The Most Effective Exercises To Get In Shape For Golf!

Introduction

In any sport, you need to have the adequate fitness to be able to perform at your absolute best. Reaching this means not only taking the time to practice, but the time to train as well.

Like many other sports, golf also requires a lot of time and effort outside playing the sport itself. While for most beginners, or newbies to golf, it may not seem like a sport that requires a lot of physical attention. You may not think that it requires muscular strength, or training to reach your full potential, but to think this you would be wrong.

Golf, like anything else, means doing exercise off the green and in your spare time. In fact, golf uses many more muscles than we think, from our arms, to our legs, to our core. All sports require physical activity, and where there is physical activity, there must be training for the muscles involved.

What Golf Involves

Unlike sports such as football, baseball, basketball, and so on, golf is often considered to be a rather passive sport. We do not picture professional golfers hitting the gym to keep up their muscles and strength, but they do, and it is necessary to do so.

In reality, golf incorporates a lot of cardiovascular exercise, strength training, as well as balance and coordination. There are many health benefits to golf if you do it right, and it is as much about all of these aspects as it is about how you swing your clubs.

When we watch golf, it looks really relaxing, and if we play a game casually, it might not seem so physically demanding, but if you want to play it more seriously you have to think about the physical aspects too.

Professional golfers have to put a lot of time and effort into building and maintaining their physical fitness so that when they play a game, they are in peak condition. So, what does it involve?

Walking

It might not look like it when you watch a game of golf on the TV, but one of the best parts of golf, in terms of fitness, is the large amount of cardiovascular activity involved in it. If you really take some time to think about it, a majority of golf courses are actually spread out over multiple acres of hilly grounds.

This means that walking across a golf course is a great way to give your cardiovascular system the boost it really needs. For those who do not know, cardiovascular exercise is generally the kind of fitness you did as a kid; walking, running, jogging, swimming, biking. You do not need to go to the gym for this, it’s just normal, daily exercise you can fit in anywhere.

Okay, admittedly, a lot of people at the golf course will use a golf cart, but if you walk instead, you are going to reap all kinds of cardiovascular benefits, much like you would get from going for a jog or a run.

Strength Training

Are you surprised that this is on here? We aren’t. This is another reason why golfing consists of more exercise than you might think. The large amounts of strength training that actually go on in the game might surprise you. Swinging a golf club is not very difficult from a strength training point of view. Yet, of course, you must remember how many valleys and hills these golf courses have.

And an increase in your strength can bring an increase in your average driving distance off the tee box, or help you get those wedge distances more accurately dialed in by having a more repeatable strong swing.

So, when you carry your clubs up these hills, you are sure to be working your quads and hamstrings, which will help to build up muscle in your lower body. Let’s not forget lifting your clubs and carrying them around. It might sound exhausting, but it is amazing strength training.

Balance

This is another one that might sound rather unusual. However, balance is key in every aspect of our lives, and we are constantly using muscles to maintain our balance. One of the best types of exercise that you get from playing golf is an increase in your ability to stay balanced. It is not only hard to achieve great balance, but it is also important.

Those who have a great sense of balance will often have a strong core; which includes the abdominals, lower back muscles, and even buttocks. These muscles work in tandem to prevent back pain, falls, and dangerous circumstances.

Improving balance is always significant, and you should take every opportunity to do so, and this is where golf comes in.

Concentration

Physical exercise is not the only exercise that you need. We often forget about that big muscle within us that helps us do absolutely everything… The brain. Exercising your brain is incredibly important, it is important for a long life, and for the prevention of brain degradation which can result in memory loss and serious diseases such as Alzheimer’s, and Dementia. Golf forces you to remember numbers, images, tips, and techniques, this makes it a fantastic way to train your mind too.

Memory is indispensable and there are many ways that you can keep exercising your brain, however, if you are already playing golf to get physical exercise, note that it will also provide you with mental exercises as well. Especially when using your brain to dial in your golf course strategy.

Effective Exercises to Get in Shape for Golf

You do not always necessarily need to hit the gym to stay in shape, you can do plenty of other exercises to keep yourself fit for your golfing games, many of which you can do at home.

However, if you do want to use the gym, you can as well.

There are plenty of simple and complex exercises you can do at home or at the gym that will have a stellar positive impact on your golf game.

