All golfers are looking to improve their game. We want to shoot lower scores and reduce our handicap. We want to help the team in a captain’s choice event and we enjoy beating our buddies. The 19th hole is much more fun if you get to talk some trash about your round. The beverages taste better if they’re purchased with money you just won on the course.
With all of that being said, how do you invest in your game? What steps do you take to improve? Do you fill your golf bags with new clubs? Do you spend hours hitting range balls or practicing your putting? Do you have golf accessories taking your skills to the next level? All of these things will help, but you need to keep in mind that the golf swing is a physical activity. Walking the course is a physical activity.
Do you invest in strengthening your body with exercises for golf? The golf swing is a unique body motion that requires strength, rotation, and flexibility. You can design a full body workout that’ll improve your game by performing exercises for golf. We can help you build this program.
Exercises For Golf
Are There Specific Types Of Exercises For Golf?
YES. 100%. Exercises for golf fall into three primary categories. Improve your strength. Improve your flexibility. Improve your balance.
There are specific types of exercises for golf that you can do to work on all three of these items. We recommend developing a robust and diverse workout plan that’ll help you improve in all areas. Below we walk you through our favorite six exercises for golf, but there are many more.
Why You Should Exercise To Improve Your Game
Do you want to play better when you’re on the course? Do you want to be able to comfortably walk 18 holes? Do you want to feel better following the round and the next morning?
If you answered “yes” to all or even some of these questions, you should be doing exercises for golf. There’s no downside. You’ll be improving your overall health and lowering your scores.
Where Do You Seek Professional Guidance On Golf Exercises
In recent years, exercises for golf have become a popular activity and many athletic trainers are now certified in helping golfers improve. The most popular program is TPI (Titleist Performance Institute). Find a trainer in your area. They’ll do golf focused assessment of your body’s performance and build a customized program of exercises for golf. Simply perform your program and enjoy the results.
Another option is to find a training aid that’ll help improve your body and swing. A great example is SuperSpeed. If your primary goal is more swing speed and distance, this is the product to consider. They’ve designed a program that requires 30 minutes two times a week and you’ll quickly start to see more distance off the tee.
How To Do It On Your Own
Are you more of a DIY person? No problem. You can start with the 6 exercises we highlight below, but there’s plenty of additional information available to you.
Determine your personal goals. Do you struggle with strength, flexibility, or stamina? Now do some research to build a program of exercises for golf that you’ll enjoy and will consistently perform.
6 Exercises For Golf To Make You More Competitive
You can find hundreds of exercises for golf, but we’ve picked our favorite six. Give them a try and see what you think.
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Elevated Push Up
What Is It?
Everyone has done some push ups before, but have you tried an elevated push up? The idea is that you do a standard push up, but elevate your hands above your feet. Many people will use a stability ball to get their hands higher than their feet.
A quick warning to golfers related to this exercise. The golf swing can cause some wrist soreness and a push up also puts pressure on the wrist. It’s a great exercise for golf, but pay attention to your body and stop this one if you start to feel pain.
Benefits: How It Helps You Improve Your Game
The benefits of push-ups are that they strengthen the pectoral (chest) muscles and improve stability of soft tissue in the shoulders. This can give you more power and help you better control the club throughout your swing.
How To Do It
Pretty simple. Do a standard push up, but use a stability ball or a different device to elevate your hands. Do them in sets of 10. Start with a lower number of sets and increase over time.
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Hip Crossover
What Is It?
Your hips are critically important to your golf swing. This exercise for golf will help you both strengthen your hips and better control them. A common mistake made by amateur golfers is failing to complete their hip turn through their swing.
Benefits: How It Helps You Improve Your Game
It takes strong hip mobility and control to effectively transition your hips during your swing. The hip crossover will help you learn to control your shoulders and pelvis, and improve your agility when you are driving the golf ball.
How To Do It
To do the hip crossover, lie on your back and lift your knees up to a 90-degree angle, keeping your feet and legs together. Keep your shoulders flat against the ground. Holding this posture, twist your legs at the hip until they touch the ground on one side, and then back to the other side. Perform 2-3 sets of 8-10 reps each.
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Whole Body Rotation
What Is It?
The Whole Body Rotation exercise for golf requires a resistance/training band attached so that you can stand and pull against it.
Benefits: How It Helps You Improve Your Game
This exercise for golf is the most fundamental rotational workout. It strengthens muscles in the core and hips that are critical for generating high-speed rotational force. It’ll also help you create muscle memory that is essential for a consistent golf swing.
How To Do It
Stand sideways to where you have the resistance band attached and hold the grip(s) in front of your body. Take an athletic stance.
Turn your body toward the anchor point so the band slacks. Perform a full-body turn, rotate your body away from the anchor point so the band builds up tension and provides you with resistance. Start slowly to learn the movement and once you have it down, you can add speed and more resistance (a stronger band).
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Dumbbell Bench Press
What Is It?
This one is pretty self-explanatory. You’ll perform a bench press using two dumbbells. If you don’t have a bench, you can try this one from the floor. Do one hand at a time.
Benefits: How It Helps You Improve Your Game
This exercise for golf helps you work on two parts of your golf swing at once. It’ll strengthen your upper body, while also training you to stabilize your core. It’s important that you start with a weight you can handle and increase over time.
How To Do It
You should lie on a weight lifting bench or the floor with an appropriate weight dumbbell in one hand. Simply perform a bench press with this one arm. Do 3 sets of 10 and then switch arms.
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Single Leg Deadlift
What Is It?
This is a simple exercise for golf that’ll help your game in multiple ways. The only equipment you will need is two dumbbells, a kettlebell, or a barbell.
Benefits: How It Helps You Improve Your Game
We love to find exercises for golf that help you in multiple ways. The single leg deadlift is a great example. It helps you improve your balance while building strength. It also addresses a common issue – one side of your body being stronger than the other.
How To Do It
Begin standing with your feet hip-width apart. Hold your two dumbbells in your hands down in front of you. Lean forward using your hips with your weight on one leg, while the other leg starts to extend behind you. Once you complete this motion your body should be in a “T” shape. Now return to your starting position and perform again, but switching legs. This should be a smooth, slow motion.
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Medicine Ball Parallel Throw
What Is It?
This is a fun one. You will need a medicine ball of appropriate weight and a wall that can handle the ball. We like to let out a little yell when we throw the ball.
Benefits: How It Helps You Improve Your Game
As you have probably noticed, many of our exercises for golf focus on your core. Core strength is critical to your swing. The Medicine Ball Parallel Throw will work on your core and help you with rotation and balance.
How To Do It
Standing facing a wall, ~4 feet away from it. Hold the medicine ball at your waist. Rotate your upper body to the right (left if you are left handed) so that the ball is behind your hip. As you throw the ball to the wall, turn your hips (similar to a golf swing). Catch the ball with your arms slightly bent and repeat. Make sure you start with a smaller ball and add weight as you get comfortable with the exercise.
Best Golf Exercise Program For You
The best golf exercise program for you will depend on several factors including your age, your current fitness level, and your golf experience. The key is to find the exercises for golf that you enjoy doing and will consistently perform.
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Design a fun program. Stick with it. Measure your results and record your progress. Before you know it, you’ll be hitting the ball farther, feeling better after your round, and getting more out of the game you love. Not to mention you’ll start to look great in your golfers clothing. Better golf is just around the corner.
