Within the last few years, golf workouts and strength training have become a huge topic among professionals and amateurs alike. Many of the top players in the world have turned to exercise as a competitive edge to hit the ball further- you don’t need to look further than Rory McIlroy or Bryson DeChambeau to see evidence of that.
Golf related exercises aren’t just for the pros, however. In 2016 I started getting into better shape by working out several times a week. By the next season, I was amazed at how much my golf swing had improved.
There are hundreds of exercises out there however, and it’s tough to know what the best golf workouts are without any background knowledge. Below is our full guide on workouts for golfers that can actually make a difference in your game.
If you haven’t done much to work out before, you may be wondering what benefits you’ll see from working out that translate to the course. You can swing the club, hit a decent shot, put up a score you’re happy with.
So what’s the point?
As a golfer, you will always want to be better. That’s just the way it is. There are various ways to improve your game; you can buy new gear, play more rounds or even take a few lessons. Ultimately, a significant portion of your performance on the course is attributed to your physical capabilities and fitness.
From experience, I can say first hand that I have noticed a dramatic difference in my game through golf workouts. For about two years at this point, I have made significant lifestyle changes by starting to exercise regularly. In turn I have lost fat, gained muscle, gained flexibility and truly strengthened my body where it counts on the golf course. My body seems to be more in sync coming through the ball, and I’ve been able to add 10-15 yards to each club in my bag.
The correlation between fitness and performance is especially prominent in the professional golf world. When you look at golfers like Rory, Brooks, DJ, DeChambeau, and of course Tiger Woods, the work they do off the course to get in shape translates big time.
Golf workouts can also help your mental game; being in better shape on the golf course will help your confidence in your abilities and help your mental fortitude when the going gets tough.
Although it may not seem like it, golf is a very physically demanding sport. You don’t need to look further than the challenges Tiger Woods has faced; back issues, torn ACL, neck issues, Achilles problems, and the list goes on. A golf swing puts pressure on the hips, elbows, back, knees, shoulders and wrists. By being in better physical condition and warming up, you will reduce the possibility of injuring yourself.
I’m not telling you anything groundbreaking by saying that workouts to improve your golf game will improve your overall health. There are countless studies linking being in better shape to reducing your exposure to various health risks. A great golf workout routine can help your swing, and improve your health!
Reading up to this point indicates to me that you’re pretty interested in improving your game through golf workouts- awesome! I’ll list the major areas to focus on in a golf workout program.
Simply put, your core is what puts power into the rotation aspect of your swing.
This directly contributes to more club head speed, meaning more distance. Beyond power, a strong midsection will give you more stability and balance over the ball. Strengthening your core can make your swing much more effective.
You don’t need to be able to do a split to be a great golfer- most of us would not make the cut if that was the case. That said, flexibility and stretching allow you to use your full range of motion, adding serious power to your swing. Think of flexibility as both joint mobility and muscular flexibility. “It takes me a couple holes to get warmed up”. Tell me you haven’t said that before, because I’m sure most of us have at some point. I now stretch before every round I play, and notice a big difference in how I perform. You can achieve improved flexibility by implementing stretching into your routine. You should stretch both in the gym and during your warm up at the course.
The base of your swing starts at the legs. Your legs play an important part in the stability of your stance and power behind your swing. Leg strength training will lead to more hip stability, leading to a better rotation.
When you hear posterior chain, think of all the muscles in the back of your body- muscle groups in your back, glutes, and calves. When you think about it, these are the muscles you are rotating around (spine, legs, etc). Chances are, playing a lot of golf in one day has lead to these muscles feeling sore. A stronger posterior chain can improve your posture, and prevent injuries to your back and knees.
While you don’t use your biceps much during your golf swing, improving the overall strength of your arms (and wrists) will prevent injuries like golfer’s elbow and wrist pain. You’ll want to work on your shoulders, biceps, triceps and wrists.
Anyone can take these golf related workouts and implement them. You don’t need to be in great shape for these workouts to have a positive impact on your golf game and life. You just need to be able to commit to doing them consistently.
We’ve gone through why golf exercise matters, and what muscles you should work on. With this section, you’ll be able to take away some key points on warm ups and how to schedule and plan your training.
Warming up is important for fitness, both on the course and in the gym.
When you go to play a round of golf, taking 5 to 10 minutes to warm up and stretch can seriously help your game. It is good practice to warm up before exercising as a whole, allowing your muscles to activate and loosen up.
If you are doing weight training, it is a good idea to start with one warm up exercise with little to no weight to help this process along. I typically do 1 warm up per exercise to err on the side of caution.
In short, don’t skip the warm up when planning your golf workout routine.
Working out is truly subjective. Everyone will tell you different things on what the “best” approach is.
Planning on doing golf exercises 5 days a week is amazing. Yet when push comes to shove, if you only end up doing 2 days, you might get down on yourself and feel like you’ve failed. Frankly, if you only have 2 days a week you can dedicate, that’s OK.
