Been reading this forum for a while and there's a pattern I can't unsee. Half the threads here are people looking for a mechanical fix to something that's really just a strength and mobility problem in disguise.
I'm 41, played since I was like 8. Spent a solid 6 years chasing speed with drills. Lag drills, ground force stuff, that whole rabbit hole. Then my back started hurting and I got tired of it, so I started lifting twice a week and doing actual hip mobility work, mostly because I wanted to not be in pain. Driver ball speed went up 7 mph over about 4 months. Didn't touch my swing. Irons gained less, but it was still noticeable, maybe half a club.
Not saying technique doesn't matter. It obviously does. But there's a real ceiling on how much a guy who can't turn his hips 40 degrees is gonna 'technique' his way into a tour move. You can't sequence a swing you don't have the mobility to make.
Things that actually moved the needle for me:
- Goblet squats and deadlifts, nothing fancy
- Hip 90/90 stretches every night while watching TV
- Some rotational stuff with a band, 5 minutes
Roast me if you want. Just curious if anyone else has noticed this or if I'm just old and projecting my own back problems onto the forum.