The Swing Thoughts Helping Nashville Golfers Unlock More Power and Accuracy
In this article, I want to share a conversation I recently had with a Nashville golfer I’ve been working with. Like many dedicated players, his goal wasn’t just to play pain-free—it was to build the most efficient, repeatable, and powerful swing possible while managing the tightness and minor aches that seem to resurface season after season.
He knew the power was there. The challenge was accessing it consistently and pairing it with accuracy. As we progressed through his treatment and training plan, something interesting happened. Not only did he retest well on mobility and movement screens, but he also began playing some of the best golf of his life—even while playing less and shifting more of his focus toward his work.
Recently in the clinic, he mentioned how his swing thoughts have evolved since we started working together, and how those changes have unlocked both freedom and performance in his swing. Those thoughts—and the physical qualities that support them—are what I want to break down here. I’ll also share a few key movements and exercises that helped him access these improvements and continue building a resilient, powerful golf swing.
The Swing Thought
“I try to pull myself back, thinking about how the lower half coils me back and turn with my arms in the back swing. Then, all my attention shifts back to my arms. I try to pull as hard as I can, almost like I want to hit the ball straight behind me while keeping my belt buckle behind the ball. Feeling my lower half coil as we’ve worked on has been critical in the backswing, but I’ve learned that if I think too much about my lower half in the downswing it gets too quick and I spine out. So, I feel all the range of motion and deep joint coil in the pelvis and hips in the backswing, then unleash my hands and arms in the downswing.”
There are a few key points here. First, by addressing the severely lacking hip and pelvis mobility restrictions he had, we made his feel of turning deep in the hip possible in the backswing. Second, by addressing thoracic spine rotation and weight shifting in the lower half, we have made it possible to focus on creating speed and power from the upper half while the lower half does naturally.
How to Master these sensations and thoughts
First, how did we create the ability to coil and turn into his trail side so effectively when he had been missing this for years prior? How did we address weight shift, trunk rotation, and lat muscle and shoulder strength? How did we improve the elastic/ passive or “x-factor” type qualities in his hip, pelvis, and trunk to allow his lower half to generate speed in the downswing without having to focus on it?
Improving the coil in the golf swing
Here are 3 fantastic movements for improving the coil or pelvic and hip mobility for the golf swing. It is important to know that foot mobility or the ability to work through supination and pronation is critical for allowing the joints above (like the hip) to turn without creating compensations at the ground.
Toes off pronation and supination drill
2. Into hip kettlebell swing
3. Side heel med ball slam
For more on this, check out the dedicated article on creating the pivot in the golf swing:
-Why the pivot is critical for the golf swing
Improving trunk rotation in the golf swing
Here are 3 drills and exercises that proved effective at improving this golfers runway through trunk rotation in the golf swing while also improving and integrating lat muscle and shoulder strength through the downswing.
3d band rotation
2. FRC thoracic rotation drill
3. Split squat med ball slam
Together, these drills work together to generate spine and trunk rotation along with training the shoulder to create width before returning with speed and power. Check out this article for more on working through spinal mobility for the golf swing.
-4 movements to improve spinal mobility for the golf swing
Conclusion
This golfer’s progress is a great reminder that effective swing thoughts don’t exist in a vacuum—they’re only as useful as the physical capacity behind them. His ability to “feel” a deep coil in the backswing and then free up the arms in the downswing wasn’t created by a new cue alone. It was earned by restoring hip and pelvic mobility, improving trunk rotation, and building the strength and control needed to sequence those movements without forcing them.
When the lower half has the range of motion and stability to load properly, it no longer needs to be consciously driven in the downswing. Speed can be created and expressed through the arms and upper body without early extension, loss of posture, or the feeling of spinning out. In other words, the body does its job so the swing thought can stay simple.
For golfers dealing with recurring tightness, inconsistent ball striking, or the sense that power is “there but unreliable,” the takeaway is clear: chase capacity before chasing cues. Address the physical limitations that restrict how you load, rotate, and transfer force, and the right swing thoughts often reveal themselves naturally.
The drills and movements outlined here are a starting point for building that foundation. When mobility, strength, and motor control are aligned, golfers don’t have to think harder—they swing freer, faster, and with far more consistency.
-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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