Planning to be in the gym 3-5 days a week is ideal. But again, you are looking for consistency. Be realistic, not optimistic when it comes to planning your workouts.
Generally, the better your plan is for these exercises, the better results you’ll see. There are many ways to break up your exercise days, but I’ll list the two I recommend below.
If you have limited time to commit, let’s say 2-3 days, this is likely your best approach. You’ll want to mix in legs, core, and general upper body workouts all on the same day. These days you can plan on 2 exercises per muscle group.
I prefer to be exercising 3-4 days a week, splitting up my workouts by muscle group.
Typically, you’ll want to work muscles that work together. For example, it makes sense to dedicate one day to back and biceps, one day to chest, shoulders and triceps, and a third day to legs.
This is a pretty standard workout plan, and can also be described as “push, pull, legs”. In this example, you’ll want to work on 2-4 exercises per muscle.
When training for strength, you should aim to do 3-4 sets of each exercise, generally with 8-12 repetitions. You want to make sure you’re challenging yourself enough while doing this. If you find it’s a bit too easy to get to 10 reps, you should increase the weight on the exercise.
If your golf exercises aren’t focusing on strength, you probably won’t pick up much ball speed!
Incorporating cardio into your regimen is a great way to work on your endurance. It is safe to run before or after a workout. The extra endurance you earn from incorporating cardio into your routine will make the back 9 a little less exhausting.
Rest is just as important to exercise as the exercise itself. Getting enough sleep and giving your muscles a break from training are 2 of the biggest factors to build muscle.
Make sure you give yourself enough time to rest between sets while working out, too! Anything from 30 seconds up to 2 minutes is appropriate.
Let’s get to it. I’ll break down these exercises by what they target to make it easier to digest. These exercises address strength training, endurance and flexibility.
When I see and do these exercises, they look and feel like they’re made for golf; this is one of the best golf workouts out there. The wood chop pretty much simulates putting your body into a golf shot. You twist while keeping a steady lower body, working on your core and obliques. Doing these can help you develop explosive power from your body.
This simple and effective move will work your core, but also help you with stability in your lower back and hips.
Such a simple concept, yet 40 seconds in you will be begging for mercy. Planks work your entire core making them a perfect and simple exercise for golf. Planks also help reduce pressure on the back, and in turn back pain.
This works on improving the strength of your obliques, which will add power and mobility to your rotation. Again, strengthening muscles in your core takes pressure off your back. These can also be done seated.
These can be done with a barbell, kettle bell, resistance band, or no weight at all!
Squats are a compound exercise that recruits many muscles to work together. Expect to work your quads, hamstrings, glutes, abs, and calves. If you’re using a barbell, it will be a bit of a back workout too!
Deadlifts are one of the best exercises you can do when you do them properly. You will want to focus on excellent form here, rather than trying to lift as much as possible. This is one of the most complete body workouts you can do and I promise you will feel it. Deadlifts work your quads, hamstrings, glutes, lower back, upper back, forearms, and grip strength.
RDL stands for Romanian Deadlift, which of course is a variant on the standard deadlift. The difference is this focuses on working the hamstrings and glutes, with a huge emphasis on stability and balance.
This is a simple flexibility move that will work your core, lower back and hips. Hip mobility is critical for golfers who want to improve their game!
This is a dynamic stretch that will help you maintain flexibility in your legs and hips. This exercise will also give you some protection from injuring these muscles.
This is a compound exercise that targets your lats, traps, and biceps. Doing this with dumbbells is safer, as it puts much less strain on your lower back. Using individual dumbbells as opposed to a bar also allows you to work each side of your back individually. This is advantageous if you have a stronger side, as it forces you to work them equally.
This may not be an obvious exercise, but it targets the muscles that stabilize your shoulders and upper back. You will be working your chest and shoulders primarily, and you will be activating more core muscles as you stabilize yourself in this variation of the push up.
This variation on push ups engages your triceps more than a standard push up. Do these and you’ll be working your chest, shoulders, triceps and core all in one movement.
Great, simple exercise working the back of your arm, from shoulder to elbow. Performing this exercise correctly helps with shoulder stability as well.
I don’t think this exercise needs any introduction. This is a classic arm workout that is great for building overall strength.
When you think of sports that will benefit most from exercise and building muscle, it’s likely that golf doesn’t make the top of your list. Yet virtually every Pro golfer including guys like Justin Thomas and Jordan Spieth has a golf workout program they follow.
It has become a trend for golfers to pay attention to maximizing their capabilities on the course by paying more attention to gaining strength and flexibility.
You will not see results from doing a couple of days of exercise. For you to see true results from doing these exercises, you will need to have a consistent routine and stick to it.
If you pick this up on an off-season, you will be amazed how you come back to the course after just a few months. Make sure you incorporate rest into your routine as well. Take 2-3 days off a week from strength training, and get enough sleep for your body to make a full recovery.
I look forward to hearing how you progress and how this impacts your game!
