[Jeff]

Bucket - there are formal tests for spine flexibility that measure flexion/extension, lateral flexion and rotation of different sections of the spine (cervical, thoracic and lumbar).

However, in a general sense, there are two important informal tests that I think are useful to assess whether a golfer has good spine flexibility.

1) Adopt the standard golfer's bent-over posture with the arms folded across the chest, and turn the hips to at least 45-50 degrees while maximally turning the shoulders around the bent-over spine in a standard backswing motion. The shoulder turn should be 90-110 degrees if one has sufficient spinal flexibility (presuming that other factors [eg. barrel chest, overweight central torso] aren't limiting torso rotation). I unfortiunately, can only rotate to 70 degrees despite a full hip turn.

2) Repeat the above test and get to the end-backswing position. Then have a friend place his right hand palm over the front of the right shoulder to prevent the shoulders turning (with your friend standing behind you). Then start an imaginary downswing pivot action by shift-rotating the pelvis (hip squaring action). If you can square the pelvis (representing a 45-50 pelvic rotation), without your friend "feeling" a tremendous pull force on his right palm, then you have a very flexible spine (good hula flexibility). If you friend "feels" a significant pull-force against his right hand palm, but you can still square the hips, then you have moderate hula flexibility. If you are inflexible like me, then you will not be able to square the hips without the shoulders immediately turning in a rounhousing manner- that represents very poor hula flexibility.

Jeff.