Lower body mechanics of golf swing and its association with maximum clubhead speed in skilled golfers

The purpose of this study was to investigate the associations between peak clubhead speed and select kinematic and kinetic parameters of the lower extremity during the swing in skilled golfers.A total of 25 healthy,right-handed, male golfers with a posted handicap of 3 or better were recruited for this study. Peak orientation angles (OA)and ranges of the OA of the lower extremity joints (i.e., pelvis, hips, knees, and ankles) during the downswing, and normalized peak resultant joint moments(RJM) of the lower extremity joints (i.e., hips, knees, and ankles)were extracted for a correlation analysis to normalized peak clubhead speed (NPCS). Among OA parameters, only the pelvis right lateral tilted position(r = .510, .501, and .522 for driver, 5-iron, and pitching wedge, respectively)and the pelvis right tilting motion (r = .450, .409, and .493 for driver, 5-iron, and pitching wedge, respectively)were significantly correlated to NPCS across all the club conditions during the downswing. Therefore, the pelvis motion in the frontal plane was identified as the good consistent indicator of clubhead speed in skilled golfers.Among RJM parameters,the right hip extensor (r = .396, .667, and .732 for driver, 5-iron, and pitching wedge, respectively) and left knee extensor moments (r = .451, .449, and .457 for driver, 5-iron, and pitching wedge, respectively) in the sagittal plane exhibited significant correlations to NPCS across all club conditions. The skilled golfers relied especially more on muscular effort from the right hip and left knee joints in the sagittal plane. Therefore,the right hip extensor and left knee extensor moments were considered as the good consistent indicator in generating higher clubhead speed in skilled golfers.