ABSTRACT
This study analyzed the three dimensional motion of a golfer's lumbar spine during the golf swing under actual shotmaking conditions. Fifty-one PGA Tour professional golfers, forty-six Senior PGA Tour professional golfers and thirty-four amateur golfers were tested. Measurements were made using a nonrestrictive, externally mounted, instrumented spatial linkage. Motion in the three orthogonal planes of rotation was measured and plotted on a time axis related to the events of a swing. Electronic sensors were used to supply event markers to the data at the appropriate points during the swing, including take-away, top of backswing and impact position. On average, the PGA Tour Players rotated their hips and upper bodies 55 degrees and 87 degrees respectively in 0.8 seconds at the top of the backswing, while amateurs rotated to 53 degrees and 87 degrees respectively in 0.9 seconds. Significant differences were found among the three groups in the forward bending angles, the side bending angles and the mean total swing time.