You can be any age, size, shape, gender, or fitness level to do these. We include a variety of exercises, so there is something for every type of golfer in our list!

Split Squats

Split squats are a lower-body exercise that focuses on improving your mobility, stability, and strength. The narrow stance in this type of squat, reduces your base of support and challenges your stability, helping you work on your balance.

In this exercise, you are primarily working out the front of your leg, so it is important that you keep the vast majority of your weight centered over the middle of your front foot.

You separate your legs, with one in front of the other so your legs form a triangle shape from the side, bending at the knees you go down and then push back up. As you lower yourself do not let your back knee touch the ground, instead lower yourself until your knee is nearly at the floor, but not touching.

Dead Bug

Dead bugs are an absolutely fantastic exercise for people who are looking to strengthen their core. It is important to gain strength in your midsection, in order to properly transfer power from your lower body into your upper body when you are swinging your clubs in golf.

During the dead bug exercise, you absolutely must keep your lower back flat against the ground. Doing this means that you are properly working out your abdominals. It can be so easy to use your back muscles instead of your abs, yet even though your back muscles are a part of your core, you want to focus on strengthening those abs in this exercise.

Lay down flat on your back, with your arms above you, pointing at the ceiling, and your legs above you, as if you were sitting on a chair. Lower your arm and leg on one opposite of your body slowly, then raise back up, then do the same with the opposite side. (i.e. lower your left leg and right arm, raise your left leg and right arm, then lower your right leg and left arm, raise your right leg and left arm, etc.)

Push-ups

Push-ups are one of the most common exercises included in many work-out regimes, and there is a reason for this. When they are performed properly, push-ups can be incredibly beneficial to our overall strength, and in golf, they can bring extra strength to the table in the golf swing.

To correctly set up to do push-ups, you must place your hands beneath your body at shoulder width. You should also position your feet at shoulder width as well. Squeeze your core and go to the top of a plank.

Ensure that throughout the exercise you maintain a neutral spine. Your body should move as one solid piece with a continual tempo, ensuring that you work on the correct muscles. Push-ups are basically just moving planks.

To make sure that your push-ups are using your full range of motion, your chest and hips should touch the floor as you lower yourself.

Some people might find push-ups too difficult. If this is the case, elevate onto the side of a sofa or table with your hands. The higher up your hands are, the easier it will be.

Pelvic Rotation

Think about it, when you watch pro golfers, one of the biggest differences you will see between them and leisure golfers is how amazingly well they manage to separate their hips from their upper body as they start the downswing. This separation stretches their torso muscles, therefore loading them with power and helping their overall swing sequence.

When you do a pelvic rotation, ensure that you rotate your hips, while still keeping your upper body still.

Pelvic rotations are an amazing way to improve your mobility. Mobility is required to create that very vital separation we are talking about. You will likely feel a big stretch in your obliques, which are the muscles you will find on the sides of your midsection.

Full Body Turn

Another exercise that will assist in that swing, a full body turn. This is a brilliant exercise to do that will improve your rotation in the back swing, and will improve your flexibility in your trail shoulder too. As you use your golf club when playing, why not incorporate it into this exercise. Using a golf club can actually assist your turn and help you to go even further than you would otherwise.

As you do this exercise, you are likely to feel a stretch around your ribs, your middle-back, and your shoulders.

This is a brilliant exercise to do before you play a round of golf, or just before you hit the range.

Mini-band Walking Forward

This workout is one that helps to target the core, which is one of the most important, but also weaker parts of the body used in golf.

Using a mini-band in your walk forward will help because the resistance of the stretch bands against your legs helps to activate and strengthen your glutes, which are part of your core and help you in maintaining a stable base when you swing.

Do to this exercise, simply place a mini-band around your legs, just above the knee, and place another around your ankles. Walk forwards in small steps, keeping your knees bent and alternating your elbows, driving them backward with each step you take.

Be sure to keep your back straight and knees over your toes at all times. This will help to strengthen your whole core.

Mini-bank Walk Sideways

This workout is one that helps to target the core, which is one of the most important, but also weaker parts of the body used in golf.

Be sure to keep your back straight and knees over your toes at all times. This will help to strengthen your whole core.

