Did you know that 72% of amateur golfers believe improving their fitness would significantly impact their game? Welcome to your ultimate guide to the best golf exercises you can perform today!
Whether you’re a weekend warrior or aspiring pro, these 107 exercises will revolutionize your game. Get ready to drive further, swing smoother, and outlast your competition on the back nine.
Let’s tee off into a fitter, stronger you!
What are the Best Golf Exercises Overall?
This list is large! If you want the best starting point, here are two good golf workouts that incorporate a little bit of each important category: core, upper body, lower body, flexibility, balance, and injury prevention:
| Category | Day 1 | Day 2 |
|---|---|---|
| Warm-up (5-10 mins) | – Cat-Camel (10 reps) – Thoracic Spine Rotations (10 each side) – Ankle Alphabet (1 set each foot) | – Shoulder Dislocates (10 reps) – Hip 90/90 Stretch (30 seconds each side) – Standing Trunk Rotations (10 each side) |
| Core Strength (3 sets) | – Dead Bug (12 reps each side) – Cable Rotations (10 reps each side) | – Stability Ball Rollouts (10 reps) – Medicine Ball Slams (10 reps) |
| Lower Body (3 sets) | – Goblet Squats (12 reps) – Step-Ups (10 reps each leg) | – Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift (10 reps each leg) – Glute Bridges (15 reps) |
| Upper Body (3 sets) | – Incline Bench Press (10 reps) – Face Pulls (12 reps) | – Renegade Rows (8 reps each arm) – Tricep Pushdowns (12 reps) |
| Balance & Stability (2 sets) | – Y-Balance Test (5 reps each leg) – Stability Ball Planks (30 seconds) | – Wobble Board Squats (10 reps) – Single-Leg Deadlift (8 reps each leg) |
| Plyometrics (2 sets) | – Box Jumps (8 reps) | – Medicine Ball Rotational Throws (8 reps each side) |
| Cardio (15-20 mins) | Fartlek Training | Rowing Machine Intervals |
| Cool-down & Injury Prevention | – Foam Rolling Quadriceps (1 min each leg) – Wrist Curls and Reverse Curls (15 reps each) – Scapular Wall Slides (10 reps) | – McGill Curl-Up (10 reps) – Clamshells (15 reps each side) – Banded External Rotations (12 reps each arm) |
This fitness plan incorporates the best exercises for golfers who want to increase their physical activity in the gym.
Note: The exercise gifs in this guide are from Muscle Wiki!
Core Strength Golf Exercises
Core strength is the foundation of a powerful and controlled golf swing for most golfers. A strong core helps maintain balance, improves rotational power, and reduces the risk of lower back injuries. Let’s dive into some essential core exercises that will take your golf game to the next level.
Plank with Rotation
Start in a standard plank position, then rotate your body to reach one hand towards the ceiling. This exercise strengthens your entire core while improving rotational stability.
The rotation twist helps you maintain posture throughout your swing and enhances your ability to transfer power from your lower body to your upper body.
Russian Twists
Sit on the floor with your knees bent and feet slightly off the ground, lean back slightly, and rotate your torso from side to side. Russian twists target your obliques, which are crucial for generating rotational power in your golf swing.
Medicine Ball Wood Chops
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, holding a medicine ball at chest height. Rotate your torso and bring the ball diagonally across your body, mimicking a wood-chopping motion. This exercise simulates the golf swing motion and helps me build core strength.
Grab your medicine ball off of Amazon:
Pallof Press
Stand sideways to a cable machine or resistance band anchored at chest height. Press the handle straight out in front of you while resisting rotation. The Pallof press strengthens your core’s ability to resist rotation, which is crucial for maintaining stability during your golf swing.
Dead Bug
Lie on your back with arms extended towards the ceiling and legs in a tabletop position. Lower opposite arm and leg while maintaining core engagement. The dead bug exercise strengthens your deep core muscles and improves stability.
Cable Rotations
Stand sideways to a cable machine, grasp the handle with both hands, and rotate your torso away from the machine. Cable rotations target your obliques and improve rotational strength. This exercise directly enhances your ability to generate power in your golf swing if you want to hit the ball farther!
Stability Ball Rollouts
Kneel in front of a stability ball with your forearms on the ball. Roll the ball forward, extending your arms while keeping your core tight. Stability ball rollouts challenge your entire core, particularly your lower abs. This exercise improves your ability to maintain proper golf posture throughout your swing, leading to more consistent shots.
