Have you ever thought about the fitness requirement to play golf? If you’ve followed professional golf for some time, you’ll notice that fitness wasn’t the main concern of golfers years ago. You didn’t see many toned golfers walking down the fairway.
It was evident that professional golfers didn’t make exercise a priority. Things changed with a fit Tiger Woods emerging on the scene.
He was a competitor playing golf who focused on body conditioning to make himself a superior player. Woods altered the competitive strategy.
As a result, more golfers have implemented golf exercises into their programs. Golfers now understand their ability to compete on the course is connected to their time in the gym.
Check out these golf exercises to help you get started.
Why Are Golf Exercises Important?
There are many benefits to placing exercise into your golf routine. One important factor in a golf workout is improving your golf swing. Once your swing improves, so will your score.
Gaining strength in the appropriate muscle groups will enable you to improve your shot distance and swing speed. Second, your swing will get faster as you improve your balance and flexibility. Third, your golf swing will remain consistent because your strength and endurance will improve.
Ask yourself, Do you have trouble finishing rounds of golf?
You’re probably getting worn out. Golf is a physical activity that requires you to spend several hours in the heat and sun. By doing the right exercises for golf, you’ll have the energy needed to complete your full rounds.
Work With Resistance Bands
Resistance bands are a low-cost way to improve flexibility. They are simple to learn to use. Because it’s only one piece of equipment, you can create a remarkable variety of exercises.
Resistance bands are adaptable and simple to use. You can exercise the same muscle groups as you would with free weights or gym equipment.
To begin the exercise, you must stand on one end of the resistance band. Next, pull upwards to perform bicep curls. Or pull down to perform triceps pushdowns by securing the band to the door’s upper frame. Chest exercises like butterfly presses are also good golf exercises.
You want to work the entire posterior chain to perfect hip placement and your golf swing. The workout includes working out the following muscles:
- glutes
- hamstrings
- lats
- rhomboids
Remember to transfer your energy from right to left. For a total band workout, explore these exercises:
- split stance band rotation
- reverse side lunge
- load and explode
- trail leg
- lead leg
- backswing loading w/trail leg
Working with bands requires reps. Start with a small count and gradually increase it as your workouts progress.
Work Your Core
The most fragile place of most golf players’ bodies is the core. Ironically, the core is what they rely on the most for their golf swing and swing speed.
You won’t be able to create a golf swing that is technically sound and backed by power if you don’t have good core strength. Golfers need strong, pliable muscles in their stomachs, hips, buttocks, and lower back.
Because golfers travel a lot, they need exercises that are easy to do in a hotel room when a gym isn’t accessible.
Push Ups
Most people have done a push-up or two in their lifetime. Despite its numerous advantages, you may not consider it an essential component of a golf workout.
The straightforward push-up is one of the most amazing activities to develop chest area strength further. Maintain a straight back that is parallel to the ground. The muscles in your abdomen should remain contracted.
Use your toes to support your lower body weight.
Hip Crossovers
Hip crossovers are another exercise you can do anywhere. This exercise recreates the force put on the hip structure at the highest point of the backswing and the during the completion. The lower body twisting helps stretch the hip and lower back muscles and tendons.
Place your arms at your sides, knees bent, feet wider than shoulder-width apart, and heels on the ground. Position yourself face-up on the ground. After that, twist your bent legs to the right and then to the left until they reach the ground.
Keep your shoulders on the ground and your abs tight as you alternate sides for the remainder of the exercise.
Putting Exercises
Developing a strong putting stance will lead to better scoring. The physical demands of putting decrease when you have the correct hip placement. It enables you to quickly perform fundamental exercises and become a more consistent putter.
Throughout the putting stroke, every great putter maintains firm lower body support while swinging with your upper body.
To test your torso rotation, stand in front of a full-length mirror or record yourself with a camera. The goal is to watch your knees. See if you can rotate your upper body without moving your lower body.
Open Book Stretch
Start the open book stretch by lying on your back. Position the knees and hips with a bend at about 90 degrees. For support, squeeze a yoga block or something similar between your knees.
Squeeze your knees and rest your hip on the ground. Then, as if you were flipping through a book, start reaching your arm as far behind you as you can.
Twist your wrist so that it touches the ground behind you, even if you don’t initially reach that distance. But before going back to the starting position. Stretch as far as you can while your chest keeps opening and stretching.
Start with three to four sets on each side for 30 to 60 seconds.
These Exercises Are a Good Start
Golf is an awesome game and one with great health benefits. There are many golf exercises you can try to improve your game. Start with these simple examples and grow your routine over time.
Whether you’re a golf enthusiast or looking to make it to the pro circuit, you need to improve your flexibility.
We hope you enjoyed this article. Please, check out our other great golfing tips.