Hip Crossovers

Hip crossovers are another fantastic workout to do. Twisting the lower body will help to stretch the muscles and tendons in the hips and back. Stretching is important and is a workout in itself, as well as being very good for the muscles. Doing this simulates the torque you put on the hip region when you are at the top of a backswing, as well as during the follow through.

To properly do a hip crossover, lay face up on the ground with your arms besides you. Keep your knees bent and have your feet just wider than shoulder-width apart. Keeping your heels on the ground, twist your bent legs to the left, until they reach the ground, then twist them again to the right. Continue doing this, keeping your shoulders on the ground and your abdominals tight.

This exercise is not dissimilar to some Pilates exercises that will assist in easing back pain, as it helps to release and stretch out tight muscles in the back.

Glute Bridges

Next up, glutes bridges, an exercise that is fantastic to use if you are working on your glute muscles (your buttocks). These muscles are very big, and you can add variation to this to get more from it.

It is an incredible glute exercise that also helps to strengthen the muscles in your hamstrings and lower back. The extended position is not dissimilar to the position golfers get into when they thrust their hips toward the target through impact.

When you do this, lay face up with your arms stretched out to your sides, keep your knees bent and your toes off the ground pointing diagonally. Squeeze your glutes (buttocks) and thrust your hips upwards until your torso is in a straight line. So, if someone were to draw a line from your shoulders to your knees, it would be straight.

If you regularly do these, you may find that they do not quite hit the spot anymore. You can get weighted belts that you tie around your waist, which you can add to this exercise. Velcro ones are the best as they can attach to your clothing. Ensure that it is safe to use, as you do not want a weighted belt hitting you in the face as you perform this exercise.

Inverted Hamstring Stretch

This is a great one to try if you are feeling confident, and want to really focus not only on your core, but also your balance.

Although the hamstrings are not technically a part of the core muscles, they do allow you to fire up your core muscles properly during the swing if they are flexible enough. Hamstrings also help you to maintain your posture during the swing and assist in the effective transfer of weight.

In many cases tight hamstrings are linked to lower-back pain as well, so even if you do not feel the need to do these exercises for golf, they are a great exercise to eliminate lower back pain.

To do this exercise, stand on your left leg only, with your arms extended out from your sides. Bend over at your waist, and raise your right leg so it is behind you and parallel to the ground. As you feel the hamstring stretch in your left leg (your standing leg), return to your starting position and switch legs. For this you are attempting to make your body horizontal (or nearly) while standing on only one foot, in order to stretch out the muscle.

Quad Rocking

Quad rocking is an exercise that mobilizes your hips more, therefore allowing you to perform better throughout each swing. This is an exercise that is beneficial in other ways, as it also strengthens your lower back and releases stresses that may be placed upon it as you play a round of golf.

To perform the quad rock, get into a position on all fours with your hands below your shoulder and your knees beneath your hips. Try to pull your belly button into your spine while, at the same time, maintaining the natural curve in your lower back. As you do this, move your hips backward until you start to feel your pelvis rotating. Return to your starting position and then repeat.

As you do this, try to hold your pelvis still as you perform the exercise and breathe normally as you do this.

The World’s Best Stretch

The name really makes it sound awesome, doesn’t it? Well, it is. This stretch lengthens nearly each and every muscle in your core, as well as key muscles attached to the core, including; hamstrings, and upper back muscles. Doing this stretch will increase the amount that you can turn as you play.

To perform the world’s best stretch, stand with your back straight and your arms to your sides. Step forwards into a lunge with your right foot. Now, place your left hand on the ground and bring your right elbow toward the inside of your right foot, now hold this stretch for two seconds. Next, rotate your right arm and chest towards the sky, go as far as you can without hurting yourself, and hold this position for two second.

Then take your elbow back and down towards your instep, and reach through to the opposite side. Place your right hand outside your right foot, and then repeat.

Ensure that you always keep your back knee off of the ground, and that you contract/ squeeze your glute muscles as you do this.

As you do this, try to hold your pelvis still as you perform the exercise and breathe normally as you do this.

Lateral Squat

Lateral squats are another exercise that work on strengthening core muscles as well as helping you strengthen muscles that assist with balance.

Lateral squats stretch out the hip adductors (the muscles on your inner thigh), your glutes, groin, hamstrings, and they also strengthen your quads too.