Buy your stability ball off Amazon today:
Medicine Ball Slams
Stand with feet shoulder-width apart, lift a medicine ball overhead, then forcefully slam it to the ground. Medicine ball slams build explosive core strength and power. This translates to a more dynamic and powerful rotation in your golf swing, potentially adding yards to your drives.
Lower Body Golf Exercises for More Power
Strong legs are the secret weapon behind impressive driving distances. Lower body strength increases your power and improves your stability and balance throughout your swing.
Let’s explore some exercises to help you build a solid foundation for your golf game.
Bulgarian Split Squats
Place one foot on a bench behind you and lower your body until your back knee nearly touches the ground. Bulgarian split squats target your quads, glutes, and hamstrings while improving balance and stability.
Lateral Lunges
Step out to the side and lower your body by bending one knee while keeping the other leg straight. Lateral lunges strengthen your inner and outer thighs while improving hip mobility. This exercise helps you maintain a stable lower body during your swing.
Jump Squats
Perform a regular squat, then explosively jump up, landing softly back into the squat position. Jump squats are a plyometric exercise that builds explosive power in your legs. This translates directly to increased club head speed and driving distance.
Goblet Squats
Hold a dumbbell or kettlebell close to your chest and perform a squat. Goblet squats strengthen your quads, glutes, and core while improving hip mobility. This exercise enhances your ability to maintain a stable lower body during your swing, leading to more consistent ball striking.
Step-Ups
Step onto a raised platform, driving your knee up as you stand. Step-ups target your quads and glutes while improving balance and coordination. This unilateral exercise helps correct muscle imbalances and improves your ability to transfer weight effectively during your golf swing.
For a good step up platform, I recommend a plyobox. You can use it for a lot of other exercises as well:
Glute Bridges
Lie on your back with knees bent, then lift your hips off the ground, squeezing your glutes at the top. Strong glutes contribute to a more stable and powerful hip rotation during your swing.
Box Jumps
Stand in front of a sturdy box, jump onto it with both feet, then step back down. Box jumps are a plyometric exercise that builds explosive lower body power. This translates to increased club head speed and driving distance, giving you an edge on longer shots.
Upper Body and Arm Strengthening
While golf is often considered a lower body-dominant sport, good upper body strength is crucial for control, endurance, and power throughout your swing. These exercises will help you build the strength to maintain control and increase club head speed.
Resistance Band Rotations
Anchor a resistance band at waist height and stand sideways to it. Grab the band with both hands and rotate your torso away from the anchor point. This exercise mimics the rotational movement of your golf swing while providing constant resistance. It helps improve your swing speed and builds endurance in your arms and shoulders.
I have these resistance bands, and they are great:
Push Ups (with Rotation)
Perform a standard push-up, then rotate your body to one side at the top of the movement, reaching that hand towards the ceiling. This variation of the classic push-up not only strengthens your chest, shoulders, and triceps but also engages your core and improves rotational stability.
Single-Arm Dumbbell Rows
Place one knee and hand on a bench, holding a dumbbell in your other hand. Pull the dumbbell up towards your hip, keeping your elbow close to your body. Single-arm dumbbell rows target your back muscles, particularly the lats, which are crucial in maintaining the width of your swing arc.
Face Pulls
Using a cable machine or resistance band at face height, pull the handles towards your face, focusing on squeezing your shoulder blades together. Face pulls strengthen your rear deltoids and upper back muscles, crucial for maintaining proper posture throughout your swing.
Tricep Pushdowns
Using a cable machine or resistance band, push the bar or handles down towards your thighs, keeping your elbows close to your body. Tricep pushdowns strengthen your triceps, which are key in controlling the club through impact.
Incline Bench Press
Lie on an incline bench and press dumbbells or a barbell above your chest. The incline bench press targets your upper chest and shoulders, muscles that are heavily involved in the golf swing. This exercise helps improve your ability to control the club throughout the swing.
Renegade Rows
Start in a push-up position with a dumbbell in each hand. Perform a row by lifting one dumbbell to your hip, alternating arms. Renegade rows simultaneously strengthen your back, shoulders, and core. This exercise improves your ability to maintain spine angle throughout the swing.
Flexibility and Mobility Workouts For a Better Golf Swing
Flexibility and mobility are often overlooked aspects of golf fitness, yet they’re crucial for achieving a full range of motion in your swing. These exercises will help you increase your swing arc and reduce the risk of injury.
