[Bagger Lance]

However, I did take a serious two week full time trainer course about a million years ago. So I know what this is about. The guy that taught us about muscles and power said that: A weight lifter that ... /does this move/... will be able to lift a heavier weight, but it may/will damage his back. He also said that a lot of the world class lifters did this.

You're looking for a healthy lift here, with a straight back. It will shorten your ball striking unless you have a very specific fitness regime to make up for the disadvantage. But it may give you more years. Personally I don't think golf is as hazardious to the spine as weight lifting.

You may be right but I don't think either activity; lifting or golf is bad for the back unless you are making the wrong move. In weightlifting, any rounding of the spine, lower back or upper has a high probablity of injury. Good lifters never round the back. They focus on a neutral or slightly arched back. And by focus, I mean a conscious awareness. In squats and deadlifts a rounded spine will sideline you in a hurry.

In golf, the spine should stay the neutral or even slightly arched. Rounding plus twisting is also a formula for injury.

So why do we goat hump? I think Drew is right from an intent standpoint. If your intent is to hit the ball rather than swing through it, there is a tendency to release everything early and stop the pivot at impact. Practice the drill the Drew showed you. You can also set up with a golf bag, small chair or something against your butt and keep it there during an acquired motion swing. The extreme is getting your weight to the heels and rotating from there. Chances are good you will experience a later release by "sitting on the chair" and pivoting your swing around the chair. The chair only moves along the base of the plane line.

Never, ever round the back. Especially when twisting.