, being in great physical shape is a must for the modern golfer.