Standing Trunk Rotations
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and rotate your upper body from side to side, keeping your hips stable. This simple yet effective exercise improves the rotational mobility of your spine. I think you’ll find more driving distance and overall swing efficiency if you master this one.
Cat-Cow Stretch
Start on your hands and knees, alternating between arching your back (cow) and rounding it (cat). The cat-cow stretch is excellent for improving the flexibility of your spine and core muscles.
Pigeon Pose
From a push up position, bring one leg forward and place it behind your wrist, lowering your hips to the ground. The pigeon pose is a yoga position that stretches your hip flexors and rotators. Flexible hips are crucial for a proper golf stance and allow for a more powerful rotation during your swing.
Thoracic Spine Rotations
Lie on your side with knees bent and arms extended in front of you. Rotate your top arm and upper body backwards, following your hand with your eyes. This exercise improves upper back mobility, which is essential for a full shoulder turn in your backswing.
Hip 90/90 Stretch
Sit with one leg bent 90 degrees in front of you and the other 90 degrees to the side. Rotate your torso over the front leg. The hip 90/90 stretch improves hip mobility and flexibility, which is crucial for a proper golf stance and powerful hip rotation during the swing.
Shoulder Dislocates
Hold a resistance band or golf club with a wide grip in front of you, then raise it overhead and behind your back. This exercise can help you achieve a fuller backswing and follow-through, potentially increasing your swing speed and driving distance.
Foam Rolling Quadriceps
Use a foam roller to roll out the front of your thighs, pausing on any tight spots. Foam rolling your quads can help release tension and improve flexibility in these large leg muscles.
Balance and Stability Training
Balance and stability are fundamental to a consistent and powerful golf swing. These exercises will help you improve your weight transfer, maintain your posture on uneven terrain, and enhance your overall body awareness on the golf course.
Single-Leg Romanian Deadlift
Stand on one leg, hinge at the hips and lower your torso while raising your other leg behind you. This exercise challenges your balance while strengthening your hamstrings and glutes. Improved single-leg stability translates to better weight transfer during your swing and in uneven lies.
Bosu Ball Squats
Stand on the flat side of a Bosu ball and perform squats while maintaining your balance. This exercise improves your proprioception and strengthens the small stabilizing muscles in your legs and core.
Here is a good Bosu ball to buy:
Standing Cable Wood Chop
Using a cable machine, perform a diagonal chopping motion from high to low across your body. This functional exercise improves core stability and rotational strength while challenging your balance.
Y-Balance Test
Stand on one leg and reach the other leg forward, to the side, and backward, touching the ground lightly. The Y-Balance test improves single-leg stability and proprioception. This translates to better single leg balance during your golf swing.
Wobble Board Squats
Stand on a wobble board and perform shallow squats while maintaining your balance. Wobble board squats challenge your proprioception and strengthen the small stabilizing muscles in your legs and core.
Amazon sells a really good wobble board you can buy today:
Single-Leg Deadlift
Stand on one leg, hinge at the hips and lower a weight towards the ground while raising your other leg behind you. Single-leg deadlifts improve balance, strengthen your hamstrings and glutes, and enhance your hip muscles.
Stability Ball Planks
Place your forearms on a stability ball and hold a plank position. Stability ball planks challenge your core stability and balance. This exercise improves your ability to maintain a stable spine angle throughout your swing, leading to more consistent ball striking.
Cardio Workouts for Golf Endurance
Cardiovascular fitness is crucial for maintaining energy and focus throughout your round. These workouts will help you build the stamina needed to perform at your best, even on the back nine.
Golf Swing HIIT
Perform golf swings with a weighted club or resistance band for 30 seconds, followed by 30 seconds of rest. Repeat for 10-15 minutes. This golf-specific HIIT workout improves your cardiovascular fitness while reinforcing proper swing mechanics.
Stair Climbing
Find a set of stairs and climb them at a brisk pace for 10-15 minutes. Stair climbing is a low-impact cardio exercise that also gives you more leg strength. This workout simulates the uphill walks you might encounter on the course.
Jumping Rope
Jump rope for 1-minute intervals, followed by 30 seconds of rest. Repeat for 10-15 minutes. Jumping rope is an excellent cardio exercise that also improves footwork and coordination.
I have this jump rope and it is high quality:
Injury Prevention Exercises
Preventing injuries is key to enjoying golf for years to come. These exercises focus on strengthening commonly vulnerable areas for golfers, helping you stay healthy and active on the course.
