Tiger stretches before teeing off at the AT&T National (AP).

I don’t feel old (most days), but I do turn 41 in September.  Something I and other “mature” golfers struggle with is the loss of flexibility and range of motion in our joints which left unchecked will rob us of trajectory and distance.  Tom Watson’s amazing run thus far in the British Open is testament to the benefits of staying in shape and keeping limber.  CBS showed some swing vision shots of Mr. Watson and his success isn’t the result of some magical fountain of youth.    He is still able to take the club past parallel on the back swing and execute a full finish on the follow through – simply amazing!

We were recently sent a product called The Rotater from Joint Mechanix which is designed to stretch and strengthen the elbow and shoulder muscles and joints.  I’ve incorporated it into my conditioning program and warm up routine before a round.  And the results have been great.

From the manufacturer:  The ROTATER is a revolutionary stretching device that allows you to:  self-stretch your shoulder internally and externally, increase your shoulder’s range of motion, and increase your flexibility for sport-specific activities.  Also, with the new Strong Arm accessory (sold separately), the ROTATER becomes a unique strengthening device.  It captures the elbow and isolates the shoulder muscles making it difficult to cheat.  The ROTATER combined with the Strong Arm provides you with a totally self-contained, portable device to stretch and strengthen your shoulder.

Pros

The package we received included the Rotater, Strong Arm accessory, a demo DVD, and some company materials including testimonials from physical therapists and golf professionals including Long Drive Champions Mike Dobbyn and Bob Orr.

The Rotater sent to us was bright orange (other colors are available) and made of a very durable but slightly flexible hard plastic material.  I also noticed the “Made in the USA” label which is always a plus in my book.  The Strong Arm accessory consists of a handle made from PVC attached to Thera-band resistance tubing.  All of the components seem sturdy and well made.

I started off with the demo video, which wasn’t much help (more on that later).  But, thankfully there are videos on the Joint Mechanix website like the one we’ve included here:

The Rotater is pretty easy to use after some setup and initial trial and error.  Within about 15 minutes I was doing stretches and feeling the burn.  The Rotater is infinitely adjustable.  I’m 6′4, but I was able to find the correct adjustment of the wrist strap and tubing to suit my arm length.

After a couple of weeks using the Rotater, I’ve definitely noticed some benefits.  I’m traditionally a slow starter even after hitting a half bucket on the range before rounds.  I’ve noticed after using the Rotater that my warm up period is much shorter and I’m hitting accurate shots my full distances earlier in the round.  This has resulted in fewer blow up holes on the front nine which have derailed my game before even having a chance to settle in. I’ve also noticed I’m less sore after the completion of rounds which is great when I’m playing back to back during outings and tournaments.

Cons

Really, my only complaint was that the Demo DVD lacked sound except for the main menu.  I tried it both on my DVD player and computer.  This was disappointing and made for a frustrating experience when I was trying to learn how to setup and use the product.

Final Word

Flexibility is one of the keys to a fully functional golf swing and unfortunately we all lose it as we get older unless we take steps to keep it.  Incorporating the Rotater into a stretching and strength training program will help any golfer enhance their performance.  The Rotater retails for $49.95 and the Strong Arm accessory for $11.95.  Both products and other accessories can be ordered online here.