As a Physiotherapist, I’ve been working with golfers for a long time. They have differed in age, gender and golfing ability and have included many amateurs, professionals and even a couple of golfing gods! You can find out more about me here https://www.mtphysioclinic.co.uk/biography/
Indeed, I have created different solutions for different goals. I couldn’t even count the number of different plans I’ve created or even the number of different exercises that I’ve successfully prescribed.
Furthermore, working with all these great players over the years, I’ve noticed the exercises that just work for the majority of people. So here they are! The very best exercises that you can do to improve your game and reduce your chances of injury.
My clients have used them, I’ve used them and the important thing is – they work.
- Squat
- Jefferson Curl
- Pallof Press
- Woodchoppers
- Medicine Ball Oblique Twists
- Shoulder Rotator Cuff
- Dead-bugs
- Squat Jumps
- Medicine Ball Throwdowns
- Goblet Squats
- Bent Over Row
- Pull-up
- Push-up
- Single Leg Deadlifts
- Land mine Press
Why do Golfers need to exercise?
Movement and stability (strength) through out the swing is vitally important. It affects how you swing the club. Poor mobility and/or strength will impact adversely on your golf swing.
Therefore the less mobile and strong you are, the more your injury risk increases.
A strong and mobile golfer will, in theory, be able to deliver power throughout the golf swing more efficiently than a golfer who does not possess these characteristics.
What components do I need to work on?
The list of 15 best exercises are a great place to start but they are just suggestions. An efficient and repeatable swing requires mobility and strength in the followng areas:
Hips
I have written a great article on the hips and you can find it here https://golfphysioguru.com/hip-mobility-in-the-golf-swing-a-physios-review/ or you can check out a quick video on my instagram
A post shared by Mike Tuck (@golfphysioguru)
The hips generate power in the golf swing. So it’s important to couple some of the strength moves with some mobility drills. I like Goblet Squats and Glute Bridges for power and Pigeon Pose and the Standing Hip Flexor Hip Drill for improved hip mobility.
Activation of the hips is critical in maintaining posture in the golf swing and it enables you to tap into the power from the ground through the legs which is the secret of true distance.
Thoracic Spine (Upper Back)
Another important aspect of the golf swing is your ability to adequately load the back swing by achieving a full turn through the upper back. Golfers that struggle with this tend to have problems with distance or the golfer having to make compensations to try and get a fuller back swing, like a reverse pivot.
I like Palof Presses and Woodchoppers as well as Cat Camel and Thread the Needle Mobility Drills
Legs
The power house.
Strong legs will enable us to use the mobility generated through the hips to connect with the ground and give us the “from the ground up” power move.
I like Jumping Squats and Single Leg Deadlifts here.
Shoulders
The inherent mobility of the shoulder joint is what gives us the ability to move with freedom in the golf swing. We need to be able to externally rotate the shoulders in order to set the club on the right “path”
Golfers with tight, stiff and weak shoulders either have a “path” that is either too steep or too shallow. Both these positions can lead to issues within the golf swing.
I like shoulder exercises like Cable External Rotation and the landmine press as well as Wall External Rotation Stretch and Pectoral wall stretches.
Does Playing Golf Improve your Fitness?
We have seen how we can improve our golf by working on our strength and mobility, but the actual act of playing golf is very beneficial for our health and fitness too.
If we choose to walk, we will cover between four and six miles each round that we play which equates to 1200-3000 Calories burnt (less if you make a smash and grab raid on the halfway hut!) So this means we will give our cardiovascular system a great workout.
The muscles used during the golf swing, walking and pushing your trolley will all receive a good workout over the course of a round.
So, in short, golf is good for your fitness but you should use it in combination with my golf strength and mobility ideas from this article and, depending on your goals, some additional cardiovascular training where you are elevating your heart rate.
Reduced Risk of Injury
So not only is working out important for our golf game and will help us to play better golf, getting fitter and stronger will help us reduce (but not entirely eradicate) injuries. This will also of course transfer into daily, non-golf life too.
The benefits of training specifically for golf will have a direct impact on our ability to strike the golf ball with power and balance and will mean that we are able to repeat this movement throughout the round. Often as golfers get tired, technique and posture will suffer which leads to poor strikes. By improving our fitness, strength and endurance, this will have less of an impact on our games.
Start Now!
The benefits to training are clear, the sooner you start or modify your training to fit your golf game the better. It takes on average 6 weeks to start to see the strength improvements and the research tells us that it can take up to 12 weeks in order to see significant differences.
Level up your golf game with specific exercise!