The back isn't always the problem
When golfers come in with low back pain, the instinct is usually to treat the back directly — and hands-on treatment for the irritated area is part of the plan. But in a lot of cases, the low back is doing more work than it should because rotation is restricted somewhere else in the chain: the hips, the thoracic spine, or both. These five drills target the mobility gaps we see most often in golfers, and they're a reasonable starting point whether you're dealing with an active flare-up (once cleared to move) or trying to prevent one.
1. Open-book thoracic rotation
Lie on your side with your knees bent to 90 degrees and your arms stacked out in front of you. Keeping your knees stacked and stationary, rotate your top arm up and across your body toward the floor behind you, following it with your eyes, then return to start. This isolates thoracic rotation without letting the low back or hips compensate, which is exactly the movement most golfers are missing when the "book" won't open very far.
Do 8–10 slow repetitions per side, focusing on the end range rather than speed.
2. Half-kneeling hip flexor and rotation stretch
Kneel with one knee down and the opposite foot planted in front, both at 90 degrees. Gently tuck your pelvis and shift your weight forward until you feel a stretch in the front of the hip on the down-knee side, then add a small rotation toward the front leg. This targets the hip flexor tightness that's extremely common from sitting, and the added rotation component mimics some of the hip turn demanded in the backswing and downswing.
Hold 20–30 seconds per side, 2–3 rounds.
3. 90/90 hip switches
Sit on the floor with both knees bent to 90 degrees, one leg in front of you and one out to the side. Without using your hands, rotate both legs to switch sides, moving through the middle with control. This drill builds both mobility and the strength to control your hip rotation actively — not just passively stretched range that doesn't transfer to the swing.
Aim for 8–10 controlled switches, focusing on smooth control rather than speed.
4. Standing rotational reach with a club
Hold a golf club across your chest, hands crossed over the shaft. From an athletic stance, rotate your upper body away from the target as far as you comfortably can, keeping your hips relatively stable, then return and rotate the other direction. This builds working rotational range in a position closer to your actual swing than lying-down drills alone.
Do 10 slow reps per side, prioritizing full range over speed.
5. Bird dog with a pause
From a hands-and-knees position, extend one arm forward and the opposite leg back, keeping your low back neutral and core engaged. Pause for 2–3 seconds at full extension before returning. This is less about mobility and more about the low back stability that lets the hips and thoracic spine do the rotating without the low back picking up the slack.
Do 8 reps per side, prioritizing a stable low back over how far you reach.
Putting it together
A simple routine — the open-book, the half-kneeling stretch, and the 90/90 switches — done most days for 10 minutes, plus the standing rotational reach and bird dog worked in 2–3 times a week, is enough to start making a real difference for most golfers. The goal isn't just looser hips and a looser mid-back in isolation; it's giving your swing rotation to pull from other than your low back.
If you've been consistent with mobility work for several weeks and the pain hasn't budged — or it showed up suddenly and hasn't improved at all — that's usually a sign something more specific is going on that a golf-specific movement assessment can identify. Our Golf Performance Program builds a plan around your actual swing and restrictions rather than a generic list, which is often the difference between mobility work that helps and mobility work that just feels good in the moment.
