Everything You Need To Know About Stretching
It’s one of the most common things I hear from Nashville golfers who are dealing with pain or trying to drop a few strokes off their handicap: “I know I need to stretch more.”
But here’s the truth I’ve been hinting at through a series of articles this past year — you probably don’t need to stretch more. In this post, we’ll recap and simplify everything I’ve shared about flexibility, mobility, and what really matters when it comes to improving your golf performance and staying pain-free.
Will stretching improve performance?
Let’s clear this up right away — stretching will not improve your golf performance. In fact, long-duration static stretching can actually reduce your power and speed output, both of which are critical for distance and control. This has been well-documented for years across both sports science and performance research.
Whether you’re lifting, swinging, or sprinting down the fairway, holding static stretches before activity temporarily decreases your ability to generate force and move explosively. So, if performance is the goal, stretching before play can actually work against you.
For more on this and better pre-round prep strategies, check out these articles:
Will stretching reduce my pain?
Also unlikely. Pain and tightness rarely come from a muscle that’s simply “too short.” Instead, they’re often the result of your nervous system limiting movement as a protective response.
The sensation of tightness or restricted motion doesn’t usually mean you need to “pull” the muscle longer — it means your body doesn’t feel safe in that position. To create lasting change, you need to load those positions under control, using strength and stability to teach your body that it’s okay to move there.
Static stretching won’t accomplish that. But mobility and strength training through lengthened, weight-bearing positions will.
Learn more in these related articles:
Will stretching improve my mobility?
Flexibility — maybe.
Mobility — not likely.
You might notice short-term gains in flexibility immediately after stretching, but those benefits fade quickly. And, as mentioned earlier, they come at the cost of reduced power output.
Mobility, on the other hand, is your usable, controlled range of motion — the range you can access and apply under load. True mobility improvements come from strength training through range, not passive stretching.
For deeper insight, check out these posts:
Putting it all together
You’re not wrong to think improving your range of motion will help you coil, rotate, and swing more efficiently. If you feel pain, tightness, or compensation when you try to turn — like early extension or loss of posture — improving how your body moves is absolutely the right idea.
The key is how you go about it. Stretching alone won’t solve the problem and can even work against your performance goals. Instead, focus on mobility training that incorporates load, control, and movement through real-world golf positions.
When pain prevents you from effectively performing these drills — or you want guidance on building a golf-specific plan that actually improves performance — give us a call at Integrated Rehab and Performance Center.
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-Dr. Nick DC, MS, TPI, CSCS
If you would like to learn more about your body, pain, and performance, send Dr. Nick an email at contact@integratedrpc.com or call at (585)478-4379, or schedule a FREE discovery visit at Contact.
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