Why screen the body first
Most swing problems are physical, not technical
When a golfer can’t hold posture through the backswing or stops rotating halfway
into the follow-through, the usual assumption is that it’s a technique issue. Often
it isn’t. If a joint doesn’t have the range the swing is asking for, the body finds
another way to get the club to the ball — and that substitute pattern is what shows
up on video as a swing fault.
Drilling a position your body physically can’t reach reinforces the compensation
instead of removing it. Over enough repetitions, the compensation becomes the injury.
The screen exists to separate the two problems, so you know which one you actually have.
Restrictions come from several sources — joint stiffness, motor control, strength
deficits, and adhesion in the soft tissue that limits how a muscle glides and lengthens.
Adhesion is the one most often missed, and it responds to
Active Release Techniques soft tissue work
rather than stretching.
The body–swing link
What a restriction turns into
These are the pairings the screen is looking for. The left side is a physical finding.
The right side is what golfers usually notice first.
Early extension — standing up through impact
If the lead hip can’t clear, the pelvis pushes toward the ball to make room.
Commonly presents alongside low back pain.
Golf injury treatment →
Flat shoulder plane and lost distance
The most frequently restricted region in the golfers screened here. When the
thoracic spine won’t turn, the lumbar spine and lead shoulder absorb the demand.
Loss of posture and inconsistent contact
Sequencing depends on the pelvis and rib cage moving independently. When they
move as one block, power leaks and the strike wanders.
Weight stuck on the trail side
Weight transfer starts at the ground. Restricted ankles change how force can be
produced before the hips ever get involved.
Flying elbow and lead-side wrist strain
Shoulder range dictates what the arms can do at the top. When it’s short, the
wrists and elbows compensate — a common route into golfer’s elbow.
The assessment
All 16 items, grouped by what they test
The screen runs in four blocks. Nothing here requires golf-specific fitness — these
are movement tests, and you can do them in normal clothes.
Pelvis and lower body
Where power is generated and weight is transferred.
- Pelvic tilt control — can you move the pelvis independently of the spine?
- Pelvic rotation control — turning the hips without the shoulders following.
- Hip rotation, both sides — internal and external range, measured seated and lying.
- Ankle dorsiflexion — how much forward shin travel is available over the foot.
Spine and rotation
The single most common source of swing-limiting restriction.
- Seated trunk rotation — mid-back turn isolated from the hips.
- Lower quarter rotation — hip and pelvis turn isolated from the torso.
- Neck rotation — head position and sightline through the turn.
- Toe touch — how the spine and hamstrings share a forward bend.
Shoulders, arms and wrists
Club-face control, and the usual site of overuse injury.
- Overhead reach — shoulder range with the spine held still.
- Reach, roll and lift — shoulder mobility separated from mid-back movement.
- Forearm rotation — palm-up and palm-down range at the elbow.
- Wrist flexion and extension — range and pain response through impact positions.
Stability under load
Range is only useful if you can control it.
- Overhead deep squat — whole-chain mobility and control in one movement.
- Single-leg balance — stability through each phase of the swing.
- Bridge with leg extension — hip and core control on one side at a time.
- 90/90 shoulder position — holding the trail arm where the backswing needs it.
Findings are recorded so the same tests can be repeated later. Re-screening is how we
confirm a restriction actually changed, rather than assuming it did.
Your appointment
What happens, in order
-
Your history and your goal
What hurts, what your instructor has been working on, how often you play, where
you play, and what you want out of the season. A golfer chasing distance and a
golfer trying to finish 18 holes without back pain get different plans. -
The 16-item screen
Every item above, both sides where it applies. Results are recorded, not estimated,
so there’s a baseline to measure against. -
Mapping findings to your swing
We connect each restriction to the swing characteristic it predicts, and to any pain
you came in with. This is where the screen stops being a fitness test and starts
being useful. -
Identifying the cause of each restriction
A short range is a finding, not a diagnosis. Joint restriction, adhesion in soft
tissue, a control problem, and a strength deficit all look similar on a screen and
need completely different treatment. Hands-on assessment sorts them. -
Your priority list
You leave with a ranked plan — what to treat, what to train, and what to leave
alone for now. Trying to fix everything at once is the fastest way to fix nothing.
