The amount of joint mobility required to perform a golf swing is much more complex than the average golfer realizes. The foot and ankle joints, the entire spine, the elbow joints, the shoulder joints, and the hip joints are just a few of the major players in this game that requires a lot of mobility. Many golf-based therapies or training programs focus on gaining mobility in these joints to avoid injury and increase performance. The oftentimes overlooked x-factor in a golf swing is the ability to stabilize joints as well, with the proper sequence of muscle activation, which allows the golfer the mobility required to perform a good swing, while at the same time providing the all-important stability platform for the joints to avoid injury and explode off of to increase the speed and power of a swing. It is not as simple as "more mobility is good and more stability is bad" or vice versa. Think of the two as more of a "good cop/bad cop" routine; a regular Riggs and Murtaugh if you will (There will be lots of Lethal Weapon references in this one folks). Separate, the two have their faults and can't perform the job perfectly, but together the two get the job done; each keeping the other in check. The two forces need to be in balance. A lack of balance in mobility and stability in the hip joints can lead to not just hip pain in a golfer, but lower and mid back pain, knee pain, foot and ankle pain, and even shoulder pain!
