Traditionally, golf isn’t a sport you’d associate with working out, while it has many health benefits, and can be physically demanding, it’s not something you need to be in peak physical fitness for.
But it doesn’t matter if you’re a pro or an amateur, as a golfer you’re always looking for ways to improve your game; whether you want a bit more distance off the tee, or more power behind your swing, and this is where muscle, flexibility and balance come in.
Many top golfers use exercise to give them that competitive edge; top players such as Tiger Woods, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, all incorporate workouts into their training schedule and have strength and conditioning coaches.
We thought we’d look into the kinds of exercises you could be doing to help improve your game, and the good news is you don’t have to go to a gym; some of them can be done at home with a couple of dumbbells and a resistance band. So here are some examples of the kinds of exercises you could be doing.
THE BENEFITS OF WORKING OUT
- Increased flexibility – better flexibility lets you use your full range of motion which also affects your joint mobility; this means it won’t take as long to warm up once you’re out there.
- Muscle gain – you use your shoulders, biceps, triceps, legs and wrists when playing golf, so working on these muscles will help increase the power of your game, as well as improving stability.
- Increased core strength – a good, strong core can help improve the power of your swing (check out our golf swing tips), as well as helping with stability and balance.
- Injury prevention – playing golf can put a lot of pressure on your hips, elbows, back, knees, shoulders and wrists so the stronger they are, the less likely you are to put extra strain on them.
- Stamina – working out regularly will help give you the energy to finish your round.
GOLF EXERCISES TO ELEVATE YOUR GAME
- The Squat – Squats are a great all-round exercise, whatever your sport, as they work the lower body; increasing strength and power. Lower body strength is linked to clubhead speed – the stronger your legs, the more power behind the swing; squats also help knee, ankle and hip mobility and help strengthen the core. A goblet squat (where you do a squat while holding a dumbbell close to your chest) is ideal for this.
- The Hinge – These exercises, such as a Romanian deadlift with dumbbells, can help improve strength in the lower back, as well as the hamstrings and glutes. Strengthening these muscles can help improve your swing as well as lowering your risk of getting injured, which is particularly important for golfers who are often plagued by back issues. They also improve grip strength; something else that can have an impact on clubhead speed. You can read more about how to hit a golf ball further in our blog.
- The Horizontal Push – Upper body strength also plays a part in increasing clubhead speed, as well as helping to develop your core. Horizontal push exercises can be really beneficial for women golfers, and juniors, and can be done anywhere. Push-ups are a good example, and if you’re new to them and find doing them off the floor too hard, try doing them on an elevated surface – against a wall, or the arm of a sofa, for example. A dumbbell bench press is a good progression.
- The Vertical Push – These exercises are great for shoulder mobility, something that many golfers have a problem with, which leaves them prone to injury. The barbell overhead press is a traditional vertical push exercise, but you can also do an Arnold press with a pair of dumbbells as it involves externally rotating them before bringing them almost together above the head, which is great for the shoulders.
- The Horizontal Pull – Another one for upper body strength and stability, as it particularly helps shoulder strength and mobility. The barbell bent over row is a great exercise for this, although the banded row is a good alternative to do at home; you just hook the band around your feet and pull it towards you. It’s also a good warm-up exercise before a game.
- The Vertical Pull – Vertical pull exercises work your lats; some of the largest muscles in the body, situated at the back of the shoulder and down the sides of the ribs. As with most of these exercises, building the muscle mass in this area will improve the speed and power of your swing. are a great way of working these muscles, or a lat pull down machine, but if you haven’t got access to a gym, a resistance band hooked over a door will do the same job.
There’s no one workout that suits everyone; every player is different, and it all depends on the age you are, your level of fitness, your coordination etc. The main thing is to keep your body moving and healthy, and the best workout is one that you do consistently.
Another precaution you could take to make sure you get the most from your game, is to have a look at golf insurance. Should the unexpected happen, wouldn’t it be good to know that you have cover in place? We have 3 levels of cover, all with the following standard benefits; Loss, Theft or Accidental Damage, public liability and personal accident. You can then tweak these with some optional benefits to make sure that you get the policy that fits you to a tee. Give us a call and get a free, no-strings quote and find out how you could be better off.
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