Low Back Pain and Your Golf Swing: What’s Really Going On

Low back pain is the most common injury among golfers, and for good reason. The golf swing is a powerful, complex movement that places significant stress on the spine

— especially when it’s repeated over and over without proper physical preparation. As the season starts and rounds increase, it’s not uncommon for back pain to show up quickly, especially if your body isn’t conditioned to handle that workload.

To put it in perspective, your low back experiences compressive forces up to 8x your body weight during a golf swing. For comparison, walking produces less than 2x and jumping in place is about 5x. That’s a massive demand on your spine, especially if you’ve been less active in the off-season or haven’t been working on mobility and strength. Simply ramping up your frequency of rounds or range sessions too quickly can flare things up.

But here’s where it gets more complicated: sometimes, it’s not just a lack of strength or conditioning that’s the issue — it’s your swing mechanics themselves. If your unique swing pattern is placing unnecessary stress on your lumbar spine, you could keep running into pain no matter how strong or mobile you are.

Let’s break down the two most common swing characteristics that are known to overload the low back:

1. Early Extension

Early extension happens when the hips move toward the ball during the downswing. When this occurs, the lower back often compensates by bending and side-flexing more than it should. This adds a significant amount of stress to the lumbar spine, especially because the spine has less range of motion in side-bending compared to forward flexion.

This movement tends to become even more exaggerated during powerful swings — like when hitting a driver — because of the added speed and force.

Why do golfers early extend?

There are a few common reasons:

Hip mobility restrictions: If the hips can't rotate well, the pelvis pushes forward instead of turning.

Over-the-top swings: Golfers trying to correct steep swing paths may instinctively stand up and push their hips forward to get the club back on plane.

While early extension isn’t always a problem — some elite players even do it to an extent — it can cause pain when repeated frequently, especially if the underlying mobility or swing issues aren’t addressed.

2. Reverse Spine Angle

This is a big one when it comes to predicting low back pain. A reverse spine angle occurs when a golfer leans their upper body toward the target at the top of the backswing. Instead of rotating around the spine, the golfer tilts excessively, loading the back in extension and side-bending before transitioning into the downswing.

The issue? The spine has to reverse that position quickly — moving from extension into flexion and side-bending at high speeds. This rapid movement under load creates a high-risk situation for the lumbar spine.

Common causes include:

• Limited hip mobility

• Poor core stability or control

• A misunderstanding of how proper rotation should feel

Unlike early extension, reverse spine angle is rarely a “style” choice — it’s almost always a red flag. Even if you aren’t currently experiencing back pain, this swing fault is something you’ll want to address proactively.

How to Know What’s Causing Your Pain (or Prevent It Before It Starts)

Addressing low back pain in golf requires more than just strengthening your core or stretching your hamstrings. It requires understanding the relationship between your body and your swing.

That’s where a professional assessment comes in. Working with a Titleist Performance Institute (TPI)-certified professional allows you to look at your physical limitations and your swing mechanics. Are your hips mobile enough? Is your core stable? Are your swing patterns placing unnecessary stress on your spine? These are questions that can’t be answered just by guessing or copying what works for someone else.

With a full evaluation, you can get a clear plan that addresses your unique body and movement patterns — so you’re not only playing pain-free but also optimizing your performance on the course.