Why staying in shape makes you a better golfer

You don’t get to be back-to-back US Open and PGA Championship winner for nothing. But what does a regular Brooks Koepka workout look like? 

Many golfers these days, including Koepka, Rory McIlroy and Dustin Johnson, are physical powerhouses and Koepka in particular openly attributes his wins and current success down to his physical preparation in the gym. Koepka’s gym routine has allowed him to become 93kg of muscle and brawn.

Koepka can generate clubhead speeds of more than 120mph which contributes to him averaging over 300 yards off the tee, making him one of the longest drivers on the PGA Tour.

Koepka and DJ both train at the Joey D Golf Sports Training Center in Jupiter, Florida along with other PGA and LPGA stars. Koepka started training there in early 2017 and he has since gone on to win four major titles, something that his strength and conditioning coach Joey D says is not a coincidence.

Nice surprise as @bkoepka brought in the @usopengolf trophy when he came in to train today. Awesome! pic.twitter.com/XIESr1cFFg

— Joey Diovisalvi (@CoachJoeyD) July 11, 2017

His time in the gym and preparing his body for the physical rigours of competition and practice is a priority for Koepka. He is among one of the most athletic players in today’s game, with his schedule seeing him train for between four and five hours, six days a week.

He spends his daily sessions working on cardio to develop his conditioning and endurance, strength and power training to improve clubhead speed and distance, as well stretching, flexibility, massage, and recovery techniques.

Many may view this as quite excessive for a golfer to undergo and would be more resemblant of a typical day for athletes that compete in football, rugby, athletics and sports viewed as more physically demanding.

But if you look at the top 20 golfers in the world it is now a case of singling out the golfers that don’t work on their strength and fitness. The professional game is changing and the players are seeing more and more benefit to training hard in the gym to get the best out of their games.

For those who still don't believe golfers are athletes, Sunday morning at a Major! @BKoepka @CoachJoeyD pic.twitter.com/BCd4OwZml2

— Claude Harmon III (@claudeharmonIII) June 19, 2017

Koepka believes it gives him the edge over competitors as he has high levels of endurance which helps him to cope with an intensive season of long-distance travel, high pressure and many repetitions of golf swings: “After four weeks of tournaments, and it comes down to that last Sunday, I know I’m more physically fit than most.”

He attributes his strong core and glutes to helping him execute great shots from the rough, as we saw him demonstrate on the 13th in his 3rd round at Bethpage. He made great contact with a ball deep in the rough, which found the green and he went on to sink the putt for an incredibly important birdie.

The main area that he believes gives him the edge is how mentally good he feels when he is fit and healthy. This confidence can be massive on the golf course and is also a huge factor in handling pressure and performing at the highest of levels.

The 4D camera set-up on the 15th tee at the PGA Championship was a great way to highlight the huge amount of flexibility that Koepka has in his hips and shoulders, allowing him to create such coil. His strength training visibly causing no detriment to his movement and flexibility.

The strength in his legs is also visible with how well he drives and pushes them into the ground creating huge amounts of speed and momentum. The man is a machine.

Brooks Koepka. 💪 in 4D.#PGAChamp pic.twitter.com/4OQ5YWvzFp

— PGA Championship (@PGAChampionship) May 18, 2019

Koepka’s gym routine is impressive and his athletic prowess inspiring. Whether people like it or not, this is the way the professional game of golf is moving with players getting stronger and faster year upon year. Physical strength is playing a large part in the success on the golf course and is producing a new breed of golf athletes.

Brooks Koepka workout: What he does

Bench presses: 100kg x 15 reps

Deadlifts: 133kg (more than 1.5 times his bodyweight)

The stats

Average clubhead speed: 122.03 mph (12th on PGA Tour)

Average driving distance: 308.7 yards (13th on PGA Tour)

Rachael Tibbs is a TPI L2 Certified Golf Fitness Professional based in Leeds. She specialises in golf-specific strength and conditioning. You can visit her website or follow her on Twitter.