Legs play a very important role in providing enough power for a golf swing, however, power is not everything, and they need to be more elastic as well as powerful. This is essentially an exercise that helps you to build up strength in your lower core muscles.

So, how should you do this? Stand with your feet spread slightly wider than your shoulders, and shift your hips to the right and then down by bending your right knee and keeping your left leg straight. You should keep your feet pointing straight ahead and maintain contact with the ground fully. Push through your right hip and then return to your starting pose, now shift your hips to the left and repeat on this side.

As you perform this exercise, ensure that you keep your knees on the squat side behind your toes, maintain a flat back and keep your chest up.

Backward Lunge With Tilt

While the last exercise works your lower core, this works your middle core. It stretches out your hip flexors, your glutes, your groin, and your obliques (sides of your torso). Having flexibility in these areas is very important to enable you to rotate your upper body well during a back swing. If you did not have flexibility in these areas, then you would not be able to rotate your body well enough during a back swing or a finish.

To perform a backward lunge with a tilt, step backwards with your right foot into a lunge pose, contract/ squeeze your right glute and then reach your hand over your head and laterally crunch your torso to the left. Return to the starting position, then switch legs and repeat. This is a nice and simple exercise to do.

Knee Hugs

Knee hugs are a great exercise for maintaining posture, stretching out the glutes, hamstrings, and hip flexors. To do this exercise, simply stand with your back straight and your arms at your sides. Lift your right foot off of the floor and squat back down onto your left leg. Grab below the knee with your hand and pull your right knee into your chest as you squeeze your left glute for a couple of seconds. Return to your starting pose and then repeat on the other side.

Drop-step Lunge

The drop step lunge is super easy and activates the hip muscles and glutes. Do this exercise from a standing position with your hands held together in front of your chest. Step backward and across with your left foot, so it is three feet behind and one foot to the side of your right. Then squat down and return upwards, reverse your legs and repeat.

Medicine Ball Perpendicular Throws

This exercise activates and strengthens your abs, glutes and hips. You need to recruit all muscles used in golf swings for this.

Grab a medicine ball and throw it into a wall, much like you would simulate a swing. During the backswing keep your knees bent and turn your back away from the wall, as you swing through, drive your hip toward the wall, keeping your back flat and chest up. Catch the ball as it rebounds. Rep as needed, then switch sides.

Medicine Ball Parallel Throws

This exercise strengthens the hips and torso muscles, it will also improve your recoil action through impact and will allow you to compress the ball by swinging it against a firm left side.

Take a medicine ball and stand facing a wall in your typical golfing posture. Bring the ball down alongside your hip and thrust your legs up as you toss it to the wall. Catch the ball, and return it beside your other hip, then repeat. Nice and easy.

T-hip Rotations

To do this exercise, stand on your left leg, holding a support with your left hand. Hinge through your left hip, dropping your chest and lifting your right leg to the ceiling to create a ‘T’ shape with your body. As you hold on with your left hand, open your hips and shoulder toward the ceiling until your left hip stretches. Hold and then rotate your hips and shoulders down until you feel a stretch again. Finish one side before you start on the other, and always move your shoulders and hips as a single unit.

1 Arm, 1 Leg Romanian Deadlifts

As a strength building exercise, to do this exercise, you need to start off standing on one leg while holding a pair of dumbbells at your sides. Keep your leg in a fixed position but do not lock your knee. Shift your hips back and lower the dumbbells as far as you can while maintaining a straight back. Fire up your hamstrings and glutes as you return to an upright pose. Keep your dumbbells close to yourself throughout the movement of this exercise.

1 Arm, 2 Leg Deadlifts

Summary

Golf is not all about getting the perfect swing, and there is a lot more that goes into that perfect swing than just simple practice. Training yourself, and keeping your body in good shape, will have a massive impact on your golfing game. Do not be afraid to try out new exercises, and note that many of these can be done at home, if not all of them.

The key areas to build muscle in are in your core, including abs, glutes, obliques, and your hamstrings and quads. But, do not forget your brain, that is a muscle too, that needs training.

While it might seem like a lot of hard work, it will all certainly pay off.

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Travis

A former college golfer who played professionally for a short time, Travis brings a wealth of knowledge about the game of golf to Tee Precision.He currently plays to a +2 handicap and shares his insights with the Tee Precision community.