External Shoulder Rotations
Using a resistance band, rotate your arm outward while keeping your elbow at your side. This exercise strengthens the rotator cuff muscles, which are crucial for shoulder health in golfers. Strong and stable shoulders allow for a more controlled and powerful swing while reducing the risk of common golf-related shoulder injuries.
Bird Dog
Start on your hands and knees, then extend opposite arm and leg while maintaining a stable core. The bird dog exercise strengthens your lower back and improves core stability. This helps protect your spine during the rotational forces of the golf swing.
Wrist Curls and Reverse Curls
Using a light dumbbell, perform curls and reverse curls focusing on your wrists. These exercises strengthen the muscles and tendons in your forearms and wrists.
Fartlek Training
Alternate between periods of high-intensity running and slower recovery jogs. Fartlek training improves your cardiovascular fitness and teaches your body to recover quickly between bursts of activity.
Battle Rope Waves
Create waves with heavy ropes anchored to the ground, alternating arms or using both simultaneously. Battle rope exercises provide a high-intensity, low-impact cardio workout that also builds upper body and core strength.
Rowing Machine Intervals
Perform 1-minute sprints on a rowing machine, followed by 1-minute recovery periods. Rowing is a full-body, low-impact cardio exercise that also improves your back and core strength. This workout builds the endurance needed to maintain proper form and power throughout an entire round of golf.
Sled Pushes
Push a weighted sled across a distance, then walk back and repeat. Sled pushes are a high-intensity, low-impact exercise that builds both strength and cardiovascular endurance.
Injury Prevention Exercises
Preventing injuries is key to enjoying golf for years to come. These exercises focus on strengthening commonly vulnerable areas for golfers, helping you stay healthy and active on the course.
Scapular Wall Slides
Stand with your back against a wall, elbows bent at 90 degrees. Slide your arms up the wall while keeping your elbows and wrists in contact with the wall. Scapular wall slides improve shoulder blade mobility and strengthen the muscles that stabilize your shoulders.
McGill Curl-Up
Lie on your back with one leg straight and the other bent. Place your hands under your lower back and perform a small curl-up, lifting your head and shoulders slightly off the ground. The McGill curl-up strengthens your core while minimizing stress on your lower back.
Wrist Pronation and Supination
Hold a light dumbbell with your forearm supported, then rotate your palm up and down. This exercise strengthens the muscles and tendons in your forearms that control wrist movement. Strong, flexible wrists are essential for maintaining club control throughout your swing and can help prevent conditions like golfer’s elbow.
Clamshells
Lie on your side with knees bent, then lift your top knee while keeping your feet together. Clamshells strengthen the gluteus medius, a key muscle for hip stability. Strong hip stabilizers help maintain proper knee alignment during your golf swing.
Ankle Alphabet
Sit or lie down with your leg extended, then “write” the alphabet in the air with your foot. The ankle alphabet exercise improves ankle mobility and strengthens the small muscles around your ankle. This helps prevent ankle sprains and improves stability in your golf stance, especially when playing on uneven terrain.
Farmer’s Walks
Walk while carrying a heavy dumbbell or kettlebell in each hand. Farmer’s walks strengthen your grip, forearms, and entire kinetic chain. This exercise helps prevent wrist and elbow injuries common in golf by building strength and endurance in these areas.
Banded External Rotations
Attach a resistance band to a fixed point at elbow height. Keeping your elbow at your side, rotate your forearm outward against the resistance. Banded external rotations target the rotator cuff muscles, which are crucial for shoulder health in golfers.
Cat-Camel
Start on your hands and knees, then alternate between arching your back (cat) and hollowing it (camel). The cat-camel exercise improves spinal mobility and helps alleviate lower back tension. This gentle movement can help prevent lower back pain by keeping your spine flexible and your core engaged.
Neck Flexion and Extension
Gently tuck your chin to your chest, then slowly lift it towards the ceiling. Neck flexion and extension exercises strengthen the muscles supporting your neck and improve mobility. This can help prevent neck strain during your golf swing and improve your ability to maintain a consistent spine angle throughout your swing.
Conclusion
Incorporating these golf-specific exercises into your fitness routine will transform your game. By focusing on core strength, lower body power, upper body control, flexibility, balance, and injury prevention, you’re setting yourself up for:
longer drives
improved accuracy
better overall performance on the golf course
Remember, consistency is key. Stick to this workout plan, and you’ll soon notice the difference in your golf game.
Last update on 2024-09-30 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API
