Every golfer aspires to hitting the ball further, having the perfect golf swing and ultimately a great score at the end of a round. These things require hard work on the golf course, the practice ground and now so more than ever in the gym.
Golf over the last few years has been seriously evolving with some of golf’s biggest performers such as Rory McIlroy, showcasing how important strength training programs can be.
Getting to the gym and having an extensive training routine may be difficult for a lot of players. This doesn’t mean that you can’t do great golf exercises at home. Most exercises that will benefit golfers are bodyweight or can be done with an little equipment. Exercise bands, dumbbell, medicine ball, golf batteries or weighed backpacks, are all effective.
When it comes to improving your golf with golf fitness programs, there is no age or ability limits to this. Golf workouts for seniors can have huge benefits for increasing strength and mobility. Simple exercises can also improve their general quality of movement off the course. Equally, golf stretching exercises can benefit younger players and can lead to greater longevity in the game.
Strength and conditioning can be massively beneficial for golfers and it is often overlooked. Club golfers might not fully understand the benefits a few simple exercises can have to their game. For golfers looking to improve their golf, committing to a great golf workout everyday can have a wide range of advantages. So, let’s unpack them below…
Benefits of Strength Training and Mobility for Golfer’s
1) Reduce the risk of injury/injury prevention
There is nothing worse than coming off the course with a sore back. Or, having to take ibuprofen each round just so you can get through it in as little pain as possible.
Pain not only affects your game but it can affect other areas of your health and wellbeing. If your body is weak or compensating for poor movement, playing golf can only make the issue worse. This often impacts performance or leads to an injury that will have you sidelined for as long as it takes to recover.
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Strengthening and mobilising the correct areas of your body can help prevent this. It also provides longevity in your game and performance as you move into later life.
2) Hit the ball further
Stronger muscles and joints can create more speed and power. Allowing you to swing the club faster whilst maintaining control and stability. Greater distance with every shot allows you to hit less club into greens, and with less club comes greater accuracy. This allows you a greater chance of converting those putts first time. Less putts = less shots. So an easy way to reduce your handicap there.
Better movement can also improve technique, as it allows you to use your body better. Strengthening your core/trunk will really help you gain club head speed, with great stability.
For more senior golfers a greater range of motion in the back swing can also help them generate power.
3) Increased enjoyment
Playing golf whilst you’re struggling to move and in pain is no fun. There is nothing better than golf than when you are playing well. Even when you’re not having the best round, that one great shot on the last will leave you wanting more.
But when your golf is horribly off, it can leave you miserable and deflated. As golfers we want to be the best that we can be. Being physically fitter this can allow us to swing more efficiently, hit the ball further, score lower and prevent injury. So you are more likely to play better, for longer and enjoy the sport.
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4) Improve your swing
The way that we swing the club comes down to a number of factors; coordination, technical knowledge, ability and the way that your body moves. If you have any physical limitations, this will affect the way you swing the club. If you are working on technical changes with your swing coach but hitting a brick wall, it might be because you can’t achieve the position they want. Therefore, it may be time to think about improving the efficiency of the body.
Strength and mobility training can improve coordination, movement and range, stability and strength to allow your body to get into more athletic positions for a more efficient and consistent golf swing.
5) Improved health and general fitness
Many people might think golf isn’t a very physical activity however when you’re out walking an 18 hole golf course this couldn’t be further from the truth. Golf not only requires miles of walking but the golf swing uses many different muscle groups.
Whether it’s a golf specific workout other than not partaking in any activities than build strength or improve mobility will benefit player off the course too in day to day life.
Which Muscle Groups Should Golfer’s be Targeting?
This is a big question amongst golfers who may want to start doing some golf fitness but don’t actually know what will help them. Whilst going to see a golf specific strength and conditioning coach is the optimal way to get a training program tailored to your personal requirements this isn’t always possible.
Everyone’s golf swing uses the same muscles and so these are some of the main areas you should considering training to help with your golf.
Core:
A lot of players forgot how much of an important role your core players during the golf swing. A strong and stable core helps players maintain stability in the swing. It can also improve swing speed and create better rotation of torso which all contribute to better shots.
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A lot of strength and power can be generated when your core is stable. This also helps to maintain a good posture and positions through the golf ball.
Upper body and back:
A golfer’s back can be most troublesome for a lot of golfers, most famously Tiger Wood’s struggles from back pain.
It’s not to say mobility and strength work are the cure for all back issues, but they can certainly have positive implications for those who suffer.
Lower body:
Using the ground in a golf swing is a technique that involves pushing into the ground to create force and move the body. This is known as ground reaction force, which is the force the ground exerts on a body that is in contact with it. Many amateur golfers struggle to use the ground and instead generate their speed and power using only their arms.
Therefore, increasing the strength in your legs will able you to generate more ground force to use during your swing.
The hips are the power source in the golf swing. Without adequate rotation, flexion, and extension of the hips, the golfer will struggle to maintain posture.
Poor movement in any of these joints will likely lead to compensations in the golf swing that can affect consistency. And worse than that, it increases the potential to pick up an injury in areas like the lower body.
Golf Specific Mobility
Do you find it physically difficult to increase the width of your backswing? Struggling with a short backswing, means that you are potentially lacking in mobility and flexibility in your upper body. This means you will have a reduced range of movement available in those joints to create more turn and width. Consequently, you will try to find movement elsewhere which can cause stress to other parts of your body and also be detrimental to the sequencing of your golf swing.
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Improving flexibility and mobility isn’t limited to senior golfers, golfers of any age can improve their movement patterns. This is something that can become part of a players routine and long term can help to prevent joints from stiffing up over time. This can help to increase those younger players longevity in the game.
Improve Your Stamina for 18 Holes
Many people might think golf isn’t a very physical sport. This couldn’t be further from the truth! Walking an 18 hole golf course, is well over daily recommended 10,000 steps. Swinging the golf club is also a whole body exercise. This uses many different muscle groups, all whilst walking miles.
With this in mind, it is important to maintain a good level of general fitness to help get you round. Do you ever find your performance suffering on those final few holes? This could be down to fatigue.
We’ve teamed up with our resident golf specific strength and conditioning coach Rachael Tibbs. She has created a golf specific program that can be carried out either in the gym or at home.
Check out Rachael’s five exercises for increasing stamina for 18 holes in the video below…
Dynamic Golf: Rachael Tibbs
The above golf exercise videos are by our resident strength and conditioning coach Rachael Tibbs. She is a TPI L2 certified S&C coach, who is the owner of Dynamic Golf at The Bunker in Leeds. She offers a range of services designed to improve your golf performance, health, and fitness.
If you’re not local, you won’t miss out as Dynamic Golf also offers online coaching! Each session includes personalised programming through the DynamicGolf app. This allows players to receive tailored guidance and track your progress remotely, ensuring that your golf performance and fitness goals are consistently met, no matter where you are. There are four different package options available to choose from here.
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In person sessions include a one hour assessment session to help see where Rachel can best help your golf game, followed by an introductory session. From here, there are four membership package options to choose from to continue your golf fitness development.
If you want to find out more, you can visit the Dynamic Golf website, email info@dynamic-golf.co.uk or follow her on Twitter, Instagram, Facebook or YouTube.
Conclusion
Golfer’s of all ages and abilities can benefit from golf specific workouts. Training outside of the golfing environment, whether that be strength work, mobility or cardio, can help your game. As proven by the tour pros, strength and conditioning work can have massively positive implications for a golfer. Why not give at least one golf exercise a go and see how your game can improve.