Deliverables
What you leave with
- A written record of all 16 findings, with left and right compared.
- The specific swing characteristics your restrictions are most likely producing.
- A ranked list of what to address first, and the reasoning behind the order.
- Corrective work you can start immediately, matched to your findings rather than a generic mobility routine.
- A treatment plan if restrictions need hands-on work, or a training plan if they need loading — usually some of both.
- Something concrete you can hand to your swing instructor, so you’re both working from the same information.
After the screen
Two directions, same starting point
The screen is the front door for both paths. Which one you walk through depends on
what it finds.
Golf injury treatment
If pain is limiting your play
Hands-on treatment for the restrictions and tissue changes behind low back pain,
golfer’s elbow, lead wrist pain, and hip or shoulder limitation — with the goal of
keeping you on the course while it resolves where that’s safe.
Golf fitness and performance training
If you’re healthy but capped
Programming built from your screen findings — rotational power, hip and mid-back
mobility, and ground force production. Extended online programming is available
through Kinetix Golf Performance.
Lake Travis and West Austin
Golfers we screen play here
The clinic is in Spicewood, inside CrossFit Lake Travis — roughly 10 to 20 minutes from
most courses in the corridor. Golfers travel in from Lakeway, Bee Cave, Briarcliff,
Steiner Ranch, Four Points, West Lake Hills and Marble Falls.
- Spanish Oaks
- Falconhead
- Barton Creek Lakeside
- The Hills
- Lakecliff
- River Place
- Loraloma
- UT Golf Club
Working with a teaching professional at any of these? Bring their notes. The screen is
most useful when it’s read alongside what your instructor is already seeing.
Common questions
Before you book
Do I need to be in pain to get a movement screen?
No. A large share of golfers who book the screen have no pain at all — they’ve hit a
ceiling and want to know whether it’s physical. Restrictions limit performance long
before they cause symptoms, which is the main argument for screening early rather
than after something hurts.
How is this different from a lesson with my swing instructor?
An instructor works from the club and ball flight inward. This screen works from your
body outward. Your instructor can see that you’re standing up through impact; the
screen tests whether your hips physically allow the alternative. The two are
complementary, and the screen is designed to produce something you can hand to your
coach.
What should I wear and how long does it take?
Normal athletic clothes you can move in — nothing restrictive at the waist or
shoulders. Plan for a single focused visit that covers history, all 16 items, and going
through the findings with you. No swing is filmed and no clubs are needed.
Will you tell me to stop playing?
Rarely, and only when continuing would make a specific problem worse. The default
approach is to modify volume and intensity rather than prescribe rest, because most
golfers won’t stop anyway and a plan they’ll actually follow works better than one
they won’t.
What if the screen finds nothing?
That’s a useful result. If your physical movement is clear, the issue is more likely
technical or equipment-related, and you’ll be told that directly rather than sold
treatment you don’t need. Knowing where the problem isn’t narrows the search.
What qualifies you to run this?
Dr. Matt Centofonti is a licensed Doctor of Chiropractic in Texas, holds Titleist
Performance Institute Level 2 certification in both the Medical and Fitness tracks,
and is Full Body certified in Active Release Techniques. The dual TPI Level 2
combination means injury assessment and performance programming come from the same
provider in the same appointment, rather than being split between two.
Does insurance cover it?
Kinetix Sport + Spine is a cash-based, out-of-network clinic, so the golf movement screen is self-pay rather than billed through insurance — no contracts and no packages. Reach out and we’ll share current pricing before you book.
Credentials: Licensed Doctor of Chiropractic, State of Texas ·
TPI Level 2 Medical · TPI Level 2 Fitness · Full Body Active Release Techniques certified.
Find out what your body is actually allowing
One appointment, sixteen findings, and a ranked plan for what to fix first.
Same-week appointments are usually available.
Kinetix Sport + Spine · 5324 Reimers-Peacock Rd, Spicewood TX 78669 · Inside CrossFit Lake Travis.
Educational content only; not medical advice. Performance training delivered through
Kinetix Golf Performance (kinetix.golf) is fitness and coaching in nature and separate
from clinical chiropractic services.