Joey Wuertemberger is a high-performance golf coach with Crown Golf in Arlington, Texas. He is known for blending modern swing instruction with a strong emphasis on movement, mobility and long-term athletic health. He works with competitive juniors, collegiate players and everyday golfers, helping them move better, swing more efficiently and stay healthy for the long haul. Check him out on Instagram today!
Golf may look effortless, but the modern golf swing demands hip mobility, thoracic rotation, shoulder range of motion and core stability — the same ingredients needed for long-term athletic health.
As a golf coach, I see the same physical limitations show up again and again. The good news is that you don’t need a full mobility session or fancy equipment. These six simple stretches target the areas that matter most for golfers, and they translate beautifully to everyday fitness, running and lifting. Each stretch takes less than a minute and can be done before a workout, after a round or as part of a daily routine.
Shoulder & Upper-Back Mobility Drill (Pole-Assisted Hinge)
How to Do It:
Stand tall, holding a pole with one hand overhead and the other behind your lower back. Keep your chest open and spine neutral as you push your hips back into a controlled hinge, similar to an athletic posture. Allow the shoulders to rotate naturally as you hinge forward, maintaining light tension on the pole. Pause briefly at the end range, then return to standing with control.
Why It Works:
This drill improves shoulder mobility and upper-back rotation, reinforces proper hip hinge mechanics and adds a stretch to the hamstrings. The pole helps keep the shoulders organized and prevents excessive rounding through the spine, encouraging movement from the hips and thoracic spine instead of the lower back. For golfers — and anyone who trains or sits a lot — this stretch supports better posture, smoother rotation and reduced strain on the shoulders and back. You should feel a stretch through the back of your shoulders with light tension across the hips and hamstrings.
Common Mistakes:
Arching the lower back instead of tucking and finding a neutral pelvis position or shifting forward without engaging your core.
Coach’s Tip:
Exhale as you shift forward — breathing out helps you relax and deepens the stretch without forcing it.
Ankle Dorsiflexion Drill
How to Do It:
Start in a half-kneeling position with the front foot flat on the ground and the heel firmly planted. Use the pole for balance as you slowly drive the front knee forward over the toes, keeping the foot stable and the arch from collapsing. Move in and out of the stretch with control, staying tall through the torso.
Why It Works:
This drill improves ankle dorsiflexion by mobilizing the ankle joint and lengthening the calf muscles. Better ankle mobility allows for improved balance, posture and force transfer through the lower body. For golfers and active adults, this helps reduce compensation at the knees, hips and lower back while supporting smoother, more efficient movement. You should feel tension through the ankle and lower calf as the knee moves forward and the heel stays down. If the heel lifts or the foot collapses, reduce the range of motion and move more slowly.
Common Mistakes:
Lifting the heel off the ground or allowing the knee to collapse inward as it moves forward.
Coach’s Tip:
Think “knee forward, heel down.” If the heel stays down, you are moving in the right direction.
Banded Squat & Hip Hinge Stability Drill
How to Do It:
Place a light resistance band just above the ankles and stand with feet about shoulder-width apart. Cross your arms over your chest and sit into a shallow squat or athletic hinge position, keeping your chest down and spine neutral. Maintain tension on the band as you hold the position or gently shift weight side to side, ensuring the knees stay aligned over the feet.
Why It Works:
This drill activates the glutes and hip stabilizers while reinforcing proper lower-body alignment. The band encourages outward resistance, helping prevent knee collapse and improving control through the hips and legs. For golfers and active adults, this builds a stronger, more stable base, supporting better balance, cleaner rotation and reduced stress on the knees and lower back. You should feel the glutes and hips stabilize while rotation occurs through the upper back, not the lower spine.
Common Mistakes:
Rotating from the lower back instead of the upper back or losing tension in the band by over rotating lower body.
Coach’s Tip:
Move slower than you think — control builds better rotation than speed.
Banded Rotational Stability Drill
How to Do It:
Place a light resistance band just above the knees and stand in an athletic stance with feet shoulder-width apart. Cross your arms over your chest and hinge slightly forward from the hips, keeping your spine neutral. From this position, rotate your torso slowly to one side while maintaining tension in the band and keeping the lower body stable. Your goal for this stretch is to match the pole across your shoulders to the rod off of your trail foot. Return to the center and repeat on the opposite side.
Why It Works:
This drill improves rotational control and hip stability while encouraging movement from the upper back instead of the lower spine. The band engages the glutes and legs, helping stabilize the lower body as the torso rotates. For golfers and active adults, this promotes cleaner rotation, better balance and reduced stress on the knees and lower back. You should feel steady tension in the trail internal hip as your upper body rotates into your trail side.
Common Mistakes:
Allowing the knees to cave inward or over-rotating the hips instead of keeping the lower body stable.
Coach’s Tip:
Pretend your lower body is in concrete and you can only rotate your upper body.
Hinge with Arm Sweep Drill
How to Do It:
Stand tall with feet about hip-width apart, then hinge forward from the hips into an athletic posture while keeping your spine neutral. Extend both arms forward at shoulder height and slowly sweep them back and down behind your body as you maintain the hinge position. Move with control and return the arms forward before standing back up.
Why It Works:
This drill reinforces proper hip hinge mechanics while improving shoulder mobility and upper-back engagement. The arm sweep encourages the shoulders to move through a full range of motion without collapsing posture or overusing the lower back. For golfers and active adults, this helps connect the upper and lower body, supporting better posture, smoother rotation and more efficient movement patterns. You should feel engagement through the hamstrings and glutes with a stretch across the chest and shoulders as the arms swing back.
Common Mistakes:
Rounding the spine during the hinge or swinging the arms too aggressively without maintaining posture.
Coach’s Tip:
Stop the arm sweep before the posture changes — range of motion always comes second to control.
Pole-Assisted Shoulder Rotation Drill
How to Do It:
Stand tall, holding a pole vertically with one arm extended straight out in front of you. Keeping the torso stable and posture tall, rotate the pole overhead and behind your body, allowing the shoulder to move through internal and external rotation. Move slowly and under control, then reverse the motion to return to the start.
Why It Works:
This drill improves shoulder mobility and rotational control, particularly through the rotator cuff and upper back. The pole provides feedback to keep the movement smooth and prevents compensation from the lower back or ribs. For golfers and active adults, this helps maintain healthy shoulders, a better range of motion and smoother rotational movement during training and daily activity. You should feel a smooth rotation through the shoulder joint and upper back.
Common Mistakes:
Arching or twisting the torso, or rushing through the movement instead of staying slow and controlled.
Coach’s Tip:
Smooth and steady wins; if you feel strain, reduce the range of motion and slow the tempo.
These six drills are designed to work together to improve mobility, stability and movement quality from the ground up. You don’t need to perform all of them every day — choose two or three as part of a warm-up, or run through the full sequence before practice, training or a round of golf. Move slowly, stay controlled and focus on quality over quantity. The goal isn’t to force range of motion, but to help your body move more efficiently and with less strain. When performed consistently, these stretches can improve posture, enhance rotation and support healthier movement patterns on the course, in the gym and in everyday life.
